@kenzob,

I'll call you later today. I've recieved quite a number of mails but I cant place the names agains the email ads. I have tried to respond to all the mail I received.

@ stagger,

You haven't answered my question. You have not picked up my calls and the one week grace of calling has expired.

Can I use your license in Lagos area?

Oga Stagger,

Abeg no vex. I hope my coming to discuss it openly on this forum should suffice. Most likely most people in naija are not aware of intellectual property rights and all that.We have all been guilty of plagiarism at one time or the other. I'm not making excuses for bad behaviour but I plead you let it pass. The lesson is to have yourself covered

Is it possible to use your license to get products in Lagos?

@ denitro,
I've told my husband and gave hints for him to do the talking. He tinks we should let it pass unless he does something that rash again. I asked my maid if anything ensued yesterday,she said all he did was to ask if she told Mummy or not and she said she didn't.

I've caught her in lies but I don't think she lied about this one. He seems the strict looking no-nonsense type which makes it more surprising

Hello NL,
I can't believe I will be sharing this here but I've been stunned since yesterday. I have a neighbour and in the course of three years we have become quite close as our children can even sleep over and we leave our kids in each others care when there is an out of town trip. The closeness is the kind of husband to husband(football fanatics) and wifey to wifey kind.

They have been down on their luck of recent such that hubby and I pooled resources together and gave the wife some soft loan to start up again because she was oftentimes sad and it shows in her countenance. This is not for show off but to show the level of closeness we had. Then something funny happened yesterday!

I got home and in my bid to UnCloth,my maid came in asking to see me and anytime she kneels down I get ready for a dramatic tale or I-want-to-go-home request. Out came the story, Neighbour hubby came in and said he and the maid should be shacking up. He even went further to rub his hands all over her body while she was ironing. She said she beat his hands aside and stood up and he took the cue and tried to leave. By the door,he begged her not to tell as he had heard that she had told me when my driver tried something like that with her before.

I was shocked beyond words and i can't seem to look him in the face since then. This is is the early morning prayer kind of family,midweek attendance,night vigil and all that! The wife is so beautiful,my maid can't hold a candle to her. How can I handle this without spilling the beans?

Hello Fellow NL,

Some people had written to my email individually to get Stagger's manual. Now that i've read it here that he intends to make it commercial, i do not think it will be right to send it out again unless he gives us permission.

Oga Stagger,can we get grace of 10 more people? I also think that people must be able to convince you of its use. I believe some people are guilty of collecting free things just for the fun of it.

Meanwhile, i am looking to buy a 5000 litre tank in Lagos environ. If you have one in your area that is no longer in use,kindly contact me asap.

@ paramajit,
You can do btter than this.You need to give some information before you can be helped. Haulage is so varied that the experiences in different fields matter. There is oil&gas, flat beds, tippers,compactors etc. Check up fullforce thread,he has covered most of the areas. Therefore getting contact depends on where you want to play in. Oftentimes, you have your truck insured,proper company registered,pay all the levies due across all local govts and start sending out proposals. Believe me, one of them will give you an opportunity. For some starters, you might want to be under somebody's fleet until you have enough number of trucks to bid for contracts yourself.

Hello Fello NL,
I got these offline questions from a fellow NL and the I've answered. I thought it good to share

The first questions are:

1.] How profitable exactly is this business?

It is profitable. It takes just about a year to recoup investment. The remaining 3 years will be profit. I used 3 years because this is the best time to fling a vehicle to avoid high maintenance cost
2.] Is it safe? As in the truck & stocks doing a disappearing act?

It is safe enough especially if put in charge of a proper company and you had done background checks and guarantor for your drivers. There is also the tracker system prevalent now to know where the trucks are at anytime
3.] What type of trucks are the best to start the business considering the Nigerian roads and terrain?

The best to use are the ones that you can find good mechanics for easily in Nigeria and the parts are cheaper to source. I know MAN, BENZ & DAF falls into this category. I see lots of MACK too
4.] What are the unseen risks? You must have been running your business for a while now, please share your experience.
Accidents, missing goods, buying a bad truck, drivers doing PP runs,drivers carrying stolen goods and getting caught,bad mechanics. The list is endless and you see new things everyday.
5.] This business appears to have little barriers to entry other than initial capital to purchase the trucks. Question: can it be considered a long term business or just quick money spinner?

