21 Lucrative Businesses to Start With Little Income in Nigeria

21 Lucrative Businesses to Start With Little Income in Nigeria

We cannot deny the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria today. A lot of people are left without jobs, especially with the 2020 pandemic. Nonetheless, there are lucrative businesses you can start with little or no capital here in Nigeria! I know to most, it sounds bizarre and ridiculous, but it is true.

The truth is that there are a lot of opportunities in Nigeria and all we have to do is search for these opportunities and the rest is history. Some advantages to these lucrative businesses are:

  1. You put your destiny in your own hands. No one can tell you what to do when you are your boss.
  2. Opportunity to grow and build a brand for yourself when running your own business, you are building a brand.
  3. It allows you to get rich. You have the opportunity to impact the economy by creating jobs and providing a livelihood for other Nigerians.

With these advantages and more, you can see that a business especially a lucrative one is very important and beneficial to an individual and the economy at large.

Now that you must have known some key advantages to a lucrative business, let me educate you on some lucrative businesses you can start with little or no income in Nigeria…

21 Lucrative Businesses You Can Start With Little or No Income in Nigeria

1. Blogging

Blogging has earned a place amongst the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria. Because of globalization, a lot of people prefer sourcing for news and the latest gossip from the internet. As you must know, bloggers make money through direct advertisement, ad networks, affiliate marketing, product sales, sponsored posts, partnership, and many more. Take for instance the famous female Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji, who started blogging in 2006 and became an active blogger in 2007 using a blogger sub-domain. Now she is the richest blogger in Nigeria earning at least N50,000,000 a month.

On average, high-end bloggers makeover N20,000,000 every month in Nigeria. It is easy to start with very small capital. To start a self-hosted blog will cost you about N4,000 for the domain name and N27,000 for hosting for a year. You pay both for a year. That is just less than N35,000 to start a business that can make you N20,000,000 every month.

2. Furniture Business

The good thing about this business is that people will always use furniture. People seat, sleep, write, cook, etc on furniture. So why not start up a little furniture business to get more money?

You can open up a little carpentry shop with as little as N10,000. All you have to do is get the required tools and a plank of good wood, make a piece of furniture, put it on display, and let the beauty of that product speak for your pocket. I do not know anyone who started a furniture business and did not go far.

Furniture is an essential commodity and you can earn a minimum of N10,000 depending on your location and high demand for furniture in your area.

3. Social Media Marketing

With so many people spending most of their time on social media, it has to be among the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria. Social media marketing is all about using the social media platform to find leads for businesses. You can work independently and help businesses make the best of social media or you can promote and sell products via social media.

Social media is a very large market and it is also a branch of digital marketing and marketing on this platform is lucrative and a profitable business in general. A social media marketer gets an average of N50,000 to N200,000 depending on the agreement on their pay. So, why not start marketing for small companies, a good place to get companies to market is on Linkedin, you will get a lot of companies especially if you input social media marketing into your profile and portfolio.

4. Dry Cleaning

The good thing about this business is that most people, especially busy workers rely on dry cleaners for their laundry needs. Companies and organizations make use of dry cleaning services very often.

Take, for instance, states like Lagos and Kano which have at least 10,000,000 million people, and at least 60% are busy workers who need dry cleaners at all times. Why not exploit this opportunity? This is a very lucrative side hustle where you earn a minimum of N5,000 a week if you are in the right location. So why not go for this…there is this lady who comes to my compound in school, every week and she gets at least N3,000 a day if there are a lot of people looking to get their clothes and rooms cleaned.

Dry cleaning is a very lucrative business and it does not even require any capital at all! All it requires is your manpower and willingness to work.

5. Carwash Services

The purchasing of cars in the country is very high and the car wash business is in high demand, therefore, starting this kind of business will bring in a large profit. The car wash business is fast rising in the country and some people started this with no capital today they have at least N40,000 in their account. This business that people overlook is lucrative.

You earn at least N2,000 a day. Too small you may think, but multiply N2,000 by 7, that’s N14,000. That means you earn N14,000 a week! Some days it may be less than N2,000 other days even higher. The bottom line is that the carwash business is a lucrative business that you can start with little or no capital in Nigeria.

6. Another Lucrative Business to Start With Little Income Is Hair Making

If you can make hair, then this lucrative business is a win for you. The good thing about this business is that it is not gender-based, although some people will say otherwise.

