₦airaland Forum

cremedelacreme:
I'm an operations staff with 5years experience, I've worked in all areas of operations (Customers service, funds transfer and currently a cash officer /ATM custodian). I've been able to save some money over the period, but the issue/challenge I have is where to invest the money.I need a backup plan, a business /investment that doesn't require much of my presence given the tight nature of my job. Please guys help a brother.

Good that you manage to have some savings instead of loans.

The best way to start is to manage yourself and time well.

You need to start observing people around you and people you interact with daily and believe me you will find a product that you can sell with your busy schedule.

Don't have people blindness and also do take yourself out of the job to observe things around.

If you work in Lagos and shuttle between Island and Mainland, I feel your pain and the time wasted in traffic.


How to start a business while working in the bank:

1. Start with what you like.
2. Start with your problem.
3. Observe people around you - I don't need to tell you that people working in the bank are stingy. You know that already but what you might not know is they open their wallet or give you a blank cheque if you can just a problem for them. Find the major problem in your branch, tell search for the solution and monetize it.

My 2 cent.

Abeg, I wan sleep, traffic on 3mb no dey smile on Monday.

Denn:
Drivers, cleaners etc are all support staff in all spheres...not only banking.

Owners and officials of banks are bankers. Simple.

I showed you a definition. Show me yours.

It seems you drive in traffic with an air of seniority because you are a 'banker'.

Good One.

There is a clear difference between a Banker, Banker Worker, Bank Labourers and Bank Support Staffs but the irony is that everyone everyone call themselves Bankers.

1. Bankers are bank owners or elected executive directors with control shares in the bank.

2. Bank Worker is someone employed as staff (full staff) who coordinates and implements bank procedures.

3. Bank Labourer is someone employed as a contract staff who does a foreman - sorry four man jobs without promotion, allowances, salary increase or cost of living allowance.

4. Bank Support Staffs are the category of staff either contract or direct who does auxiliary job to move the job of the Banker or Bank Worker easy.

That na my own definitions of the category of people who works at the bank.

So please Op, if na Bankers you need to talk about the way forward, dem no dey this forum. Na only Bank Workers and Labourers dey this forum. #Smiles

Youngzedd:
You're right, although I place a call same day before delivery.
I had experience today. The order was placed last night, I called the customer this morning to confirm delivery and He declined the delivery.


The issue there is that, 90% of Nigerians won't agree to pay upfront. They're scared of the unknown.

How to tackle this is still unknown. I believe that someday our system will be clean. When people will transact without the fear of been defrauded.

It is simple.

Give them reasons to pay ahead with incentives and trust me people will pay

hahn:
I'm really looking forward to his update on his experience. Nigerians are not reliable, someone will tell you to be there by 8 but will not show up till 10 without any form of apology.

I've made to a delivery to a client only to be told "I just want to see what it looks like". That's why I don't do POD.

Ordinarily, clients are supposed to pay upfront when patronising an online store but some will expect POD and still expect FREE delivery. In developed countries, clients pay full sum plus shipping, tax and hadling charges.

And we're always suspicious of each other and some clients have had bad experiences. Some of my clients have actually complained of paying and not receiving their order from other sellers.

One has to build on integrity and reliability and get lots of positive reviews from clents to be able to survive in the Nigerian online business sector

Pay On Delivery and Free Shipping na fast lane to bankruptcy.

The Op experience might be different, so let wait for him/her to experiment and come share his/her experience.

Delivery Company will get paid if the delivery is successful or not.

Dear Op,

Please don't mind our myopic mind oooo.

I like to learn from people, positive things thought.

Your experience might be different from ours and I will be glad to learn what I need to improve to get Pay On Delivery Nationwide work without many returns.

Thanks
Signed - iMerchant.

#Smiles

Youngzedd:
Which delivery company do Jumia use?

Jumia use AIG Express and CourierPlus for delivery.
AIG Express is like Konga's KExpress.

Youngzedd:
I know there will be unserious buyers, but call will be placed across before shipping. This will minimise the rate.

Good Idea.

Let me share an experience with you.

I once had 2 orders in Lagos. One in Ikota and the order in Ogba.

I called both of them (customers) a day before delivery at 7pm and they both confirmed that we should come for delivery.

I was bored at home so I decided to do the delivery myself. According to my conversation with them, the customer in Ogba said we should deliver before 11am where the Ikota customer said before 3pm.