It does have little barrier to entry but only the serious players last long. People get burned all the time and the difference between the successful ones and those that are not is 'Control' and staying strong in spite of challenges
6.] What kind of maintenance do the trucks need per month/quarterly/half-year/yearly? Bearing in mind the capricious nature of the Nigerian mechanics?
Monthly:Servicing,oil change, all others are on a need basis and the frequency of usage. The drivers usually advise the owner when he notices such things. Good mechanics have referrals,so it is important you get one from an experienced haulage person
7.] What about the Nigerian Police & touts issue? How do they add to the overhead?

Ah! drivers usually get road expenses to cover for these set of people and it varies depending on the distance and how bad the area is.East is a notorious area and petrol tankers are more prone to extortion
8.] What kind of returns should one expect realistically from the vevnture? If you can include some figure breakdown.

Oga sir. this is consultancy work o! This depend on the size of your truck and the company contract you are able to source. Like I said average return is 1yr.Best case, divide the price of your truck by 12 months and that should be just about what you make monthly. Worst case by 18 months

9.] How much hand-on does the business needs? The focus here is finding the right individual to operate the business since I doubt owner/driver is the right way.
It is your choice. You can manage and bear all the headaches and you can give to managers to do for you and collect an agreed sum every month. I got burned by the 1st option and have now settled for the latter
10.] If money is no issue, what type of truck would you advice starting with?

Start with a 18-ton truck at least. The bigger the trucks, the better the returns. i stuck with an average size so as to learn properly before committing larger investment.

@Oga Stagger,

I've received the manual. Thank you so much.

Th manual throws up some questions though. I am not sure this forum/SMS can address these but i'll ask anyways for all other persons interested.
1. For the consultancy section, the Please note at the top and the item 3 of the consultancy services contradict themselves. Kindly clarify. In simple English,does it mean we can give you money and get returns and ur fee will be N1 per litre?

Also, how do we control stealing by the truck drivers and when products are delivered into the tanks? This question is for somebody interested in selling to retailers.Say you buy 11,000 ltrs product and want to deliver to 3 customers. I hear that drivers & cronies open a valve at the back and discharge some products before moving.

Many thanks for sharing. I will appreciate if you allow calls as this will answer most of the questions.

@paramajit,

are you interested in the business? the answers to ur questions cannot be covered in this forum. You will have to schedule a meeting and the best advice I give is learn under the masters.I am not in that class yet
Send me a mail at kay_lamp@yahoo.com to signify your interest and we will take it from there

@stagger,

we will be waiting.I've sent you two text messages to show you how seriously we value your contribution.

I will also be getting some offline training this weekend and will hopefully share with the forum next week.

@ stagger,

I am sendng you right away. I have been getting some offline training too and I will be grateful foy your manual. My email addy is kay_lamp@yahoo.com.

The only area of concern is the DPR license. Do you need a a license to be a retailer? I can't seem to reconcile that with all these old women I se selling them all over the place. I also learnt these women/sellers usually form a cabal. Is it true?

Thx a lot!

You can. Dont mind all these posters trying to sell you wonderful returns. I own and manage 3 trucks and I know the N2m can buy you at least one 8-ton truck with enough left to run break even or do other small businesses. As a starter I always advise you to start small so as to learn well before committing larger investment.

I have seen many managing options here.While some of the returns they are claiming are realistic, you need to be careful as most of them are way too optimistic and that can only mean scam or there will be bitter quarrels in the future. If you want to be in it for the long run,learn under an expert and manage it yourself.

The 1st truck for 1.2 million was given to a supposed big man that promised 130k monthly. He not only ruined the truck in less than a year, I got only N200k all through the period. I started on my own and in less than 2 years added 2 more. I'm a woman,so you ain't got an excuse!

@ stagger,

Thanks for your response but I'm not going to stay in a location. I'm going to be supplying to locations. What edge do I need to have to break into that market?

Please help with the other questions too. Thanks

Hello NL,

Please help, all Oil & Gas/Business people. Kindly confirm if it is possible to start Kerosene supply business with N500,000. By supply business, I mean buying like 5000 litres from the depot and supply to wholesalers/large retailers. Is this possible?If it is, what is the possible margin and the process?
Please help!!!I am trying to choose between recharge card & Kerosene sales.

Thanks.

@2cesharp/fellow NL,

Thank you for your insightful lectures and feedback. Can you advise of a possible way of selling cements without owning a big shop or warehouse. I am trying to conserve the little capital I have in actual purchase but am wondering how possible it is to make good sales without an outlet. The cement could be replaced with any fast moving consumer good.

