diordaves: I have noticed that folks just give advice without thinking critically. The growing trend now is folks advising on transport business or opening a shop like barbing salon. This is so short sighted. Let me expose this short sightedness by crunching numbers.

Now poster you have N2.5 Million converted.And you are advised to open a barbing salon; so lets chew numbers: For a functional salon you need good location but not expensive. I will elect eg Egbeda in Lagos State as a case study. Ikeja; V.I and Ikoyi are out! A decent spacious shop around Egbeda comes in on average of 20K a month. Your landlord will collect 18 month's rent. Don't be fooled with Fashola 1 year thing. So 18month's rent at 20K/month is N360K. You will need to do up your salon like lighting; Fan; AC; Flat Screen TV and subscription; GenSet; Chairs and cabinet and glass sliding door with interior decor and signage. So throw in another N250K. So for your "moderate" salon you've expended N610K. Without return yet and this may take over two months to set up.

Now you are advised to rent an accommodation. A cheap accommodation for N250K. You may want to live in and around Egbeda to be close to your salon so N250K accommodation is achievable in Egbeda. Now you will moderately furnish your apartmentso throw in another N200K giving you a total of N450K. Now add N610K for shop and N450K for residential accommodation you have N1 Million already. Still no return yet o!

You may start having return say after about 3 months but in this time you will be burning money in transport cost; feeding; fuel cost for GenSet and miscellaneous charges running your salon like recharge telephone card; so throw in another N200k for this three months period giving you a total of N1.3 million before any return. Trust me by this stage you will be down to about just N500K/N600K remaining from your savings. Panic will now set in. Nigeria burns money!

Now returns from your salon. Mind you; your overhead expenses are: N20K shop rent + N20K house rent + running cost of N50K (Nigeria home average figure)= N90K monthly out goings. So how much will you be making in your salon to break even and make it worth your while and pay you salary (return)?lets say you charge N100 per head in your salon so divide N90K/N100 will give you 900. It means you will have to barb 900 head a month to cover your expenses. What about your salary (return)? Coming from the UK after 15 years and hoping for a monthly salary from your salon of about N70K is not far fetched. This will mean you will need to barb 1600 heads monthly for your salon to make any economic sense. A tall dream. No! salon business; transport business view with caution. Mind you this analysis is very simplistic. If you factor in the commission or salaries of your barber(s); the dream might even be taller!

So buy blackberry here; salon there; transport here is just tantamount to scattering your money. Its just like a hen; before fowl chop e go first take leg scatter everything. You don't need that. What you need is sharp focus on a single simple income stream and face it to logical conclusion.

Btzzk: Though, i too agreed that the money is a little bit small, but i did not see anyone giving this guy specific amount that might be reasonable. so my question to you guys is that how much did you guys think is reasonable for some just coming down to Nija to stay after many years in abroad?

gunuvi: Like I suggested in my last post. Going into coconut import business is a fantastic option for you and you only need 1m to partner with us.
Secondly, you will likely have to live in Badagry to monitor your investment and do other business with your money and also live in a place where accomodation is cheap, no hold ups, nice environments amd many more so you will relocate into a peaceful arena. If you are interested we can discuss more over mail. Sebasicoconutltd @ gmail . Com
Your investment will double within 7 months. Grab this offer now before someone else get it as we have just 2 more opening left.

diordaves: I have noticed that folks just give advice without thinking critically. The growing trend now is folks advising on transport business or opening a shop like barbing salon. This is so short sighted. Let me expose this short sightedness by crunching numbers.

Now poster you have N2.5 Million converted.And you are advised to open a barbing salon; so lets chew numbers: For a functional salon you need good location but not expensive. I will elect eg Egbeda in Lagos State as a case study. Ikeja; V.I and Ikoyi are out! A decent spacious shop around Egbeda comes in on average of 20K a month. Your landlord will collect 18 month's rent. Don't be fooled with Fashola 1 year thing. So 18month's rent at 20K/month is N360K. You will need to do up your salon like lighting; Fan; AC; Flat Screen TV and subscription; GenSet; Chairs and cabinet and glass sliding door with interior decor and signage. So throw in another N250K. So for your "moderate" salon you've expended N610K. Without return yet and this may take over two months to set up.

Now you are advised to rent an accommodation. A cheap accommodation for N250K. You may want to live in and around Egbeda to be close to your salon so N250K accommodation is achievable in Egbeda. Now you will moderately furnish your apartmentso throw in another N200K giving you a total of N450K. Now add N610K for shop and N450K for residential accommodation you have N1 Million already. Still no return yet o!

You may start having return say after about 3 months but in this time you will be burning money in transport cost; feeding; fuel cost for GenSet and miscellaneous charges running your salon like recharge telephone card; so throw in another N200k for this three months period giving you a total of N1.3 million before any return. Trust me by this stage you will be down to about just N500K/N600K remaining from your savings. Panic will now set in. Nigeria burns money!

