‘Tale Means Business: 5 Business Ideas You Can Implement Today

As I read several articles and papers from speeches at the World economic forum delivered by billionaires like Richard Branson, to sponsored Facebook lessons by Zimbabwean business man Strive Masiyiwa and even the well-received article by BellaNaija founder – Uche Pedro, I know that 2016 is the year to rise and get active.
It is a year that has started with obvious global economic challenges from the slowdown of China’s economy to the drop in oil prices but challenges seems to be the ‘ginger’ that we need to get active.

As a response to these challenges, people are beginning to seriously consider that they need to start another business or have a side business to generate multiple streams of income. It has been said that the average millionaire has 7 businesses! But there are always the obvious questions like: how do I start? How do I fund it? What do I start with? How do I manage it especially if it is a side gig?

So, I’ve I decided to share 5 pretty straight forward, low to no-cost businesses you can start today.

Become an affiliate
As an affiliate, you promote other people’s product and services to your community and platform and when they buy, you get a cut on the revenues. This is a low cost way of starting a business because you don’t have to hold any inventory, you promote and earn. There a couple of Organizations that have proper affiliate setup where you register on their website as an affiliate and use your affiliate link to promote their products so they can monitor the sales that come from you. You can check some of the popular e-commerce stores for their affiliate packages.

Become an agent
An agent is similar to an affiliate, but it is more hands on because you might be involved in processing the transaction, representing the buyer or prospective customer and closing the deal. At the end of the deal, you get agency fee. Agency is a popular concept in real estate, where you take your customers to see properties and get paid fees when they rent or buy. You can become more creative with agency by approaching other types of businesses and negotiating an agency fee for bringing a customer. I am sure a lot of company’s would be open to this arrangement.

Become a trainer or tutor
Have you mastered a certain skill that people are finding hard to learn? Why don’t you become a trainer or tutor. Do you have advanced Microsoft excel skills or have you discovered a way to hack weight loss through a special routine you have developed? Maybe it is time to use those skills as a trainer or tutor for others who need your skills. The simplest way to test the viability of the idea is to take it to people who you know desperately need it and offer them the service. You can offer them a ‘pay as you go’ plan so that you make it easy for them to hire you.

Become a virtual assistant
If you are great at administrative functions or have some skills like content creation or social media management, you can take advantage of the virtual assistant opportunities online. Sites like Upwork, freelancer and Odesk always advertise vacancies. You can work as a part-time virtual assistant and earn for the hours of work you put in. That means you can have a main job and do this as a side gig. The down side might be the work hours especially if you are working for someone in another time zone.

Become a market jobber
That is my fancy way of saying run market errands for people. Some people have mastered the art of going to the nooks and crannies of the market to get the best deals that the average ‘mortal’ can’t seem to do. In the same vain, there are a lot of people who don’t like the stress of going to rowdy markets to buy what they need especially for special occasions like parties. You can become the ‘go to person’ to help people get exquisite souvenirs at good prices, or nice aso-ebi’s from a good source. I know a lady who says she charges a fee to take people round the market and show they the routes! I also know some guys who earn a fee for taking people to buy cars in Cotonou. Are you skilled in navigating the market? That could be a business!

There are so many more businesses you can start, but I shared these 5 ideas to ignite your creativity so that you can get active! I also have a guide to help you start your business. You can check it out HERE. Also watch my new video and get motivated to seize opportunities.