₦airaland Forum

AgoraRoad:
Dear Nairalanders,
The aim of this thread is to bring ideas, mentors and potential investors/entrepreneurs together with a view to creating jobs, reducing poverty and creating wealth.
This has become necessary because we have observed that a lot of people have funds but lacked the right investment idea(s) while others have investment information but no funds. Therefore, we want to bring everyone under one roof basically to share investment information and we believe that new partnerships can also be forged in the process.

I will make a new user group so only nairalanders will be apart of. here is my website. create an account and comment so i can add you.

Dear AgoraRoad, your use of "we" is very mischievous. Please don't take undue advantage of my thread. Thanks.

Dear Nairalanders, beware of derailers! I don't know this AgoraRoad o! I disown him. Lol.

I'll continue my breakdown as soon as Buhari's NEPA decides to Bring Back Our Light. Lol.

naijacutee:
John, this is the best thread I've seen on Nairaland this year. I really like the way that you write so clearly - you make the effort to write properly and this is something that many salaried people can't discipline themselves enough to do.

I've got some goods I would like to donate to your shop - a couple of Charles Tyrwhitt shirts (£70 each) and Superdry wristwatches (£100). You can sell and reinvest the profits. If you have someone in Lagos who can collect from Satellite town, I can get it ready for you.

Wow Aunty Naijacutee! I'd really appreciate your donation of goods o! How do I contact you off Nairaland? Are you the lady that sent me a friend request on facebook?

I promised to do a breakdown earlier, right? Here it is. Let me start with my first business (the Agbani container). Accountants in the house correct me if I'm wrong in my calculations o! Though it's hard for an Igbo man like me to make mistakes in money matters. Lol.

SUL3.com domain + hosting ($19 N220 per dollar as at then) 4,180
Goods 42,000
Transport (approximated) 9,000
Container + showcase 40,000
Rent 30,000
Landlord's drink 1,900
Re-painting 3,000
Fuel (for mixing paints) 250
Painter's refreshment 500
Re-roofing 13,000
Padlocks 1,100
Mirror 500
Binding wire 100
Curtain wire 100
Pins 50
Wall cloth 1,750
Hangers 3,150
Horsetail (for dusting) 200
Polyethylene sheet (for temporary shade from sun) 200
Polyethylene bags 100
January NEPA bill 300
Tailor (for mending) 200

That's a total of N151,580. It was so hard to keep track of my transport expenses (plus the gala, pure water etc associated with it. Lol) while I was buying the ladies' things from market to market and state to state.

I have good news o! Our ugu is sprouting. I was doing my usual morning farm work when I noticed this. I had to poke my finger into the soil a little to check if it was really the ugu or a stubborn weed. Lol.

Thank God. This one is my firstborn ugu. Lol. I'm surprised that it germinated even before the other ones I planted two weeks ago. I had to dig out those ones yesterday to check if they were dead or alive. Two seeds were dead. Ten seeds had grown roots.

I've also planted some of the green and more ewa. I'll plant the cucumber soon.

Is there any other crop you people think I should plant? I want to try only crops that are ready for harvest within three months at most. (Do apples grow in Nigeria? Having an apple tree in my compound go make sense o! Let me go and ask Google. Lol) My cousin suggested corn this morning. He said they eat corn only once a year (around August/September) in this village. Hmmm... I see opportunity. Lol.

spyder880:
Bro Johnny, money sent.

Uncle Ken, thank you sir, I got the alert yesterday evening. Chukwu gozie wu. You have given me ten thousand more reasons to succeed. Lol.

That's me inside my small Agbani shop day before yesterday (February 29th). The weather was so hot that day. But since the rain fell that night, it's been a bit cooler. Thank God.

Henrimoto, it's by okada o! It's far but the bad untarred road with no gutters makes the journey farther. I even heard that during the rainy season the okada men will begin to charge as high as N300-N400 depending on how muddled the road gets. That's why I'm making moves to buy a bicycle of about N10,000 before the rainy season begins. A motorcycle would've been better but soup wey sweet na money kill am. Lol. Besides, I thank God I'm still following my cousin on his own okada for now. It's a big advantage.

Krucifax:
I'd like to contribute the sum of N20,000 to support your venture. It's not a loan and has no conditions it's simply my gift in admiration for you. I'm based in London but can do a transfer. Let me know your preferred method of collection. God bless.