Now returns from your salon. Mind you; your overhead expenses are: N20K shop rent + N20K house rent + running cost of N50K (Nigeria home average figure)= N90K monthly out goings. So how much will you be making in your salon to break even and make it worth your while and pay you salary (return)?lets say you charge N100 per head in your salon so divide N90K/N100 will give you 900. It means you will have to barb 900 head a month to cover your expenses. What about your salary (return)? Coming from the UK after 15 years and hoping for a monthly salary from your salon of about N70K is not far fetched. This will mean you will need to barb 1600 heads monthly for your salon to make any economic sense. A tall dream. No! salon business; transport business view with caution. Mind you this analysis is very simplistic. If you factor in the commission or salaries of your barber(s); the dream might even be taller!

So buy blackberry here; salon there; transport here is just tantamount to scattering your money. Its just like a hen; before fowl chop e go first take leg scatter everything. You don't need that. What you need is sharp focus on a single simple income stream and face it to logical conclusion.

goodfor120: My good friend, I was once like you five years ago, I had similar problem after my 20 years in the United state, when I took my decision I had only 15,000 dollars, but today, am grateful to God for his total mercy. The money with you is more than enough for you to start up lucrative business here Nigeria, there are so many opportunities here in Nigeria than UK and America, but those our people here in Nigeria don't really know until may be one day they try out side life and come back, they will testify. Nigeria is a country you enjoy everything for almost free, but our people here don't realize that, is only we the diaspora can share this experience.

From experience I knew what you have gone through and what you are still facing there in the UK. My I advice to you, since you have already made up your mind to come back home, prepare yourself without any delay and come back. do not buy any thing in the name of to resell here in Nigeria, come back with that cash in liquid, on your arrival here, put the money in the bank, and look for one room self contain of not more than N250,000 in a decent and smart area where you get things very quickly and okay, I may suggest festac, and get yourself in, if possible, don't tell any one even your family member you are coming back home or you have arrived Nigeria. Nigerians in Nigeria are not smarter than we the diaspora, obviously for sure. My first 3 months in the United State, I was jobless, penniless and almost homeless, yet I survived and got myself fixed some where and became a man am today, not to talk of some one returning to his country with N2.5m

Continue, tell your landlord/landlady, you were deported from the UK empty handed, show him/her your passport so that they don't look at you like a criminal or arm robber who doesn't have any work. let your landlord/landlady know that the house rent fended by your wife there in the UK that in a year time or more, you would be going back to the UK immediately your wife through with your travel documents there, with this story you are covered from suspect, even if you stays at home every day no body will ask why this man is always at home.

Take now your time to plan things properly while you are at home peacefully, don't rush anything at all, feeding in Nigeria is less to nothing, compare to the amount we spend on food in Europe, with N2,000 you will definitely eat well daily and have some change in your pocket, I have visited more than 5 countries, from experience feeding shouldn't be anything while you spend your time at home monitoring things properly in your own way. if you felt woman, go to cheap hotel and do it with condom with less than N1,000 and come back home, do not keep any girl friend and do not look for any street girl for your sexual feelings, just go to hotel as I mentioned, ones in a week is okay, if you could stay without it better.

Business idea, we have so many tokumbo volkswagen buses here on Nairaland Auto section very cheap and okay for transport business, get one for N700.000 take your time to look for experience age driver sign a good agreement with him on higher purchase with a lawyer as a third party, then give him the bus for weekly payment like N40,000. to balance 1.6 million Naira, so many drivers are interested out there, I can link you to more than 20 of them, sure you have nothing to lose here, the driver will surely handle the car with care because the bus is for him, from experience this is what I do for now and earnestly am enjoying every profit of my bus.

Make sure you start with one bus, the remaining amount with you, open a recharge card office with part of the money, the office will be a place of your daily activities, the recharge card office with N500,000 I promise you will have a good office and everything you need to start this business running retailing. The least profit daily is N2,500 with this profit you can fend your weekly needs and save your transportation return carefully without touching one Naira out of it. as time goes on, your two feet will expose to other business opportunities to invest more and more with your cash.

Follow my guide line you can never regret, do not listen to any one, Nigeria is one of the cheapest country to make life with the kind of money you have, if you program yourself very well. one more advice don't buy any personal car for any reason, even if any one want to sell for N100,000 please refuse it. I see car as a liability to beginners, so avoid it until you get to your feet. I promise you, if you follow my guide line, it will not take you more than 4 years you will become man enough to have a reasonable home in Nigeria without any skin pain.

SORRY TO SAY, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO ROB THE YOUNG MAN OF HIS HARD EARNED MONEY. WHICH KIND OF CRIMINAL ADVICE ARE YOUR GIVING. HE SHOULD RETURN TO NIGERIA WITH LIQUID 2.5M, DONT TELL ANY OF HIS RELATIVES HE IS COMING BACK. THEN HE WILL TELL ONLY YOU BECAUSE YOU WILL LINK HIM UP WITH BUS DRIVERS. YOU WANT TO CALL YOUR GANG AND ROB HIM ABI? SO THAT NOBODY WILL KNOW HE CAME IN.

WHY WILL HE START TELLING THE LANDLORD OR LANDLADY ALL THAT CRAP ABOUT DEPORTATION ? WHATS THE LANDLORDS BIZ IF HE CHOOSES TO STAY IDLE ALL YEAR LONG?