I got to Ogba at 9am, called the customer that am at his street and will be at his doorstep within 5 minutes, only to meet a shocker.

He told me he his enroute Lekki and was already on 3rd Mainland Bridge and I said No problem because am also heading towards Ikota so I could deliver his order only to be told that he will be heading to Yaba before going to Lekki.

I proceed to Ikota, made the delivery collect my Cash but the first person (Ogba Order) is yet to complete his order till date.

The moral of the lesson, Calls will not guarantee successful delivery. If you have being in this business for a while you will understand that Out of 10 Pay On Delivery Orders you will probably get more returns that when the customers have paid ahead.

Anyway, best of luck with your Pay On Delivery Nationwide arrangement.

Will be glad if you come back to share your experience after 5 months of doing Nationwide Pay On Delivery.

#Smiles

ennyjay2010:
Now that dollar is very high in the market,
how are you surviving ?

Have you pend importing goods or still making it through.

Share your view !!!

If you identify your business goals before starting this business and understand your target market very well, then slump in Naira will not stop your business.

Truth be told, slump in Naira will increase your cost of doing business so also will it increase your profit.

Bitter truth - Slump in Naira will reduce the purchasing power of salary earners who are basically consumers because cost of living will increase while salary remain constant.

Bittest Trust - Slump in Naira worsening consumers spending power so also is the non payment of salary by the government, so expect sales to drop.

My Advice - Source your product smartly.

Just my 2 cents.

#Smiles

Youngzedd:
Hello Nairalanders,

I would like to know reliable courier that accept PAY ON DELIVERY service and also deliver nationwide at reasonable rate.

Thanks in anticipation.



Cc: Ymodulus, Mayorall, Tyconcept, Davi8, Shinaf, eph12 and others.

Pay On Delivery is something logistics company don't like to do because its slow down the effectiveness of the Dispatch rider.

A Dispatch rider that had the capacity to deliver 150 items daily will only be able to deliver 50-70 items daily if he/she collect cash on delivery.

If you do get, they will charge you extra for the service but you will hardly see any. But never say never.

Also, if you are looking to offer Cash On Delivery Nationwide, you should be prepared for some loss due to product returns and unserious buyer who will order just to see if you will deliver what they bought.

Just my 2 cent Boss.

#Smiles

kingolovich:
If America disappears there wouldn't be FACEBOOK QUORA DROPBOX GOOGLE e.t.c. But what would happen if Nigeria disappears?

147 million active mobile lines will disappear.
Facebook, Google, Quora, Dropbox and Twitter will loss millions of users.
Crude Oil production will take a major hit and OPEC will need a new president.
AfDB will need a new president.
Foreign investors will loss investments worth over $350 million in ecommerce business.
MTN will declare bankruptcy because a major market have disappeared.
The second largest film industry in the world, NollyWood will disappear.
Africa will loss a big giant and a major leader.
There will not be a Dangote, Adenuga or Otedola.
Innoson, Nissan and VolkWagen will loss a major investment.
Julius Berger will go bankrupt.
Android will loss a major market.
Phone Manufacturers sales will reduce.

There will be a major shortage of agricultural produces.
Arik Airline will disappear
Virgin, Delta, BA, Lufthansa will loss a major and profitable market in Africa.
LG electronics will declare bankruptcy.


In short, the world will feel the impact socially, economically and religiously.

prowitin:
Please don try it if you don,t understand it. Have not sold those particular item for 3 months now so what you see there is a form of advert to draw people's attention. its a limited offer.(promo) for the case of the wallet for example i have 2 stores i manage so compare the prices and do the maths to understand how i play the game. check konga.com/macigno

If i sell to someone in lagos i make more money and break even with the other store. get it?

Well I understand the concept but I want you to note the following:

1. Instead of listing the product at a ridiculous price, try product bundle.

2. The product price will affect your conversion.

3. Make the price reasonable in order to build credibility for your store (Well, you really do not need it because of your other store)

4. I also observed you don't offer return for the product, I guess that why sales drop for the item. Nigerian will not typically (willing) buy stuff they can't return.

That's my 2 cent, wetin me know sef, you're the Boss.

Peace

@Prowitin,

Please explain how you make money with this products.

Thank You Sir

pepe1:
Me sef tired ooo.

Abeg, where is Prowitin, the expert who dey sell product for NGN 1,000, then use NGN 1,500 to ship the product and also pay Konga 10% sale commission.