Good day sir. I would've liked to say "No thank you" but I can use that money to finally roof my village container. Here's my account number:
*****
*****
*****

Please tell me when you see it so that I can delete it from here. I don't want any Dasuki to send N1million into my account before Buhari go dey pursue me. Lol.

Wow! Happy new month everyone! I never knew you people are still following my progress and even willing to support me financially. Wow! Thank you sirs and madams!

You can whatsapp me on +234 909 5000 603. Friend me on Facebook www.facebook.com/gwamgwamgwam

I really appreciate your comments. It shows I'm not talking to myself like a madman. Lol. Talking about madness, I walked out of my balcony naked yesterday to receive showers of blessing. Lol. Don't worry. I'm 100% sure nobody saw me. This is the village not your over-populated anya na-afu ukwu na-aga warawara cities. Lol. The rain started around 9pm with a cool wind. It was just as if God decided to save us from the heat before we all roast and turn to suya. Lol.

This rain really helped soften the soil this morning. It was much easier to cultivate. Today is another Eke. So I made sure I went to Eke Agbani market to buy more seeds. I looked for my kind Agbani mama twice but couldn't find her. So I had to go and buy them by myself. I bought more ugu seeds N100, more ewa seeds N100, cucumber seeds N100 and green seeds N100. I'll plant them tomorrow morning. I can't wait to see my vegetable farm growing and growing and growing. Lol.

You people are also welcome to visit the websites I built for my businesses last year (before I actually started). NgeneFarms.com for my agriculture and SUL3.com for my ladies' business. I've not had time to update them at a cybercafe since I got to the East. Chai! I miss browsing for free with my Lagos friend's modem. In short, I miss Lagos too. Lol.

See you all tomorrow. I'll probably plant my seeds in my dreams this night. Farming is somehow sweet o! Very nice way to gym without going to the gym. Lol.

When I started this story, I listed some factors that were in my favour. I've just remembered more. Lol.
7) There are some foodstuffs (a bag of rice, a carton of tin tomatoes, a pot of raw beans, half bag of garri and small abacha) that my family left here after the Christmas and new year celebrations.
They also left an almost full cylinder of gas.

Thank God. Those foodstuffs and gas have really saved me money. Lol. If not, I wonder how much I would've been spending on kerosene and beans. I love beans so much. It saves me from lack of protein from the no-meat-no-fish meals I cook. Lol. Beans and garri. Beans and noodles. Beans and potato. Beans and plantain. Rice and beans. Thank God for beans. Lol.

But in order to save my gas, I bought a small electric cooker N1,800. In fact, I cook beans and boil water with only my electric cooker. I also had to buy other essentials like a 25litres gallon N550, rechargeable lamp N700, rechargeable torch N800, a carton of TummyTummy noodles N1,850 (I like the small Indomie but the vegetables in TummyTummy was so enticing. Lol).

I've also noticed that I was beginning to spend much buying okpa almost every morning. For those who don't know okpa is the major export of Enugu state. Lol. It looks like moimoi but is redder in colour, more delicious and has a better packaging than moimoi. I'm not talking about the tasteless, artificial-coloured okpa some women sell in Onitsha, Aka, Lagos or other cities. You need to eat real Enugu-made village okpa. I'm salivating already. Lol.

So as I was saying. Lol. I had to reduce my consumption of okpa to save money. If you're a beer-drinker, I pity your pocket. That one is even worse. Especially if you're drinking with friends. I easily dodged alcohol and unnecessary socializing so that I won't end up drinking my business money away. Lol. Yet even with my stinginess, I spent about N2,500 on beer during the new year celebrations. Lol.

The worst money-reducer is actually recharge cards. You'd be shocked how much you spend on recharge cards in a month if you monitor and calculate it. I'm trying to recharge with not more than N200 per week. That way at least I'll get 15mb bonus from Etisalat plus another N200 bonus for calls. Airtel is my main network but unfortunately their service is very poor in my village. MTN and Glo services are average here. They've all rushed to cover Agbani and allowed Etisalat to take over my village. It's their loss for neglecting Amurri the future Lagos of Enugu. Lol.