Congrats mexy_fly,

Well,well,well.Like they say,all is well that ends well.

Does anybody know a nollywood producer?This will make for a blockbuster movie.

@neuro,
sorry about your loss. Three things could have caused the fraud that happened to you
1. You compromised your pin on one of your withdrawals
2.You used an ATM that had a cloning device(very rarely in this part of the world)
3. There was an insider dealing at your branch (happens often)

My advice for you is that there is a desk at CBN that takes care of these cases because of the alarning trend. If you are very sure,repeat very sure your card was not compromised,please go back to the bank and threaten them that you are having your lawyer write to CBN about the case. You see,the secret is that CBN had mandated the banks long ago to have cameras and a special upgrade on the ATM that prevents fraud. Most banks have not complied,hence if the bank can provide the details of where the withdrawals where made,the owner of that ATM is liable. The back up should have been pictures of the withdrawals.
Giving the banks details like this will most likely let them cough out the money without trouble because they fear CBN

The other option if you have the energy and money is to try EFCC tactics. That also works wonders.

Good luck and sorry again.

WHITEHOPE LOGISTIC SERVICES LIMITED

We are a young but dynamic haulage firm that specialised in the movement of sensitive and high valued equipment but have recently diversified into movement of finished package goods. Some of our customers are noodles manufacturers,tyre, beverage companies

We have 3 road worthy trucks(8-ton,18-tons) in our fleet and we are rapidly expanding due to new opportunities. We pride ourselves on delivering anywhere within Nigeria safely and on time.


We also work with investors who want to invest in truck business that can be added to our fleet but do not have the time to run the operations. If interested, do give us a call and let us negotiate the terms.ROI is 12 months and from there you are smiling to the bank

Tel:08023066370, 07051599878
email:whlimitedng@yahoo.com

Hello NL,

I write to request for anybody with experience/feasibility studies on cement distributorship,sales and profit. I hooked up with a contact who wants to assist with making me a sub-dealer. I need to know the opprtunities and set up before starting.

All positive contributions are appreciated

I've not consumated any deal on NL but the information and exposure I have gotten have been mind blowing!

@ biggozz,
I will like to work with you. What you do is what I have always desired to do. I do business on the side apart from holding down a job.Now I want to do what I enjoy. I do not mind working for free. Please send me your email addy for us to talk further

Fellow NL,
I am thinking of leaving a crappy job and fulfilling my natural desires which includes developing new businesses,helping people set up theirs and making money. I own a business on the side but want to sharpen my skills by learning from a consulting company.

A friend told me Six sigma training will help me get better employment prospects. Anybody with an idea on this or on trainings that help my cause. Are there good training centres are available in Lagos? I have googled and haven't gotten much info as I need personal references

I am diehard entrepreneurship fan.

@fullforce,
Good to see you back. You had us worried.

How soon is your soon? i hope you know the capacity of your lectures and the followership you have gathered as a result. Please find time out of your busy schedule to come back quick quick.

@ Ajanlekoko,
ur poser is very true and very touching. Most human beings irrespective of where in the world are in the general track. I have read in the Bible and several books that the personal track is where we should be at.
I had been in the general track for close to 8 years and some bad happenings in my workplace had given me the impetus to consciously pursue the personal track .But you know, the challenges are so so tough,only the bravest survive.
Survive I will!!

Where is full force?His students are impatiently waiting

@ hauler, no application forms are available. I think what you need is a standard application letter with your company profile and any documentation that can help your application consideration.

@IykeD, it is most likely warehousing will be a mojor consideration but not at the application level. Most likely during the selection stage.That should be in your business plan

Fellow Nairalanders,
This forum has been of immense benefit to me and I could not pass up an opprotunity to share this news. Last week, there was a full page advert by Dangote group seeking for new distributors all over nigeria for their products that include pasta,sugar,noodles,flour,cement,salt. As a diehard entrepreneur,this sounds wonderful and FMCG is always a winner.

The entry level can be high especially for amount needed but all what has been asked for now is application.I can smell the millions!!!
Applications are to be sent to:applications@dangote-group.com
or
The Manager,Distributorship enquiries
1 Alfred Rewane Road,
Ikoyi Lagos,
Nigeria



For fellow Nigeirans in Diaspora,here is a good business to invest in.