Kdodo: Hi
I reside in kaduna, kaduna state.
My wife is into the production of local seasoning of pepper and spices known as Yaji in the north. Because of growing competition, I wish to differenciate our product t by improving on the packaging. Presently most producers use common plastic containers which are obtainable in any common market. I want contacts of plastic manufacturers that would give me better design at competitive price.
I would also want to package the products into small satchets of 2g or 5g(just like Onga or maggi). I therefore need ur assistance on how to get the company that can design and produce the films and the apppropriate cealing machine.
Thank you.

Icocop101: @syllang,i must appreciate and recommend your efforts and expertise towards business management success & establishments,having carefully followed this thread.Pls,I need your help to ease my worries & fears over an already established block(building-block) production site located @ Onibudo-Akute over a purchased portion of land,with every materials & resources readily available to effect production.I have fears of uncertainty over getting this business started most especially in the area of it's running cost.Precisely,i spend a minimal of #700 transport fare daily to & fro my place of residence;and since this business demands my physical presence in it's day to day runnings,i'm wondering how to cope. Additionally,i intend to retail cement along side this block moulding bussiness. Pls acquaint me with every (A-Z) information i'll need towards achieving success in these businesses and also advice me on ways/alternative options to cope with the T-fare running cost stated above. Many thanks and God bless!

theodavid: Please i want to ask which state in the northern part can one get more better goods like tomatoes,pepper, watermelon,onions,beans and please can u help me get sum1 who i can meet there 2 help me in buying them from the farm

syllang:


This is not usual of me, but I am highly impressed with this strategy of yours.

As for plastic manufacturer, I shall link you up with a good and competent organisation in Lagos that specialise in that line. drop your contact and I will send you the contact (I strongly insist not to post it here to protect the organisation from spammers and scammmers who may stumble on this info, as I do not know thier capability of dealing with such things, please bear with me on this).
As for the satchets packaging, you need not go far, send to us (stpnigeria@gmail.com) your specification and we send you samples and quotations.

More Speedy reply awaits your further inquiries.

syllang:


This is not usual of me, but I am highly impressed with this strategy of yours.

As for plastic manufacturer, I shall link you up with a good and competent organisation in Lagos that specialise in that line. drop your contact and I will send you the contact (I strongly insist not to post it here to protect the organisation from spammers and scammmers who may stumble on this info, as I do not know thier capability of dealing with such things, please bear with me on this).
As for the satchets packaging, you need not go far, send to us (stpnigeria@gmail.com) your specification and we send you samples and quotations.

More Speedy reply awaits your further inquiries.

Ewenla202: @ Syllang: I want to go into marketing of health products( EDMARK) . What can you say about this line of business in terms of profitability and break even phase. Thank you.

Ewenla202: @ Syllang: Thank you

syllang:

I found myself laughing about your fear- 'the fear to start'. You are not alone in this sir. Its something I also have whenever I'm about to start a new project and its natural. What I do to always overcome such fear is to draw out a plan for every step ahead before I start. So don't worry, you will get over it once you realise that Planning is the first step of success, hard work on plans seals it.

From my understanding sir,
This block industry is already established as in;
A. It has been in active operation before now or
B. It has just been set up afresh with functioning equipments ready for production.

Further explanation seems B is the case.

RUNNING COST – it is a good thing you have recognised this dreadful business killer at this early stage.(you may preview this topic in my blog. www.akinsolajegede./2013/07/01/reasons-for-business-failure/ )

So, to manage this cost, you have to plan for it;
1. Identify all the cost centre where you incure various cost to produce and deliver a block e.g sand, cement, water, wages, fuel, transport ( transport for delivering to site if you hire truck to do that and not the #700).
2. Identify the cost that directly has nothing to do with the production and delivery of blocks e,g advert, airtime,#700, salaries etc.
3. For now, there is little you can do list 1 than to buy from the best cheapest seller and for list 2, sir, those cost must remain as silent as possible for now-hints will come later.
4. Always plan for each production
I.e how much does it cost to produce AND deliver such amount and compare it with how much you are paid to supply such amount. Finally and most importantly, the more you produce and deliver (sell) per day, the more you are able to cover up and recoup your running cost and machine cost.