IM SURPRISED AT YOUR REASONING AFTER SPENDING ALL THE YEARS IN AMERICA. IF HE WANTS A GIRL HE SHOULD BE SPENDING HIS MONEY IN A HOTEL WITH WOMEN AFTER HE HAS PAID TO RENT AN APARTMENT?

SO AFTER HE GETS THE BUS AND MAKES 40K A WEEK, AND RECHARGE CARD. WHAT NEXT?

THE SOONER YOU GO FOR CHECK UP THE BETTER FOR U

SeyDem: Sure, you can make it in Nigeria. You've got to keep your wits with you, though. You didn't save £10,000 in the UK by being stupid. I came back just under 3 years ago after 19 years in Europe. I live in Abuja because it has a good road network through which I can move about. If you are business minded supply of water, bricks,recharge cards etc. will keep you afloat until you get what you really need to improve your life. There's no magic formula but to dip your feet in first.Wish you the very best.

bjdon:
The above is very good advice. Iam in the same boat planning my relocation over the next 18 months and Abuja is going to be my location of choice. Coming from the West after a long time, you'll find Abuja an easy town to integrate into. By Nigerian standards things 'work' here. You can look to get into any kind of supply business here as the previous poster has indicated.

Another Okija:

I couldnt agree more.. Target a City like Ekiti State.. Buy like two Pickups for 1.5 million.. Employ some Ekiti State boys, go to their GRA and offer to come 3 times a week to carry and dispose of their trash for a fee.. You dont even have to touch the bin.. Just have your boys do it. EKITI is a poor state so they work for less than minimum wage.. Just one idea..

mekaboy: SORRY TO SAY, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO ROB THE YOUNG MAN OF HIS HARD EARNED MONEY. WHICH KIND OF CRIMINAL ADVICE ARE YOUR GIVING. HE SHOULD RETURN TO NIGERIA WITH LIQUID 2.5M, DONT TELL ANY OF HIS RELATIVES HE IS COMING BACK. THEN HE WILL TELL ONLY YOU BECAUSE YOU WILL LINK HIM UP WITH BUS DRIVERS. YOU WANT TO CALL YOUR GANG AND ROB HIM ABI? SO THAT NOBODY WILL KNOW HE CAME IN.

WHY WILL HE START TELLING THE LANDLORD OR LANDLADY ALL THAT CRAP ABOUT DEPORTATION ? WHATS THE LANDLORDS BIZ IF HE CHOOSES TO STAY IDLE ALL YEAR LONG?

IM SURPRISED AT YOUR REASONING AFTER SPENDING ALL THE YEARS IN AMERICA. IF HE WANTS A GIRL HE SHOULD BE SPENDING HIS MONEY IN A HOTEL WITH WOMEN AFTER HE HAS PAID TO RENT AN APARTMENT?

SO AFTER HE GETS THE BUS AND MAKES 40K A WEEK, AND RECHARGE CARD. WHAT NEXT?

THE SOONER YOU GO FOR CHECK UP THE BETTER FOR U

goodfor120:



I was very shocked after reading your first paragraph, I wished I could set my hands on you, so that from experience you could learn how to address yourself if at all you lack parental training and doesn't know how to respect people. How dare you insult people you don't know, because you were opportune to be on desktop or what ever, did you reply my post on influence of alcohol, no time I ask the OP to contact me when he arrive, rather should be in case he lack the mobilities I would link him.

You should have read my comprehensive message filled with abundance of solutions very well for better understanding, instead of rushing to insult your elder, every paragraph of my message contains directions and solutions, if you can't read properly. The last paragraph concluded with his desire on what he could do with his savings in future, and yet you can't read and understand.

In Nigeria today, if actually you are suffering from under age and never rented an apartment before, no landlord/lady in Festac today or in any decent part of Lagos will rent you his/her apartment without demanding what you do for a living and if no proper answer to that, you are already a suspect.

The OP could be suffering today in the UK may be because of mother of his kids or similar to that, I knew the terrible things women had done to so many of our men outside the country, and which I can easily advice any fellow today to avoid them than keeping them while chasing your target in life. preferably satisfy your intimacy with the hotel ones than keeping gold diggers around you as a beginner, which is more and far cheaper, then if you could do with out it better, which I clearly stated initially.

Design Hud: You need a consultant to guide you through, if you're not sure. I'll link you up.
There are so many untapped businesses to venture into, I feel very sad to know that with all the graduates & professors that abound we still can not utilize the resources Nigeria is blessed with.
There are several bussinesses one can venture into even with zero Naira.

ttlabi: I am very grateful to all of you who have taken time to encourage me and offer me advices & suggestions including some of you who took time to mail me.

I have learnt a lot from your suggestions & advices and with many of your advices here, I have decided to wait few more months, make some more money and dispose off some of my disposable assets in other to increase my capital.

I will come back to Nigeria hopefully before the end of the year and I will make use of a number of your advices here and consult more.

I hope in few months or years from now, I will revisit this page and tell you of my happier ending.

You are all wonderful. I am proud of my people.