In the Nigerian context, a
business center is any shop where you can carry out your official
secretarial works. True, some people have invested in this business with
a level of failure, most investors have recorded remarkable success
doing business center business. The room for investing in this business
is not saturated. With a few thousands, you can start counting hundreds
of thousands in a matter of few weeks. If you are interested in making
money, please read along.
Get a Space Near Office Complex
The space does not have
to be a shop. A small iron container of 8 X 8 feet size will be okay. It
is important that you situate this shop near one of these places: A
school environment, any public office such as local government, banks,
electricity company, etc. This will guarantee a lot of turnover for you.
Do not bother yourself with whether people are already doing the same
business in the area, you will definitely make your money as long as it
is a place in the city.
The furniture you need
include two tables, two chairs and a couple of stools. A ceiling fan or
any other one fan suffice. You will also need to.
Buy Your main Equipment
One of the main equipment
you need is a Photocopier. Although there are those willing to sell you
fairly used machine claiming it will serve the same purpose as that of a
new one, it is strongly advised you buy a new one. This will not just
last longer, it will save you the stress of having to call in a
technician each time the machine breaks down. Take it from me, fairly
used photocopy machine can be stressful.
The new one will also
make the photocopied works come out sharp and fast. To your advantage,
there is also manufacturer guarantee on the new machine. As a neophyte,
you really do not want to bother yourself fixing an old machine. It is
economical to buy a new one.
You will also need to get
A4 paper. This can either be bought as a rim or as a carton of five
rims. Depending on your purse, either of the choices is okay.
You need to get staplers
and pins too. There is giant paper stapler and also regular sized
stapling machine too. It is advisable that you get both as you will be
having customers doing high and low volumes of work.
The other consumables you
will need are spiral binding materials. These days, you do not need to
use spiral binding machine depending on the volume of work you want to
bind at once.
Non Photocopying Materials
Your business center is
incomplete if you do not own a computer system. So start with one system
at first. It is advisable that you get a laptop computer instead of a
desktop computer. If your purse does not permit that however, you can go
for a desktop computer.
The advantage that a
laptop has over a desktop is that it saves you more power. This is a
good deal considering that power supply is erratic in Nigeria. The
battery of your laptop can serve you for few hours that you would have
spent consuming fuel if you had chosen a desktop. The amount you will be
spending on the laptop does not need to weigh you down.
You will also need to get
an internet modem for customer who will want to print out from their
inbox. Be aware though that you are not an Internet cafe. The essence of
the internet connection is so that those who want to download or upload
documents can do so conveniently without going to the internet cafe.
Instant Passport Sized Photo
The need for instant
photographs for official and other purposes cannot be overemphasized.
Everyday, thousands of images are snapped at various business centers
across the nation. The popular digital photo printer you need to get
started is Hiti. As you will note in the budget section, it is not too
expensive for you not to include it in your business center investment.
In addition, you also need to get a digital camera with 8 pixel and
above.
Get Shop Attendants
Because you have to
attend to a lot of customers with different mission who come in
simultaneously, it is impossible for you to do the business without
hiring an assistant. Whether you are employing a male or a female, your
assistant must have a knowledge of computer operations. It is not
difficult to come across such one.
With time, you may need
to get two attendants as your business grows. Ensure you monitor them
closely as they tend to be dishonest with sales record.
Business Potential
As long as human race
exists, there will always be need for transacting business at the
various business centers available. While it is true that many people
now have computers in their homes and offices that do some of these
works for them, they often find themselves running to these business
centers when they run out of inks, toners, or even papers.
Sometimes, they find it
difficult to replace these things because they did not use the ones
consumed for commercial purpose. Even if they have these materials, they
still run to the business centers when they have to print in bulk. What
is more, they cannot go about town with their photocopying machines and
papers and staplers. When they have emergencies on the road, they will
surely need you to do their business for them.
The edge you have over
private owners is that you are always there. Come rain or shine, power
supply or not, paper or not. That is your main business.
Profit Prospect
While compiling this
article, i did a survey by asking business center owners around Ikeja,
Lagos State questions. On the average, they make N6,000 daily. I
wondered if that is the truth. But few minutes spent in their shops
reveal that may make much more on a daily basis. An individual can walk
in and make photocopies worth N2,000 at once. And there will be several
others making such in a day.
A page of typed work
ranges between N100 and N200 you can do two pages for some, you can also
do 200 or more for 20 others in a day if it is a final year project.
Even if you do not make
up to N6,000 in a day, and you make half of it as a beginner, you will
grow to the point of making much more than that in a matter of few
months.
Budget
New Photocopying Machine -N60,000
New Laptop Computer -N80,000
Spiral Binding Machine -N10,000
Laminating Machine -N12,000
Staplers/Paper Cuter -N5,000
Modem and subscription -N5,000
Paper and other consumables (spiral binding materials, laminating films, photo papers) N10,000
Hiti Photo Printer -N40,000
Gasoline Generator -N50,000
Furniture N20,000
Total N292,000
It is a wise Investment
I have decided not to add
the cost of renting shop because the price varies from one place to the
other. Even if you arrive at N400,000 after adding that, it is still a
wise investment. Remember you can conveniently make N6,000 in a day just
typing and photocopying if you are situated in a busy area. This means
that you can get back the total capital you have invested in less than 3
months. If you go for a bank loan, you will conveniently pay back in
six months while you attend to other basic needs in your life.
Wishing you all the best as you consider investing in business center.
If this article has benefited you in any way, please do not hesitate to drop your comments below.
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