I didn't go to Agbani today because there's a burial going on in my village. He was a like a dibia or native doctor. Let's call him a traditional man of God. Lol. But it's not funny because if I'm caught by the many masquerades that'll be at his burial today, they'll use me for flogging practice. Lol. It's partly my fault because I've refused to be initiated into the masquerade society for personal reasons.

I think this masquerade, village meetings and other issues are some of the things discouraging some Igbo youths from living in Igboland. But I won't be discouraged. I'm already here. I'll just be running away from masquerades like women and children. Lol.

Some people may be wondering why I'm telling my business story to the whole world. Is it because I want to be like that guy that trekked from Lagos to Bayelsa? Lol. Or is it because I want endorsements like Olajumoke? Lol. Though I won't mind getting a motorcycle from Innoson or Ogbuawa and being their brand ambassador. Lol. Don't blame me abeg. This transport issue is my biggest challenge.

The truth is that I hope I can motivate some one out there with my story. I know there are some Igbo people in the cities and abroad who have money to invest in Igboland but are not sure how to start. Even if it's just one person I reach, I'll be happy that my on-going business move is making an impact.

That reminds me. Someone from Nairaland called me yesterday to find out about rice farming at Adani. I had to tell him that ADANI is different from AGBANI where I'm running my first business. Brother, sorry I haven't been able to get the information you need. I've been so busy trying to nurture my new businesses and hiding from my village masquerades. Lol.

That's me during my morning farming session. I usually wake up as early as 5:30am or 6am to cook beans, boil drinking water and fetch water. Then I water the ugu and ewa I've already planted. After which, I till the land in preparation for more vegetables I plan to plant. By 9am I make sure I'm ready to join my cousin to Agbani. Though we usually leave by 9:30am or 10am. I can't complain o! Lol. I'm determined to save the N400 I'll spend if I go to Agbani alone and earlier. Lol. Besides I've noticed that business is dull in the mornings at Agbani except on Eke market days.

Before I forget, I went to meet the Agbani mama on Monday evening but she said I came too late. She said I should come early in the morning on the next Eke market day (which is today Friday).

Unfortunately, I can't go to Agbani today. Sighs. I'll tell you why.

My village container after flooring. I've used my father's former car tapolin and bamboo to do local roofing. I've also kept two benches inside for displaying my goods for now. Until when I'm ready to spend about N15,000 or more on roofing plus a platform inside for displaying goods.

When the desirable is unavailable, the unavailable becomes desirable. E no easy. Lol.

And if you look closely, you'll notice there's another container beside mine. He's my new neighbour. He wants his wife to run a salon business there. I'm waiting for him to complete his own roofing so that we can do wiring together. We're hoping NEPA will agree to let us split the N650 monthly bill instead of us paying them N650 each.

That's another thing, electricity bill per house is N650 here in the village. What do we use light for anyway? Bulbs, fans, tv, fridge and charging phones. Lol

My village 6-by-6 container when the labourers were still doing the flooring.

My small Agbani container after renovation. Lol. I'm yet to fix a signboard. I'm tired of spending.

Oh yes! Images. Lol.

Here's my small Agbani container when I just bought it.

platinumventure:
My brother...D lord is ur muscle...I wil advice u dat after u have exhausted ur female clothes...do not buy n restock women clothing again because it doesn't move well in d market because of d nature of our women who love haggling price n pricing down any item they want to buy...I'm talking from experience... Diversify into menz wears...it sellz very fast n guyz don't haggle price like women...I wish u all d best

My brother, I agree with you. The way women price things eh. Chai! My cousin who runs a ladies' boutique here in Agbani has recently added men's clothing. His shop is located upstairs. He wanted me to take the shop when I was still searching for a shop but I rejected his offer because I believed it'll be difficult for some lazy girls to climb up. Lol. But since he added men's clothing, guys have been climbing up to buy from him without over-bargaining like women. Lol.

I might just take your advice. Thanks.

Wow! I really appreciate your comments and questions. I'll answer them.

I had to re-paint and re-roof the Agbani container. Paid my apprentice-welder N3,000 for the two paints plus brush he bought. We also bought N250 petrol for mixing the paints and then I gave him N500 for refreshment when he finished the painting. As for the re-roofing, I paid the carpenter N13,000. That's for the wood, zinc and workmanship. All this renovation is to satisfy my future customers. You know how women like packaging. Lol.

