Most people looking to start a side business are always on the lookout for an easy business that requires little skill and little capital.
This is usually a good move because it mitigates the risk involved and increases the chances of success.
If you are looking for an easy business you can start on the side with no skills required, then you might just find the perfect one on the list below.
Snacks Distribution
Everybody loves snacks, including children.
If you observe, you’ll see that there is a whole industry behind snacks and small chops, and that should tell you how lucrative the business is.
According to Fortune Business Insights, as at 2022, the global snacks market is worth almost $600 billion.
You could start a small business on the side that distributes some of the best snacks you can find around.
You don’t necessarily have to be the one making the snacks, but make sure it is of high quality and then add to the branding.
A quick question.
Have you ever eaten a snack and thought to yourself, “this snack deserves to be tasted by more people”?
For me, countless times.
I’ve eaten a meat pie by the roadside that I thought deserved more exposure. I had to buy a few more to share with friends and neighbors.
So, what am I saying?
When you come across a snack that tastes too good, then maybe that’s a cue for you to consider distributing it.
Mobile Recycling
Recycling is a hidden business that has made many people millionaires over the years.
Even though recycling can be capital intensive, the industry boasts several value chains that could be explored for cash.
With mobile recycling, you don’t necessarily need to fund the recycling process.
You could start a materials acquisition and sorting business that helps recycling centers to source for raw materials.
It works like an arbitrage business where you find and bargain for raw materials, and then link the source to the recycling factory.
You’ll only need a small capital for the runabouts.
Radio Ad Selling
I personally think that radio ads are not publicized enough.
The impact of radio for music, entertainment, and event businesses is very much underrated in Nigeria.
Most radio stations sell a range of ad spaces for anywhere between 10k to 30k depending on the time allotment.
From a quick 1-minute commercial to a short expo or radio exhibition, these businesses could reach thousands if not millions of customers and make money.
Not only are radio ads cheap, they are also very impactful.
If you have an eye for this kind of business, then you could be the link between radio stations and businesses looking to advertise.
Twitter Luxury Marketer
Twitter is not just a social media platform for mindless chatter. You could also market stuff there and make money.
Twitter threads could be the place for you to find recent happenings around you, but it could also be used as an effective marketplace for driving sales.
You could become a Twitter marketer of luxury items, where you advertise useful fashion and decors that people might be interested in.
I remember back in 2019, on a Twitter thread discussing EPL football, I came across a cool pair of red and black sports shoes, which I couldn’t resist but buy.
I know quite well that I wasn’t the only customer for that vendor who was making thousands of sales on a weekly basis.
You can do the same for any cool item that a lot of people have interest in.
The good news is that you don’t even need to have an inventory or products in stock before getting started.
You could market other people’s stuff and get paid commissions for driving sales.
Cool right?
Handkerchief Production
Handkerchief production is one of the cheapest fashion businesses you could ever embark on.
Not only is it cheap to make, it is also easy to produce and sell.
If you change handkerchiefs often, you’ll discover that the materials are different and no two handkerchiefs are the same.
This proves that the market is homogeneous and there is no clear leading brand.
In this case, the barrier to entry of the market will be low and anyone with a good business plan could start production and gain market share.
Handkerchiefs come in different styles, which determines their target buyers, from white and colored, to fluffy napkins.
You could start with a test production which requires a yard of cheap cotton, and then improve on your raw material as you progress.
You’ll also need the services of a seamstress to do the finishing of the handkerchief edges, if you don’t already know how to.
Bills Payment Vendor
Everyone pays bills in one form or the other. From utilities to cable TV bills.
Many people in Nigeria still pay these bills with cash, irrespective of the mobile penetration and the growing use of bill payment mobile apps.
That’s where you come in.
Many of these bills payment apps offer a percentage commission per bill paid, and this is different from the additional charge that many vendors include to the original fee.
You could sign up to any of the popular bills payment apps, and start reselling their services to people looking to pay their bills with cash.
The profit might not come in thick and fast, but it definitely adds up over time, which makes for a good side business.
Pillow Making
Everybody loves a soft pillow, especially on those cold mornings where you need some pillows pressing against your back.
Pillow making is one of the easiest side businesses anyone can start with little or no money.
With just a cheap crepe material, some cotton or latex waste to stuff in, and a needle with thread.
Anyone could do this and create beautiful pillows that bring in cash.
The biggest challenge would be sourcing your waste material to use in stuffing the pillow. While it is possible to use waste foam, you could also pay for some soft waste material if you want to make a quality pillow.
The cost of a pillow could range between 2k naira up to 10k, if not higher depending on the quality.
So, there is a chance of printing money out of thin air, if you can master the craft and create pillows that customers would love to buy.
CV & Cover Letter Writing
CV and cover letter writing is a hidden money spinner for writers who have mastered the art of spinning words.
Many job seekers today hate writing CVs, and more so for cover letters.
In fact, most job seekers would rather pay a professional cover letter writer to write their cover letters than rack their brains to write the perfect essay.
So, if you have skills in CV and cover letter writing, you have a chance to make money doing what you are good at.
You could advertise your services on job forums and social media job groups where there are a lot of job seekers.
Imagine charging just 2k for CV and cover letter writing, and getting just 10 person’s to patronize you.
That’s a cool 80k per month, as a side business.
Cream Mixing
I never knew people could make money by mixing cream for sale, let alone making a career out of it until I met someone who was into the business.
This lady claims to make nothing less than 50k weekly by mixing body creams and other solutions to produce whitening body lotion.
According to her, the product sells like hot cake for those who desire a lighter skin without using imported bleaching creams.
To start this business, you might have to go under tutelage for a short period to learn the mixing formula and other nitty-gritty of the business.
Mobile Movie Distribution
Movies are a great way to chill out, relax or wind up for the day.
With mobile phones becoming more and more convergent with our lifestyles, more and more people are now watching movies on their mobile phones.
While there are hundreds of free movie download sites and enough movies to be shared in China, many people do not have the time or internet data to download these movies.
And that is where you come in.
You could download movies and then get people to pay you to share the movies with them.
The good news is that you only have to download a movie once, but you can share them for money as many times as you get customers.
With just 2k, you could purchase an internet subscription, and download your first batch of movies for sale.
Rinse and repeat that to refresh your movie bouquet, as you get more and more patronage.
Conclusion
An easy business is not just one that is simple to start, but one that has little or no learning curve, and can be perfect for learning the ropes of doing business in Nigeria.
If you’re making your first foray into business or entrepreneurship, then it is best to start a side business that is easy to start, and then work on improving on your experience and grow from there.
With any of the businesses described above, anyone could start a business in Nigeria with as little as 2k, even if they have no skills.
Just plug and play, learn and adjust, and you could be on a journey to building a small business that thrives.