For this, I suggest that
For a newly established set up that produces a 'usual item'(something produced by numerous competing producers and demand for such product never cease), just like the block industry where the profit margin is fixed (production cost is usually the same and selling price is fixed in the industry), loss can arise if
1. You try to penetrate the market by reducing your selling price for all categories of block produced
2. If you produce without timely sales e.g produced today, sales next week.

Therefore you should try to;
1. As a starter, try to produce on order plus a certain small amount as reserve. If a customer informs you they will need 100 pieces of size 6 in 2 days time, get your deposit and produce 120 pieces. The extra 20 is reserved in your factory for those that might need urgently in future and this is a better way to build your stock base than producing without having a readymade buyer. And I also estimated that producing 120 pcs in a day gives you a cost advantage. I.e if it cost #1000 to produce 100pcs. It should cost less than #1200 to produce 120pcs.

2. Make friends and contact with Building contractor you lay your hands, eyes or ear on, let them know you supply quality blocks(something you should consider too because good name sells in this industry) and build a network of them to ensure they call you up to supply blocks.

This is your major concern and not everyday transport to factory. This transport fare should go for 'visiting nearby sites to inform them that you are there for them. Making calls to factory to instruct production etc.
In essence, I suggest that you make 'getting connections, jobs, links, contract' your duty

3. Manage your finances judiciously. (go through the blog and you will understand better.

With these, I think you can take the first step by making contacts and connection in a bid to getting jobs and building customer base as I assume you have worker who get paid per job they do and not getting paid for idle time.

If you require the need of a good business card as you make connections, pls contact STP Prints. We shall brand you perfectly.

If there is anything you don't understand in my explanation above, you may call me 08060788184.

For the cement retail sales. I'm surprised I don't know much about this. But you may view this thread here on NL. www.nairaland.com/862042/cement-business-start-it-dangote/2 specifically post from “edibruk” just to enlighten you on how the producer-distributor – retailer chain looks like.


NB- there are a lots of thing associated to business management, and my above suggestion has only touched the part of running cost.
If you need more guide on how to manage the factory, you may need a Sit down chat to enlighten you more.
Nevertheless, you can always plan and take your very first step. It is always interesting as it goes on.

theodavid: Plz can u help me on the steps and procedures for exporting agro-product out of nigeria

syllang:
this is a link i need myself, and i am yet to get it. i pray someone with info stumbles on this and assist or rather, if @kdodo is seeing this, whats your view about this question sir

amtheone: Hello Sylland,

Thanks for this write up. I am into Auto Air Freshener Production(Paper Type) which can be used at home and office as well. I started this business in 2012 and so far I have experienced some level of progress. It lasts long and has a nice fragrance. The demand is increasing.

What I did this year was to re-brand it which makes it more presentable(Packaging). By this re-branding, the perception has changed to a larger extent(positively).

Each packet contains 20pcs for easy marketing and I distribute to Shops, supermarket etc at the cost of N1,000-N1,200. Right now am the only one doing the marketing and distribution. So I seriously need help regarding this.

Now I want to take it outside Lagos state in term of marketing. Please how will you advise me to go about this or can your company assist in marketing directly or indirectly. I can make a pack available to you if necessary.

Thank you.

arent88: @op i can get u water melon and tomatoes in niger state

happydude: hi mr syllang and good morning. i have been following ur thread and i must say its very educative and informative in all aspect of the bizness world. Sir i am I T world in sales and repair of laptops, computers but i have a question to ask , is it possible to have a business plan in this business and if there is can you pls give me a clue of how it is. Thanks a lot i await your quick response. cheers

arent88: Yes i reside in minna.as for prices wil get in touch wit u

Undabridge:




Sir,Kindly include ur contact details for people interested in this product.We have enuf bizness minded individuals here in Nairaland who might be interested in marketing it for you.