Hairdressing is one of those businesses you can start with little capital. You can start with a minimum of N20,000. All you need to do is get the required equipment like hair dryers, combs, hair creams, shampoos and conditioners, mirrors, chairs, some attachments amongst others. This is a very profitable business because women along with some men cherish and want to see their hair neat at all times. With this business, you can get a minimum of N50,000 only if you are in the right location with high demand for your services.

I have this friend who is into hairdressing. She makes wigs, plaits hair, and even does dreadlocks. She gets a minimum of N80,000 a month. Christmas period she gets at least N100,000 because of her services and her talent for making hair. My guys, you aren’t left out because I know some guys who have done my hair for me and I was so impressed with their work that I had to tip them.

If you can make hair as a talent, or know how to make hair as a skill then hairdressing is also a lucrative business you can start with little income in Nigeria.

7. P.O.S Business

A lot of people do not know the profits one makes from a P.O.S Business. You can cash out big time from this lucrative business, if you own your P.O.S stand, you serve as an agent for the bank whose P.O.S machine you are using and you can get an average of N50,000 depending on the bank. Or if you are a sales boy or girl working at a P.O.S terminal you can earn an average of N10,000 depending on how you agreed to be paid.

P.O.S business does not require much to start, the main thing is that it is one of those few businesses which requires putting little capital and watching your pocket grow over time. Looking for a lucrative business to start with little capital in Nigeria? P.O.S Business is it for you…

8. Agricultural Practices

One of the best ways to make money on a tight budget is to become a farmer. Now by reading this you would think I sound ridiculous. Well, I’m not. You won’t have to buy any piece of land for this and even if you don’t have access to good land, you can always start with a flower pot.

This is a very lucrative business because it gives you profit. In a country like Nigeria that is blessed with good soil and a lot of crops, one would say, exploit your opportunities. You can start with vegetables like waterleaf or go for other crops that cost less but grow fast and would require little attention. As time goes on you will be earning a million naira a year.

I have an uncle who harvests rice and he supplies 200bags of rice a year to local markets. Just imagine how much he makes a year, this business is good and lucrative, I for one would love to venture into this lucrative business.

9. Trading Cryptocurrencies

This is more like an investment that has the potential to make you rich, however, it is not a get-rich-quick scheme and you are less likely to make a profit in a matter of months.

While this business is lucrative, especially in the long run, it requires patience and tactics. You have to be patient, especiallywhen there is a little downfall (dip) in your transaction. If you are looking to only be buying and selling, it is also good especially when there is high demand and the cryptocurrency you are selling has a lot of value.

If you are great at this business, you can cash out on an average of N1,000,000 and build your portfolio quickly, however not the business for someone looking for quick cash, like I said earlier. Cryptocurrency is a lucrative business that requires a start-up capital of N100,000 if you are looking to go far as time goes on.

10. Selling Recharge Card

Selling a recharge card is one of the easiest businesses to start on a small budget. You can easily make a profit though it would be minimal, if you are selling at a busy terminal point, your turnover would be huge by the end of the month. You can get an average of N20,000 a month depending on your location some days you can even get as high as N50,000. Also, you could easily sell N10,000 worth of recharge cards in a day and count your profit.

To get started, you would have to get connected with a vendor and as time goes on, you can move to sell for mobile companies like MTN, Airtel, GLO, Etisalat… this is a lucrative business to start with little capital in Nigeria.

11. Photography

A lot of people may not know this, but photographers make a huge amount of money. One earns a minimum of N50,000 depending on the deal he or she is doing and how skilled that person is.

Photography is a very lucrative business and requires little capital to start. I have this friend who is into photography, he just recently got his camera and he told me that photography does not require much, just get the right camera and the right models or environment to snap and let your work speak for you.

12. Painting

Painting too is a very lucrative business to start with little or no capital in Nigeria, especially when you are talented in this area. A lot of unemployed people I know have turned to paint as their haven and it has proved to be very profitable to them.

A friend I know makes a minimum of N20,000 on each painting he sells, and this is because he is skilled in this area and he has used it to his advantage and he is gaining money. Painting is really good and is a lucrative business to start in Nigeria. You can take any of your paintings or drawings to an art gallery near you and strike a deal with them on payment and all and you have your money coming into your pocket with a sweat.