I want learn how una dey make money doing business on Konga.

Please Pepe1, tell the expert (PROWITIN) on your BBM chat to come answer the questions.

God Bless.

prowitin:
That's another level of selling online. All my products. On konga has. Free shipping see /previsual-store add my pin if you need the info.
24C632E3

e1 post=35427629]
Yes boss... I got you very well and that's what I do. Just that whenever I see those listings, I keep wondering whether there is something they know /do that I don't.

Thanks for your response.

@OP,

Una dey do Father Xmas or Money Laundering ni.

Your store product called "Travel Portable Easy Fill Perfume Atomizer" is listed for NGN 1,000 and you ship nationwide include location KExpress charge NGN 1.5k.

My questions,
1. What is your cancellation rate?

2. How do you break even with the product?
3. Who pay for the loss you incur when you ship to locations outside state capitals where Konga charge 1.5k?
4. If you use Self-Fulfil, how do you deliver to Locations outside Lagos, say Yobe?


Abeg, come answer this questions.

Thanks.

Notes - Please don't ask me to add you on BBM to get answers. Kindly answer here.

pepe1:
Boss, pls I have a question.

You will find stores on konga that display items worth about #1750 and still offer free delivery to places that would cost abt #1500 to ship using KExpress.

And obviously the product is worth more than #250.

Any idea how they do it?

You have the option to restrict the states where you ship to on SellerHQ.

If the seller ship nationwide, maybe he/she is just trying to dispose the product at all cost.

Half full cup is better than no water. (I hope you understand)

Regards

saints2:
I dont think this is true, according to my research, K-express are cost effective and quite cheap compare to others, maybe if its when you use other services like dhl, ems etc

I will let iMerchant eleborate more.

Omo come see setup ooooo.

To answer your question:

A lot of new seller don't really understand the concept of free shipping until they receive payment for successful delivery.

Also mind that you can restrict the locations you ship too on the SellerHQ.

The seller mightn't ship nationwide thus its possible to offer FREE shipping.

saints2:
Thanks bros, God bless you...
Please I have a new challenge, the order was outside lagos and the lady chose the POD, I have to bear the cost of shipping and logistics, do you advice I used K-Express or other courier services? How do I remit commision to Konga?

Thanks.

Use KExpress. They only charge for successful delivery unlike other logistic partner.

Regards

saints2:
Thanks for your response bro...
What does ship order and konga self fulfillment carrier means?

Please kindly explain
Thanks

Ship Order means you want to deliver the goods (order) yourself or you want to use Konga's logistic partners (like DHL, EMS etc) to ship the order.

If you want to ship via KExpress, just print the "You have a new order - Order No #Fxxxxxx" email you received from Konga and package your goods, head towards the nearest KExpress centre to drop the order.

Regards

AleAirHub:
SIMPLE GUARDIAN TO IMPORTATION FOR NEW BEGINNER.

Good Morning @ All Members

At 1st I Must Say Welcome On Board(Importation Business) If You Are About venturing into the business . Let's face it, there many reasons one/individual will like to go into importation business maybe for individual or business purpose but over my 3 years of finding and research on small/medium scale importation. I discover that many of the new beginners are only interested on the profit aspect without carrying out much research and why some of us have fall victim to info marketer that will tell you that YOU CAN IMPORT GOOD LAPTOP WITH JUST 15,OOO NAIRA ONLY. That Is Unbelievable?.
So if your 1st market place in your mind is china, then you may enjoy great & advantage of low manufacturing, wholesale and retail costs of item/product in china because the significantly price and profit difference is unbeatable compare to USA,UK,Dubia and other parts of the world, so it could be quite difficult to be profitable if it wasn't for overseas and large scale manufacturing country like china.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Sourcing Items/Product In China

ADVANTAGES:

*Lower manufacturing costs

*Suppliers are (generally) much more open to working with smaller businesses and providing smaller quantities

*High number of suppliers to choose from For many products, China might be the only place that produces the item

*One-stop services like Alibaba have made it very easy to navigate and purchase from suppliers
Along with the advantages of sourcing from overseas suppliers also comes several disadvantages that you should be equally aware of. Some of the biggest disadvantages include;

DISADVANTAGES

*Perceived lower quality from customers

*(Usually) lower manufacturing and labor standards

*Almost no intellectual property protection

*Language and communication barrier can be difficult to overcome

*Difficult/costly to verify manufacturer and visit on-site

*Longer shipping time

*Cultural differences in business practices

*Product importation and customs clearance

*Lower level of payment security and recourse.
FEW TIPS THAT MAY HELP YOU OUT

Use Familiar Websites
Start at a trusted site rather than shopping with a search engine. Search results can be rigged to lead you astray, especially when you drift past the first few pages of links. If you know the site, chances are it's less likely to be a rip off. Examples of sites can be finding on my signature below including Aliexpress and many more.

