Many of us find ourselves in one form of financial misery or the other and often times resort to unscrupulous activities just to augment our regular take-home. What if there are other things we could do legitimately to earn an extra income?
The businesses below can earn you the multiple earning streams you desire without even having to invest so much in initial capital.
Blogging – Owning a blog is big business these days in Nigeria thanks to the likes of Linda Ikeji. For those who don’t understand, blogging is simply an art of writing short articles about various sources of interest and publishing them online.
They can be about your personal life, the society, politics, entertainment, gossip or a combination of all of them. All you need is a computer, phone, laptop or tablet. You can start blogging within minutes and there are numerous articles on the web about how to start a blog. You earn money from blogs when you have a lot of visitors.
Advertisers see your visitors and can pay you top naira just to have their ads on your blog. People can earn between N50,000 and N2m per month by simply being a popular blogger.
Use your skills or talent to provide a service – Businesses and individuals always have a need for some form of service every now and then. It could be laundry, taxi, cleaning, teaching, coaching etc. Making money from a service depends on the type of skill you have and how much people value it. For example, if you are good with maths, you can start a maths lesson in your neighbourhood for kids writing JAMB exams. If you are good at sports like football, you can start a coaching session for kids in your estate. Parents are willing to pay for these services when they see them. Do you like to write, then why not start guest blogging for a fee? By the time you write ten articles a week, you could earn enough to earn you that extra pay.
Use your profession – As a lawyer, accountant or engineer working full time, it is not unlikely that your services may still be required on an ad hoc basis. You can provide these services at your spare time upon request in exchange for a decent fee.
Own a business – Many Nigerians augment their income by owning businesses that they operate at home or in shops. Nothing stops you from doing this too. Some actually make so much money that they end up facing the business full time.
Be a virtual assistant – Virtual assistants are people who are employed to remotely work from home or in any location that is not your typical office place. All you need is a laptop, Internet and telephone. It’s increasingly getting popular as a source of earning income for stay-at-home mums.
Buying and selling – This involves petty trading of consumer goods. It’s time tested and still works quite well for many people. It is often better to start by selling things you are used to. It could be dresses, shoes, jewellery, smart phones, tablets etc. Your first customers will typically be your colleagues at work and members in church.
Work weekends or on off days – If you have the strength to work an extra day or two, then why not try working at weekends for a few extra hours. You can take an extra job in places where weekend jobs are needed. Jobs that come to mind are ushering jobs, clubs and restaurants, teaching, singing, dancing etc.
Start an online business – The likes of Facebook, Google and Amazon are all online businesses. Africa’s most visited website Nairaland is also an online business. And so is Jumia, Dealdey, Konga. Online businesses make money through advertisements on the websites, commissions or selling a product or service. To make money from an online business, you must either have a forum where people regularly interact, sell products or services people need etc. Most successful online businesses started from people’s bedrooms.
Be a marketer – Being a part time marketer can involve selling products in exchange for a commission. If you are good at this, then why not help companies sell their products at your spare time? Network marketing is increasingly popular in Nigeria and a viable form of marketing.
Be an agent – Agency jobs involve providing unique services for organisations. You can have a licence to clear products at the ports, sell air tickets or supply unique services or products. People who don’t have such licences can even rent them from you, providing an extra source of income.
This list is not exhaustive but I believe you get the drift. Always remember that to earn money from multiple income streams as an employee, you have to do things that you like and are also less expensive to start but have the possibility to grow. You must be nimble and able to adapt to change.
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