The second business hasn't started yet. I paid the apprentice-welder his remaining N10,000 when he finished building the container. Then paid the driver N4,000. He carried it from where the location where the apprentice-welder built it (far from Agbani so that his oga wouldn't find out. Lol).

I found out that mounting a container is like building a small house. Lol. I had to level the ground. Lay a few blocks (which I got from the many blocks in my father's house). The flooring cost me...

Wait, let me bath and prepare to join my cousin to Agbani. He has a bike so I've been saving transportation cost (N200 going N200 coming) by following him everyday. No matter how late or how long he delays me. Lol.

And yes! I've finally opened the Agbani shop and noticed that business is slow. Sighs.

Soon, I'll do a breakdown of what all three businesses have cost me so far.

I haven't talked about my third business. Don't call me jack of all trades yet please. Lol. Let me explain.

There's no way you'll be in my village without doing agriculture one way or the other. When I was in Lagos, I'd actually been planning to dedicate N50,000 to starting goat-farming and combining it with palm oil, cassava and snail farming. But when I came to my village, I took part in harvesting cassava and processing it into garri and also harvesting palm fruit and processing it into palm oil. The stages for producing both are hectic. Lol. Even goats need stay-at-home attention. Lol. I started thinking of another agricultural option.

That's when I learnt about ugu farming while watching a programme on NTA Enugu one morning. The ugu farmers talked about how lucrative ugu is and even showed how to plant it. It grows and is ready for harvesting within two months.

Me: Wonderful!

So I went to Eke Agbani market to look for ugu seeds. I met one kind mama who promised to bring it for me on the next Eke market day. She sold the ugu pod to me N300 and told me not to break it open till I was ready to plant the seeds.

Me: Mama thank you.

I bought a hoe for N1,500, a straw hat N150 and some more ugu and ewa seeds N100.

I've planted some ugu seeds outside my house fence. Those ones are free-for-all to pick and cook. If I catch anyone inside my compound coming for the ugu or ewa or any other vegetable inside, what happened in 1944 will happen to the person. Lol.

Anyway, I've met the Eke Agbani mama and asked her for how to plant "green". She said I should come on Monday. That's tomorrow. She'll take me to the place where I'll buy it. I really like this mama. She's so kind.

Thanks Omoteamac for commenting. Good night dear silent readers. Lol. I'll continue my business story if you people are not yet tired of it. Lol.

One day, I felt this strong urge in my spirit to go to Agbani. I followed my spirit, took a bike and went to Agbani. That was the period when I was still asking welders about the cost of building a container.

I saw a small portable container along Enugu road at Agbani, walked up to the guy running a phone-repairs and accessories business there, explained to him that I liked the size of his container and would love to build something similar. I asked him the size. He said it's about 4 by 5 and that he even wants to sell it.

Me: How much?

Him: 40 thousand.

Me: What if I want to take the space too instead of buying the container and moving it?

Him: No problem. I'll take you to my landlord.

Me: How much does he charge you for this space?

Him: 2,500 per month. That is 30 thousand per year.

Me: What about agent and agreement?

Him: Don't worry. I'll tell him you're my brother. That I'm leaving the container for you.

Wow! He eventually agreed to sell the container to me for N37,000. I also bought his small showcase N3,000. Making it N40,000. He didn't charge me for his tiles or the electric connection.

While we were still negotiating, another of his friends who was also looking for a shop at Agbani came to negotiate too. Aaaah! I can't lose this opportunity o! Lol. I rushed to the bank, withdrew N90,000 and came back.

I paid him the N40,000 for both the container and the showcase. Of course I wrote an agreement which he signed, I signed and my cousin also signed as a witness to the property acquisition. Lol. Then we went to meet his landlord.

The landlord wanted to increase the rent from N30,000 to maybe N40,000 or at least N35,000. But we begged him to understand that I was just starting a new business. The landlord, a considerate man, collected the N30,000. Though he insisted I must buy one crate of beer as a newcomer since he wasn't collecting agent and agreement money from me.

Me: Thank you sir.

I quickly went to buy it N1,900.

Singing: I don get Agbani shop. God win! I don get am for nice location. God win. Lol.