Don't Tell All
No online shopping store needs your social security number or your birthday to do business. However, if crooks get them, combined with your credit card number for purchases, they can do a lot of damage. The more they know, the easier it is to steal your identity. When possible, default to giving up the least amount of information. So be careful!

Check Statements
Don't wait for your bill to come at the end of the month. Try and activate internet/mobile banking platform on your bank account link to your credit cards to enable you check your bank electronic statements for your credit card, debit card, and checking accounts. Make sure you don't see any fraudulent charges, even originating from sites like Aliexpress, Alibaba, Paypal, etc. (After all, there's more than one way to get to your money.). If you do see something wrong, pick up the phone to address the matter quickly. In the case of credit cards, pay the bill only once you know all your charges are accurate. You have 30 days to notify the bank or card issuer of problems, however; after that, you might be liable for the charges anyway. BETTER STILL uses a credit and debit card that is not link to your bank account. Uba Aficard is Recommend

Look for the Lock
Never ever; ever buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn't have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed—at the very least. You'll know if the site has SSL because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS:// (instead of just HTTP://). An icon of a locked padlock will appear, typically in the status bar at the bottom of your web browser, or right next to the URL in the address bar. It depends on your browser.
Never, ever give anyone your credit card over email, Ever.

Find Out More About A Company's Reputation. After looking for these signs of identification, it is a good idea to ensure that the company has a good online reputation. Do not assume that just because a store in the real world sells things one way that their online service will be as good. There might be a risk of lacking service back up or returns policies etc. for online purchases that do not exist if you buy direct in the store. Reputation can be checked via searches of the internet for comments from others on consumer review sites.

Read The Site's Privacy Policy. Reputable companies will be open about how they collect data from you and what they do with it. Many now also belong to web-seal approval or trust mark programs that set out guidelines on the treatment of your information. Look for a privacy policy and learn about whether the company uses your information beyond the purchase transaction, for example, to email you with updates or deals etc. or if it passes on information to third party merchants. This is how you can end up getting spam mail if you are not careful. At the end of the day, you must make your own decision about how much information you are prepared to give.

Take Care When Entering Information. Be sure to enter the correct details when typing in your order. An incorrect address, amount of items or wrong item code can cause many difficulties. Always review the information before pressing send.

Be Aware Of Email Scams Designed To Part You From Your Credit Card Information. [/b]Email frauds that are designed to gather personal information such as passwords and credit card details are known as phishing emails. The idea is that thousands or hundreds of thousands are sent out in the hope of reeling in unsuspecting victims and getting them to part with confidential information. The emails appear to be from well-known companies and can look quite convincing. However, legitimate companies, including all banks, will never send you an email with a link requesting your login, password, or credit card details. If in doubt, type the web address of the company it relates to directly into the browser rather than following the email link.

[b]Customers. Try and have ideas of the products you want to import and also have good feedback form the persons that want to purchase it, should be case your item arrive. If not your product may get stock for a long period without buyer.

Be Patience. Be Patience with your dealing when you have successful place an order direct from the site or though a pre-procurement and shipping agent like (We; Ale-Air Konsult Technologies Services) & others Listed on Nairaland, because that is our best friend for those of us that is into the business or game. Because the whole process takes a bit much time from the seller, shipping , clearing of goods and other unseen event that may come up.

Lastly,
Always Be Yourself,
Trust In Your Abilities
Don’t Settle For Low
Be A Risk Taker And You Will Succeed

Thanks
Credits: Shopify.Com, Pc.Com, Wikihow.Com & Okueq(Ale-Air Konsult Technologies Services)

Kudos Boss

Pop Corn -------- Checked

Soft Drink -------- Checked

Seat ------------------Booked.


Make I come learn how to make money.

veegirl:
Why? We are really learning from it.