13. Acting as an Agent for Car Dealers

Selling cars is indeed a lucrative business that requires no capital at all! This is indeed a profitable business if I do say so myself. You don’t need much at all, all you need is a car stand owner to help market your cars and you get your cut on each car you sell.

You can get any amount of money in this business, you can get an average of N5,000 to millions if your deal is huge. I deal with cars and I can tell you that it is indeed a lucrative business to start in Nigeria with no capital at all. It also leads you to get to know more people thereby building connections and giving a higher knowledge 0ncars which works in your favor.

14. Writing

Writing to some is a skill while to others it’s a talent but only a few use it as a business tool. It gets you more money than you could ever imagine! Especially when it’s on sites that pay you well. It is very lucrative and enhances your skill in writing as you go on.

You can earn a minimum of N2000 a month or sometimes a week. Too small you may think, as you journey through writing, you enhance your writing skill and you get paid higher as time goes on. A site like a fiver pays well and is good for writers to start with.

15. Real Estate Agent

The land is the most valued asset in the world, everyone knows that, and earning money from the most valued asset in the world is a golden win. The amount of profits most realtors earn is most at times in millions, no matter the currency.

The land has never depreciated that is why most, if not all rich people invest in land, by building houses and giving it out for renting or buying lands and selling.  A realtor can earn a minimum of a million depending on the deal, and mind you most land deals are always high, we talking of at least N100,000,000 for Nigeria at least. So you can imagine how huge your profit will be. And it does not even require any capital especially if you don’t have money at all. Just get acquainted with someone who owns an apartment complex and then helps them market and gets your cut. It is a very lucrative business, I have friends in this business and it has proved fruitful for them.

16. Food Business

Everyone loves food. Even those who claim to be on a diet have to eat. So this is enough opportunity to use to work for your pocket. There are a lot of food businesses in the country and it still is not enough because an average human is supposed to eat at least 6 times a day and we all have a preference of food we eat. So why not pick up a particular food or some foods to learn and use to make money.

To start this type of business is not hard when you have a food delivery company that helps you deliver your foodstuff to your doorstep. This business is indeed a lucrative business that requires little start-up capital in Nigeria.

17. Be a Cab Driver

Rent a car. A cab driver in Abuja earns an average of N12,000 every day. This business is worth giving a try by investors. You can register on any driving app like Bolt or even Uber

This business is very lucrative and can earn you a lot of money. It is one of those few lucrative businesses in the country that you can start with no capital at all. All you need is a required car and the needed credentials.

18. Cake Production

Cake production is a profitable business in Nigeria that requires small capital. The cake is the most consumed baked snack in Nigeria. The demand for cakes especially at birthdays, weddings, events and anniversaries is very high. Cakes are very cheap to purchase.

The cost of starting this business all depends on how you want to get started. One can earn a minimum of N30,000 depending on the event of the day or of that time.

This is surely another lucrative business you can start with little or no capital in Nigeria.

19. Act as an Agent to Sell Gadgets

Technology is fast rising and the world is moving into the digital world rapidly. 90% of Nigerians own a gadget and 60% still want to buy more gadgets. Gadget business, be it phone, laptop or whatever is a lucrative business for serious mind understand the market and have a business idea.

Location of your phone shop matters a lot, try and site it where there is high demand and you can see yourself earning a minimum of N100,000.

20. Jewelry Business Agent

Jewelry business can be very profitable. Almost everyone, most especially ladies wears jewelry and it is a very good business to venture into.

The business is very easy to start, run and manage. It can be done either full time or part-time and most people who start this business usually don’t have money. They start as being salespeople to jewelry shops and get paid from there. One can earn an average of N30,000 depending on the type of jewelry being sold.

21. Gift Basket Packaging Service

If you have a flair for gifts and souvenirs why don’t you look for clients who could put together baskets that hold the things that people with this interest would like too!

With a capital of N50,000 – N100,000, you can start this business. Marketing your gift basket services is not a stressful task, especially online, just talk to friends and family to help spread the word on what you do, from there you find customers.

Bottom Line…

There is always a lucrative business, all that matters is your business plan and how well you strategize that plan.

Every small business is always lucrative only if you have the right resources like money, good location, and equipment. The country is hard and the last thing one needs is to be cashless in this time. Try looking for what works for you, all you have to do is find your preferred business and exploit every opportunity you get!