9 Business Ideas That Require Zero Capital

With the high rate of unemployment in the country, it has become paramount to think outside the box, be smart and find ways to make a living. I have come up with a list of 9 businesses to start in Nigeria that require no start-up funds and can be launched in less than 1 week. These businesses can be started by anyone with the required skills; it doesn’t matter whether you are an undergraduate, unemployed or employed. Keep in mind that it is what a man knows, that will feed him. Below are examples of businesses you can start that won’t cost a kobo: 1. Home lesson tutor JAMB, WAEC, GCE and other secondary school exams are around the corner. I bet you know one or two secondary school students living around you or that attend your church/mosque. Simply identify what you can teach (e.g. English, Maths, Economics or Accounting), talk to their parents and offer to teach their children for some hours every weekend or after school depending on your availability. You can charge as much as ₦1000/hour depending on the subject, child’s age and location. All you need is to brush up on the subject, present yourself well (you can tell the parents about your own WAEC/JAMB score or university GPA) and get as many students as possible. 2. Baby Sitting It’s common nowadays to find women who work far from home and have to leave home early. They most likely keep their children at a day-care centre where they are one of many. You know one right? Perfect! You can walk up to her and offer to watch her children after school till she gets back home. This one really requires you to very convincing as to why she should trust you. This business is perfect as you can run another project/business/job during regular hours. 3. Website/Blog Design New blogs and websites are put up on the internet hourly and many of them look crappy. With a good eye for colours and design, a little research and practice you can begin to design websites and blogs for people. There are many premade blogging and website platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, Wix etc. that come with themes you can easily edit and personalize to taste. All you need to do is take a free design course on Alison or Coursera and start practicing in your free time. Advertise your services on your social networks, start with your friends and you are in business. I have designed about 10 websites & blogs (including a wedding site) and made a few thousand naira myself from this. 4. Software and computer repair Many people don’t know how to solve basic computer issues such as (a) how to fix a system crash (b) how to solve blue screen of death (c) computer booting slow, (d) how to download videos from YouTube (e) how to install software (f) how to remove malware from a computer (g) how to solve internet connectivity issues etc. While these are simple 10-minutes tasks to you, some people struggle with it. Simply advertise your services on social networks, BBM, WhatsApp and to close friends. 5. Personal trainer I would focus on ladies for this one. Have you managed to keep a flat tummy and build beautiful abs or do you know a diet that can help someone lose weight? You can offer your services to fellow ladies; stay-at-home moms or women that recently gave birth. You can work with them to reduce their belly fat or big legs or whatever you have done for yourself. You can charge premium for this and the best part is you get paid for exercising (I should really look into this one) 6. Managing a company’s social media accounts and blogs Many small companies have redundant social media accounts and blogs and are failing to engage their customers. They can’t afford to employ a social media manager or use digital marketing software. All you need is to love social media, know the tricks for establishing brand presence on social media and be willing to learn something new. The company provides their content and you help them post, share, engage their customers and establish a strong brand presence. The best part? You now have a money making excuse to be online for the whole day! 7. Promotions If you have over 2,000 Facebook friends, 50,000 twitter followers, 400 BBM/WhatsApp contacts, you can help promote events, businesses, trainings etc and charge at least ₦500 per post/broadcast on each social network. 8. Personal shopper Do you love to shop (or window shop)? Do you know how to haggle for the best deals? Do you know that some people are time starved, others plain lazy and for them it’s a burden to go out and buy things they need? Herein lies an opportunity: get their request, go shop for them; and they pay you for your time, judgement and ability to get good deals. 9. Professional seller There are some people (like me) who can sell anything (and I mean anything). Can you get someone to buy anything you are selling? If yes, help someone sell something. Maybe your friend wants to change his phone; offer to help him sell it for a percentage of the selling price and then advertise it and convince someone to buy it! Soon, everyone will know what a great salesperson you are and bring their stuff to you to sell for them.   Remember, it’s what you know that will feed you. You just have to be solving someone’s problem. The problem doesn’t have to be a new problem, it doesn’t matter if someone has already solved it; as long as someone still has that problem, there is an opportunity for you. Start NOW! Do you want to try one of the above or you have an idea for a business; I can help you develop an idea plan FREE OF CHARGE! Send a mail to info@thewumbb.org with subject: Free Idea Plan and I would get back to you in 2 working days.     About the Writer: Omotayo B. Adeoye is the founder of The Wumbb, a Startup and SME consulting firm. She is passionate about improving the standard of living of people through the nurturing of business ideas into viable business ventures. Contact: oadeoye@thewumbb.org        

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This article was first published on 18th March 2015

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