Ma,

Am not giving up writing or stop sharing insights on how to build a profitable store in Nigeria. I still update the Blog weekly with useful and helpful posts.

However, some posts are better explained in pictures than words which Nairaland usually tagged as spam or adverts.

Am still here just that I will be in "Ghost Mode"

To those that have start selling using what they learn here, I am honoured to be of assistant.

Happy Selling People.

Ghost Mode Activated.

iamord:
thanks. I sent u a message in gave book. Will identify myself there

I don't really understand your post sir?

Am really sorry, I will longer be updating the thread again.

Thanks

Am really sorry, I will longer be updating the thread gain.

Thanks

iamord:
Okay. I can't send pls cos the am having problems with my email account. Can't I have your WhatsApp account. I want to discuss some biz with u.

Dear iamord,

Sorry for replying late.

I was banned by Nairaland.

Please send me a mail - blog@realmoneyng.com or chat me up on facebook via www.facebook.com/realmoneyng

Thanks

............................

debbydee:
interesting.

Very Interesting Boss

sluvy4tune:
Drags chairs

Order guguru and Okpa by the corner


Oya Boss

Ur captain don enter class

You are welcome on board.

The Destination
Building takes time, so starting your e-commerce business on the side means you will grow very slow (if not slower) than if you start without your full time job. Your growing will be done in chunks when you make time for it. The success of your e-commerce business have a directly proportion to the time you devote in building it.

You don’t have the whole day to build your e-commerce business but you have your weekends, public holidays and evenings to build it. Use your limited free time wisely in building and growing your e-commerce business in small chunks.

Your salary from your full time job also allows you to invest in your ecommerce business. Your income working a full time job, gives you unfair advantage over those that are dropping everything to run their ecommerce business and those that are unemployed.

You also have a significant advantage over full-time ecommerce entrepreneurs because what you’re doing is a lot less risky. If you fail with your venture, you still have your job to fall back to, and even use your previous failure or current job as a learning experience to quickly get back on your feet with another venture.

Source - http://www.realmoneyng.com/how-to-build-your-profitable-online-store-while-working/

The Starting Point

If you want to build an ecommerce business while working, the first challenge you will encounter is what product to sell. Having a full time job doesn’t give you the luxury of time to think about what to sell but it gives you the opportunity to easily identify a need or problem need solution.

Your job gives you opportunity to come in contact with people and if you don’t have a disease called “Human Blindness” you will understand that people have problems. They have needs and it is your duty/job to meet those needs profitably.

Because of your full time job, your product should be easy to source or manufacture. Also remember that you don’t have luxury of time, your product should be something that can be sold with little maintenance and work.

Warning: You have to say goodbye to most of your evenings, public holidays and weekends if you truly desire/want to build a profitable e-commerce business. Your sacrifice will pay off on the long-term when you start getting bank alerts for product sold.

Source - http://www.realmoneyng.com/how-to-build-your-profitable-online-store-while-working/

I am a certified slowpoke and a victim of a dreaded condition known as COMPLACENCY. If you don’t know about this terrible condition, it’s a disease that leads to spending 17 hours a day working full time for someone else.

It’s an illness that stops you from pursuing your dreams, goals and aspirations because you don’t have time. It is a debilitating condition that causes you to trudge through each day doing the daily grind as life quickly passes you by.

I wake up very early (thanks to the combined efforts of my mobile devices alarm) in the morning, leap out of bed, urinate, brush my teeth, bath, comb my hair (if I remember), dress up in black suit and leave for work in a jiffy. I have been doing this for years, so I don’t really see it as a big deal anymore. I am used to the daily hustle of Lagos and have built a rhythm already.

As an employee I was wired to accept that income comes when there is an activity of labour. I spend my time building an empire for someone in exchange for a monthly salary. I sell my time for money as an employee. I am paid based on service and time.

From my experience building buymart.com.ng I understand how difficult it is to build a side business while still working a full time job. You lack significant time to run your ecommerce business because you have commit yourself to your employer.

However, being gainfully employed and the lack of significant time should not be an excuse not to start your e-commerce business. I am here to inform you that it is possible to build your online store while working.

Source - http://www.realmoneyng.com/how-to-build-your-profitable-online-store-while-working/

Many people want to give you money!!!

But what are you selling?

If you come to the marketplace with an empty hand, Nobody will give you money.

If you want to make more money start solving peoples' problem.

Have a blessed week.

Join the community and like us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/realmoneyng