Business Idea #1. Flyer distributor/marketer

Rather than work for someone for a very small percentage, why not go solo and set up a leaflet marketing and distribution business? This is a service that many businesses need, and will pay a bit more to get done under one roof. Think of the various types of leaflets you have received in the past: event flyers, new restaurant openings, new shopping malls, churches, property agents etc.

You can offer a cocktail of services by partnering with good quality print and design firms such as Printivo . You can expect to pay around ₦15,000 for 500 well-designed flyers,  printed and delivered by DHL.  You can then offer businesses a one-stop tailored design/print/distribution service for a premium charge.

This business isn’t idea for people who like their swag intact, as you will need to leave “swag” behind, and be prepared to get your hands dirty – as every successful business person does, at some point.

Typically, distributors usually charge around ₦5 – ₦7 per flyer, depending on the quantity.  The main cost of distribution is your time plus transportation cost to the target area. It should be possible to deliver between 200 and 400 leaflets per hour depending on the footfall in the area. Entrances to markets, shopping malls, event centres on a Saturday are usually good for traffic.

Starting small, here’s an idea of a realistic budget :

• ₦15,000 – 500 quality flyers
• ₦3,600 – 100 quality business cards.
• ₦15,000 – Simple 1-page website with your own domain name, showing your services, coverage areas, and contact details. Some websites even offer e-mail hosting, giving you a professional e-mail address like mynname@yourflyerdistribution.com. For added efficiency, you can redirect your e-mails to a simple Gmail e-mail account which notifies you of new e-mails via SMS alerts, even when you’re out of internet coverage area, enabling you respond to enquiries in the shortest possible time, whilst maintaining a professional front. Some websites offering ₦15 ,000  packages include: FirstWebNigeria (₦15,000),LevenSevenltd (₦30,000), ParamountWeb (₦20,000). Here’s a working example of what a simple leaflet distribution website (3-pages) looks like.
• ₦5,000 – Transport, stationery and miscellanenous costs (envelopes, etc)

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You can then approach local businesses armed with these, and offer them  your services.

You can run this business totally by yourself or scale it up by employing other people to do the deliveries for you and concentrating your efforts on sales and marketing of the service. A simple scalable business, all for under ₦50,000.