Street marketing is the best and most cost-effective way to promote your business. It allows you to reach a large number of people in a short period.
This article hovers around small, medium, and high-scale street business ideas in Nigeria and how to establish them. Let’s move on.
Table of Contents
Small-Scale Street Business Ideas in Nigeria
Small-scale businesses require less startup capital. These businesses are very common in the streets, like roadside kiosks, POS cubicles, sim-registering service centers, hairdressers and barber salons, food vendors, etc.
However, some of these businesses are skill-based. For example, tailoring and hairdressing require basic skills before starting up while others just require a little capital. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Mobile Network(Related)Services
The need for mobile networks can not be over-emphasized. One can hardly spend a day without making calls or surfing the internet.
A small kiosk or cubicle or even a chair, mobile tent or station umbrella(by the street) is enough to start this business.
Services range from SIM card registration to sales of airtime and data tariffs, and other network-related services.
2. Food Stand Business
Starting a food stand business in Nigeria is an excellent option for those looking to start a street business in Nigeria. All you need to do is choose a busy location, have a magical touch to the local dishes, and above all maintain a clean environment and you will get repeat customers.
3. Drinks and Snacks
You can set up a kiosk or shop where you sell cold drinks, snacks, and other groceries. This type of business can also fall into a medium or high-scale business because it all depends on the capital being sacrificed. But for starters, you can start with just a station umbrella, chair, and table plus a cooler if you don’t have a fridge.
4. Fashion Item
This business is suitable for those looking to start a low-budget business. You can sell typical fashion articles like necklaces, bracelets, perfumes, attachments, earrings, bands, etc. You can pick a simple spot in a very active location like a beach, or roadside.
You don’t need to have a kiosk for this, a table and a stand umbrella would do. You can even spread the products on a mat or rug where passersby can easily locate them.
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5. Accessories and Gadgets
You can set up a mini low-budget shade around the street where you sell gadgets and accessories like mobile phones, ear pods, wristwatches, electrical lamps, etc. You can even procure a mobile stall which you can move conveniently.
6. Maintenance and Repairs(Skill based)
If you are skilled at repairing mobile phones, laptops, and any other appliances like television, home theaters, and the like then this is a go for business. You can set up a small kiosk and procure basic tools to run your repairs. All you need is to be good at your job and customers will forever be attached to your stall.
7. Hair and Barbers Salon(skill-based)
These are for skilled individuals who are good at plaiting and barbing hair. Random people across the street might catch sight of your kiosk or stall and patronize your business. This isn’t all, you can even attach other related businesses like selling hair dyes, hair extensions, hair braids, and other hair accessories.
8. Shoes and Wears.
Clothes and shoes are in high demand. They are part of our basic needs as humans. So setting up one offering this service isn’t something to be looked down upon. You can set up a small stall or kiosk where you showcase varieties of dresses and shoes of all sizes and ages. To ice the cake you can also include the sale of second-hand clothes(Okrika) as average Nigerians fancy them.
9. Fruit and vegetables
To get into this business, you will need to first find a reliable supplier of fresh fruits. Local farmers are a sure way to get them. You also need to be at open corners and junctions of the street to properly showcase your business. The only problem is that these fruits are quick to spoil if kept for too long.
10. Tailoring.
The demand for tailors is similar to that of shoe and wear businesses. However, it requires you to have an essential knowledge of stitching. You can handle the sewing of clothes if you are a professional; you can focus on just stitching and patching up torn or loose sims if you are least skilled; if you have no skill, you can rent a shop equipped with machines and then employ skilled tailors to work for you.
11. Shoe Making and Mending
If you are skilled at shoemaking or mending then this is for you. You can set up a simple spot where you can attend to customers. You can even include additional businesses like selling shoes and other footwear materials.
12. POS
Point of sale(POS) businesses are becoming increasingly popular in Nigeria. These businesses provide an alternative to traditional banks, allowing people to make transactions without visiting banks. This is mostly profitable in streets where banks are far away. To start a POS business you need to purchase a secondhand or new POS machine and then register with the nearest service provider.
