O. R. SalahudeenHere are 10 easiest businesses you can do across the border. Often time border demarcations are a pain in the neck, unexplainable bottlenecks, embarrassments, irritations from border junior security personnel, miscreants, hanger-on, common thieves and touts are daily occurrences that define most Nigeria border crossing in recent times. Despite all the negatives things characterised Nigeria border crossing there are many unarguable business opportunities that can be done legitimately by any determined and focused individual.
10 EASIEST BUSINESSES YOU CAN DO ACROSS THE BORDER
1. TEACH YOUR LANGUAGE
2. NETWORK MARKETING
3. BE A FOOD VENDOR
4. BE A BAKER
5. BE A DRY CLEANER
6. BUYING AND SELLING LIVESTOCK
7. BE A TRANSPORTER
8. BE A HAIRDRESSER
9. BE A DEALER IN SECOND-HAND VEHICLE SPARE PARTS
10. BE A MOBILE PHONE TECHNICIAN/ DEALER
10 EASIEST BUSINESSES YOU CAN DO ACROSS THE BORDER
1. TEACH YOUR LANGUAGE
If you’re a teacher that specialised in English or French, the lucrative area to practice your profession may be the border area. Making it as a language specialist is simple in that traders and business people crossing the border-line or live in border communities not only interact in local dialects but fluency in the two official languages is highly beneficial.
By colonial designed all countries that surround Nigeria are French-speaking – West, North and East which gave big advantages to experts in any of the two languages. (English and French)
All you need to do is to move to a border community, rent a space and start your language teaching business. It wouldn’t be long before you achieve full class, due to the facts many people want to master English or French for easy business transactions.
If you’re smart enough nothing stopping you to move across the border community and start direct language teaching one on one. Definitely teaching different languages is one of the most easiest businesses you can do across the border.
2. NETWORK MARKETING
Network marketing is not a new business concern, however, many people are afraid of going networking because it involves direct contact with buyers.
However, if you’re dynamic and bold you can engage in network marketing anywhere. No law prevents it all over the globe. All you need is to pick a genuine and unique product which you believed people will embrace but may not aware it exists or cannot do without. Carry along samples or brochures, approach potential buyers and do the introduction in a smart or professional manner. You can cross the border any time to do the networking. When you secure a buyer go and pick the product and do the supply. Most of these unique products are mostly tax-free.
3. BE A FOOD VENDOR
Eating is a necessity that must be fulfilled by any healthy individual daily, and it has no boundaries. Ask any security personnel at the border posts, there are always regular food sellers carrying foods across the border day and night, even when the border is officially closed the food seller crossed the border with ease because officers and border community must eat daily. Factually, no provisions for official food in most border formations, regrettably on both sides. Personnel and travellers are compelled to rely on food vendors, surprisingly, they are never enough most of the time.
Food selling is highly recommended on a serious note. If you want a business that never fails and you get the return on your investment very fast, go and register your presence in any border area you can navigate. Get someone to introduce you. Be sure you specialised in a particular ethnic food, be it Yoruba, Hausa, Ibo or the popular Calabar foods. Equally, you can go western by selling fast food, before long you’re on your way to success beyond expectations. Try it, let nothing stop your dream. After all, no government administration of neither Nigeria, Benin Republic or Niger can declare an open border without a proper discussion that may take many years to materialize. Even if it happens, the demarcation will remain indefinitely.
4. BE A BAKER
Funny enough whenever authority ban foreign flour, bread is usually allowed to pass because people must eat. Therefore, move close to a border area and established a local bakery. Start producing bread, call it any name, Senegal bread, Agege bread, Oyo bread, Ifo bread etc.local people retailing will buy and get it to the other side of the border and sell. It’s affordable to them because you’re selling in Naira. They usually come with cash daily waiting for their daily supply of bread. Bakery business is a big deal at the border, no matter the condition.
5. BE A DRY CLEANER:
Take advantage of the ECOWAS protocol, move to the other side of the border rent a space, because of the regular supply of electricity you can negotiate and start a dry cleaning business. Remember most security personnel has got no time washing and ironing uniforms. Traders and business community are sure of patronising you because they are always on the road. If you know how to dry cleaning very well, border community is a place to work and make it in a short time. All you need is to place advertising boards at strategic areas for the community or area inhabitants to be aware of your arrival for a serious dry cleaning business.
6. BUYING AND SELLING LIVESTOCK
This is another good one, buying goats, ram, sheep, cow, are usually from the border area in the North and transport them down South.
With as little as #10,000 you can get a fairly good goat and #20,000 for a big ram. (excluding the cost of moving them down South)
All you need to do is to drop your English suit and put on the French suit take transport to some North states that share a border with the Niger Republic. State such as Katsina offers plenty of livestock. You can do your business in border areas such as Jibia, Babanmutum, Konglam, or Visit Illela border in Sokoto State, If you’re not satisfy check Kebbi State, travel deep into the border community, the deeper you can navigate the rural areas the cheaper the stocks.
Please note that in some areas you may not need to cross the border because there are local ram markets all over. Some sellers bring the stock mostly on market days. To avoid unnecessary border bottlenecks, its advisable to buy from the Nigeria side of the border. The difference in prices is minimal. It may not worth it crossing the border and expose yourself to avoidable danger.
STILL ON, 10 EASIEST BUSINESSES YOU CAN DO ACROSS THE BORDER
7. BE A TRANSPORTER
Be a transporter. This is one of the oldest legal border business if you’re ready to join the old guards in the business. If you have a sound vehicle and meet the transport union’s rule and regulations, it’s the fastest in getting a return on investment.
On the other hand, when you’re starting newly and you cannot meet the Transport union’s registration demand, you may go to the other side of the border and start carrying those passengers who cannot pay the higher transport fair or wait in the garage for a long period. You can do it as a short term solution. The choice is yours.
8. BE A HAIRDRESSER
This is mainly a lady’s business, surprisingly some guys are doing the business because it is a business you can start with very little capital. All you need is to rent a space near a busy street at the border area, preferably, at the other side of the border. The more women get to know the place and see your efficiency and artistic ability the more you will get customers on a daily basis that you will find it difficult to satisfy their needs unless you recruit helping hands.
It’s a well-known fact that women in French-speaking West African countries appreciate hair styling and always spent good money and time with an artistic and efficient hairdresser.
9. BE A DEALER IN SECOND-HAND VEHICLE SPARE PARTS.
It’s important to let you know that generally vehicle owners in most of the French-speaking West Africans are not good in maintaining Japanese vehicles, often time they used and abandoned them, unlike made in France vehicles that have subsidised spare parts from France. If you’re interested in selling second-hand vehicles spare parts, it is your duty to move deep into Benin, Togo or Niger towns and villages. Far away from their country’s Capital cities. Search the interior, they usually have Japanese vehicles which are used and parked due to unavailable spare parts. You can negotiate, buy and knockdown them into spare parts and sell in Nigeria.
Please note, before venture into spare parts buying you need to get clearance from the Customs, to know if you have any duty to pay.
10. BE A MOBILE PHONE TECHNICIAN/DEALER
This is the age of IT, the earlier a smart guy partake in mobile phone selling or repairs the better, in that there is no end in sight. IT keeps advancing and mobile phone business keep expanding.
Most land borders lag in mobile services. Most are not up to date with broadband connections. If you can set up a mobile phone shop/repair in the border community, it wouldn’t be long before you’ll expand into broadband services which are the current happening in the IT world.
That’s all on 10 easiest businesses you can do across the border.
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