Meanwhile, I started thinking about getting a container and mounting it close to my house in the village. This would be my second business.

I'd already bought female wears worth about N42,000 at Katangowa market, Cele underbridge, Igando and near Trade Fair all in Lagos and at Main Market Onitsha. The female wears was what I decided I'd sell at my Agbani shop as soon I rented it. Someone adviced me to exercise patience in looking for a shop so that I won't rent one in wrong location out of desperation. She told me how she'd rented a shop at Eke Agbani market and suffered very slow poor sales for one year before getting her present location. I took her advice. I focused on securing my second business.

I asked about three welders at Agbani. One told me it'll cost me N48,000 for him to build a 4-by-4 container. The other told me it'll cost me N60,000 for a 6-by-6. While the third guy offered to build a 6-by-6 for me with white pan for N45,000. White pan is cheaper than black pan and not as strong as black pan. I gave the contract to the third welder. He's an apprentice. So we sealed the deal without his oga knowing. Lol. I paid him N35,000 to start working on it immediately.

I didn't want to spend too much on my second business because I'm not sure how favourable business will be in my lowly populated village. I decided to sell cds (Nigerian films, dvds and music), electricals (av wires, plugs, generator ropes, fuse etc) and phone accessories (earphones, memory cards, Nokia phone batteries and chargers).

With the help of my cousin, I began searching for a shop at Agbani. My village is not that far from Agbani. It'll cost you N200 to take a bike to Agbani and another N200 to go back to my village. But it could be as high as N300 in the rainy season because of our terrible roads. I don't know what my dear Amurri did to Chimaruoke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime to make them ignore our roads. But we pray that Gburugburu remembers us. Sighs.

Finding a shop was not easy at all. Agbani is a students' area where ESUT, Law School etc are located. We searched and searched and searched for almost one month without success.

I travelled to my village at the end of December after Christmas to minimize spending on beer, outings and other flexing. Can't play with my capital abeg. Lol.

Here are some of the things I counted as assets or advantages or encouraging factors of establishing my business in my village.
1) I had N300,000 capital in my account to do business. God win! Lol
2) My father has a big house that's mostly empty from January to December.
3) My cousin had already moved to the village from Lagos few years ago is doing well.
4) There now light in my village and a borehole sited near our house.
5) We have some lands for farming. Cassava and palm fruits are the main crops grown in my village.
6) I'll add more if I remember. Lol

You will hear people saying "Igbos should leave Lagos and develop the East." Well, I went to Lagos in May 2015 to start a business with my friend. We searched for a shop at our area and beyond. No way. I then decided to move to my village in Igbo land. Thank God my friend agreed to lend me money. So I had N300,000 to begin my business move from Egypt to the promise land. Lol.

koredex4love:
Please
Where can one get this electrical products at cheaper wholesale prices?
Or probably buy from the coys
Thanks

I got mine at Ochanja market in Onitsha but I think it'll be much cheaper in Lagos. Maybe at Alaba.

I don't know what you mean by ''standard'' but you can start with at least N30,000 (thirty thousand naira). If you decide to combine it with cds (Nigerian movies, dvds and music) and phone accessories (memory cards, earphones, phone batteries etc), then hold about N60,000 (sixty thousand naira). This is for a small start.

Another thing you must remember is always go with ''.com''. Forget about all these .ng, .com.ng, .org etc. Nigeria is not yet ripe for them. An average Nigerian types .com once you tell him you have a website.

If you want simple memorable domain names, contact me on +234 909 5000 603

Very well-baked piece by Charles Novia. Lol

May Christ use her one loaf to feed her and her family a thousand times.

Jofez:
Sorry bro. . I told you what to do and I don't think u did it

Jofez, when I held down the nanny goat for her kids to suckle, no milk came out. Then she just lay down there as if she was dead. That's when I realised how sick she is. She doesn't even eat and bleats like she's being strangled. Plus, I don't want to treat her with my money cos I'm not sure her owner'll refund me. In fact, if I treat her and she still dies, they might even accuse me of poisoning her. Lol

Yes SanmiBukunmi, you're right. It was the lack of colostrum that killed the poor kids. By the time, I found out there was a way to prepare artificial colostrum, it was too late. So sad.

They're dead. So sad!

Day 2: