Good Morning Nairalanders,

Another milestone here, my 5th topic on nairaland and as usual, I will make this thread as informative as possible. If you have not yet received the free ebook series containing a list of 20 home businesses you can run in Nigeria, send me an email to: nigeriahomebusiness@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: Before we commence our reading together, l want to emphatically state that nothing in life is guaranteed (except that we all will die one day). These ideas may not work for everybody but definitely they would work for some others. You have a duty to search for small home businesses you can do on the side to support your monthly income. These are based on real life examples of people I know who have regular jobs and have these businesses supporting them. Here goes.

5 Home Businesses that can support your present full time Job

1. Car Wash Service
First case study a married man with 3 children. Works with a federal ministry in Abuja while his wife is a school teacher and a trained janitor. They own their house and use the frontage overlooking a busy road as a car wash. I go there to wash my car and happen to know they make at more than 20,000 naira a day because I have seen their sales book while the sales girl was recording sales for my own car wash service.

2. Real Estate Online Marketing
This business is very simple to do. Just post pictures of houses for sale or rent, land for sale etc that you have access to market with your phone number. People will call to find out more and you schedule an inspection. Warning you must be wise when doing this you may have to work in teams with other people just in case a client schedules an inspection that would clash with your work. My neighbour does this along side his job.

3. Men's Leather Sandals Factory
This requires vocational training. If you are a trained shoe maker and can access very unique, world class designs you can make men's sandals they can wear with traditional outfits and casual wears. A relative of an acquaintance sells leather sandals to men and some local boutiques. He also displays it in a stand at an in-law's shop

4. Women's custom made dresses
My ex does this. She would visit popular fashion blogs and instagram to look for unique stylish female wears. She will then sketch and sew a prototype of a design she knows women will like (she is a very good tailor). If it looks very good, she will produce more and upload pictures via whatsapp, instagram and facebook. She makes most of her money this way although she has since quit her job.

5. Packaged potato chips
This man lost his job in 2016 and his wife left him. He has two sons. In March this year he accessed a micro loan to start making packaged sweet potato chips. I see some of his chips at local supermarkets near me sometimes. He has put his sons back in school and is business is expanding. The business doesn't take much time to do. Just employ boys to peel and cut the potatoes into small chips, fry, package and deliver.

5 reasons these businesses work for the owners

1. The owners took time to learn and thoroughly understand their business. If you don't understand a business you will likely fail if you go into it. That means become an apprentice if you might, do thorough research on it, register for a vocational course if necessary or signup for an online course that will teach you a vocational skill from which to launch your business.

2. The business is simple to setup and run. Don't think you can do a complicated business and keep your job going. You will fail.

3. They have a working business model. A business model is simply the way your business makes money and how you run it on auto-pilot once you employ people to work there. I will share 5 sample business models that can help home business owners by email if you request for it.

4. They treat it like a business. No credit is no credit no matter who it is (although not for every business, in some businesses you must be owed). Business money is not their personal money. Keep proper track of expenses and income.

5. They know who their real customers are Not everybody will buy what you are selling. Know the right customer for your business and spend time finding and reaching out to them.

Good post.

Here on Nairaland is this thread on List of 20 home businesses you can start in Nigeria Today