Do not let inadequate capital be an excuse for you not to start a business that can turn your life around. There are a lot of business you can do with less than N100,000 and still make sustainable income every month.
I know a lot of successful businessmen who started their businesses with little money and today they are big time businessmen.
Some business you can start with less than N100,000
Selling of recharge cards
This is a very simple business to start. You do not even need more than N10,000 to start this business. All you need to do is to buy bulk recharge PIN from an accredited distributor for the telecommunications companies, get a printer and print the PIN on papers.
After printing the PIN on the papers, you sell to people around you. You can also make use of the internet to sell to people who are far away from you.
The margin of this business is low so you have to sell in volume before you can make a reasonable profit.
Frying of beans cake (akara)
Most Nigerians if not all eat akara. Akara is a delicacy made from milled cowpea (beans). Some akara sellers in big cities make up to N20,000 in a day.
All you need to start your akara frying business is to rent a space in a busy area, get a large pot or pan for frying, you can use gas stove or the local wooden stove, get vegetable oil and mill your beans.
Most akara sellers fry this food only in the morning and at nights.
Selling of puffpuff
Puffpuff is similar to akara but made from wheat flour. It is a very popular food or snack in Nigeria. Go to any town or city in Nigeria, you will see puffpuff hawkers.
To start this business, you need to have a stove, frying pan and flour. You also need to have hawkers who can hawk for you. You can also sell it from a fixed location. Just make sure that your outlet is in a busy place.
Selling of cooked foods
Everybody eats food and some prefer to eat out because of one reason or the other. Selling cooked foods can be very lucrative.
You can decide to have a shop or you hawk it. It depends on your capital. Some people start this business with N50 million while some start with just N5,000.
No human lives without eating; this business can never go into extinction.
Selling of fruits
With the increased awareness about the health benefits of eating fruits, a lot of people now eat fruits every day.
Selling of fruits can be profitable. You just need to know where you can source the fruits at cheap prices. Most fruits sellers go to fruits markets or villages to buy the fruits they intend to sell.
Vegetables farming
Cultivating vegetables like pepper, tomato, leafy vegetables, cucumbers and carrots etc can be a good source of income.
I know cucumber farmers that make up to N1 million every two months. Even if your start-up capital is N50,000, you can still cultivate some types of vegetables.
Farming cannot be phased out. Everybody must eat. You need to get a fertile farmland, get seeds and other agro inputs and know where to sell your produce at good prices.
Selling of fabrics
We all wear clothes. Fabrics business is another business you can start with less than N100,000. To sell the popular Ankara fabrics does not involve huge capital especially for a starter.
All you need to do is to find a place where you can buy cheaply and also know where you can sell at a profit.
You can even sell to your friends and family who need to buy aso-ebi in bulk. Nigerians love parties and ceremonies and they often need aso-ebi. This is a positive for any Ankara fabric seller.
Make-up business
Most women like to look good. This is an avenue to make money and you do not need to have more than N100,000 before you can start this business.
Some young women now go to parties to beautify the faces of party goers with cosmetics and they are paid handsomely.
All you need for this business is your make-up skill, make-up set and cosmetics.
Selling of shoes
Selling of shoes can be lucrative. You need to buy cheap and sell at a profit. There are good markets where you can see cheap shoes to buy. You can then sell these shoes to people around you.
You can open a physical store for your shoe business or you sell on the web. I know people who sell their shoes on Instagram.
Selling of groceries
Selling groceries in you’re the area you live can be profitable and you do not need a lot of money before you can start.
You just need to rent a shop and start selling.
Tailoring
If you have tailoring skills, you can make a lot of money from it. You do not even need to rent a shop, though having one is better.
I have a friend who makes over N100,000 every month by helping people to design and sew their clothes from home.
Carpentry business
Sometimes we need wood work in our homes or offices. Skillful carpenters are highly sought for in Nigeria especially in big cities.
If you have this skill, you can make sustainable income every month. You need to have good customer service and marketing skills.
Plumbing business
Like carpentry, sometimes we need plumbing work to be done in our homes or offices. Plumbers help people to repair or install pipes, toilets, bathrooms, water tank and boreholes. They make good money from their work.
A Nigerian plumber was referenced in the BBCnews last year; he makes millions of naira every month in Lagos, Nigeria.
Home electrical installations business
Artisans who help people in fixing their electrical works in homes also make good money from their skills.
You can start a business with less than N100,000 and make good income for yourself.