13. Gardening
This kind of business is commonly found along the roads on major highways or roadsides. It’s all about the cultivation of garden crops, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Products are showcased in vases and nylon nursery bags. This business doesn’t require much capital to start. You can even get land for free,(roadside) since the government knows these plants beautify the road. All you need to do is get some experience and then the capital to purchase nursery bags and seedlings.
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14. Charging post
A charging port is a great business in Nigeria. With the epileptic power supply in Nigeria, there is a growing demand for public charging stations. To start a public charging post, you will need to purchase or rent a suitable location. You will also need to purchase gear such as generators, power banks, wall sockets, and solar panels.
Medium Scale Street Business Ideas in Nigeria
A medium-scale business is a bit more expensive than a small scale. It has a refined structure and more capital input is required. Here are lists of medium-scale street business ideas in Nigeria.
15. Boutique
Boutique businesses are very lucrative in Nigeria despite their over-saturation. Notwithstanding, “it’s you sell yours” and “I sell mine” business. Our taste for fashion is on the rise. Many are willing to pay for differentia styles. The startup capital depends on the kind of boutique business you want to operate. You can specialize in the selling of men’s or women’s wear, baby clothing, jeans, and t-shirts, and you can also be a jack of all trades if you are up to the task.
16. Car wash
Car wash businesses are very lucrative looking at the number of vehicles traversing the country daily. The best part is that the two seasons in Nigeria are favorable. The drying season comes with dust while the rainy season comes with mud, in any way, you make significant gains. All you need is good capital to procure a good spot and equipment and also the aptitude to make your business stand out.
17. Laundry
Busy folks hardly have the time to do their laundry, they tend to forward the burden to anyone willing to do the chores. You can seize this opportunity by establishing a mini posh laundry and ironing stall across the street. Just focus on pleasing your customers and you will earn a spot in their expenses.
18. Spare parts
Due to the increasing number of vehicles on the road, the demand for spare parts is very high.
However, the amount of startup capital depends on the type of spare part business you want to specialize in. You don’t expect the amount required to start selling heavy-duty spare parts to be the same as a motorcycle. All in all, it all depends on the selling scale you want to start with.
19. Cyber Cafe
There is a growing demand for internet access and computer services in the country, and a cyber cafe can provide these services at an affordable price.
However, the major challenge is the starting capital and the cost of purchasing gear. You can offer a variety of services including, photocopying, spiral binding, laminating, typesetting, browsing, software installation, etc.
Just make sure to have your shop positioned in an open and well-spaced spot. You can even consider staying in a street that leads to schools and offices to increase your chance of sales.
20. Car repair and spare part replacement.
You don’t need to be skilled to start this business, with your capital you can employ skilled mechanics to handle clients’ automobiles. They will repair and replace worn spare parts. You can diversify by selling a few spare parts along the line.
High-Scale Street Business Ideas in Nigeria
High-scale businesses are often complex and capital-intensive with refined structures and may offer a broad range of products or services. These businesses can also be located within the streets and roadways.
21. Refiling station
This is a profitable business in Nigeria, as they are high in demand due to the insatiable need for fuel and cooking gas. This business often provides refilling services ranging from petrol, gasoline, diesel, cooking gas, etc. However, it requires huge capital to start and also requires you to obtain an operating license.
22. Car dealership
There is a business where you sell both new and fairly used cars to buyers. This is usually set up on major streets or roads in big cities like Abuja or Lagos. This requires huge capital to start and it also requires you to obtain a dealership license from the Nigerian Automobile Manufacturers Association(NAMA).
23. Supermarket
A supermarket offers anything, electronic gadgets, food items, groceries, toiletries, fresh fruits, and even clothes.
Supermarkets are at best marketable in urban cities and suburban streets because the majority of buyers from a market live in cities and tend to consume classy stuff. Supermarkets have varying operating costs and profit margins depending on the scale and category.
Conclusion
There are numerous street business ideas in Nigeria we failed to cover. However, with the 23 Street business ideas covered in this article, you now have at least the information to act upon, regardless of your startup capital.