Be your own Boss, that's the only best boss you can see any where in the world, no rules, no insults,no sack, no retirement. Except you are working for federal or state government I will say do both. If you are working for a private firm, my man take solo, most private firms are bunch of time wasters

Benyfil:
Greetings Nairalanders

I will go straight to my point.

My salary is 59k and after monthly deductions (loans) I get N39k and it remains just a month to finish paying up my loans and I go back to receiving 59k. I have a wife and 2 kids (5years and 2 years).

I already have 3 hectares of cassava and another 1 hectare which I intend planting tomatoes. Most things have been put in place for the tomatoes after going through a lot of threads and other peoples experience on tomatoes farming ([b]especially Jethro). I have prepared the land, water is close by, I have made beds for the tomatoes and they have germinated and waiting transplant in 2-3 weeks.
[/b]
A part of me says, if I leave my paid employment, things might not work out and its better that I continue to received the 59k (fear of the unknown). Another part of me says, to leave the job and channel all efforts towards the tomatoes farming that things would get better gradually. I have already made adequate plans for my family feeding for the next 12months, but I am still scared of quieting the job.

My ultimate question is this:Is tomatoes farming on an hectare of land sustainable?. I know it wont be that easy and it would require hard word. But can it sustain me better than a paid job. Should I quit and face farming?

Looking forward to advice mostly from tomatoes farmers and others as well.
Thank you

If you already had 3 hectare of cassava and have gone this far with your tomatoes and still retaining your paid job I suggest you continue doing it the way u have been doing it and still keeping your paid job till after maybe first or second harvest the output will tell you wether to quit your job or not. So don't quit the job now

Confusion everywhere

saajus:
Keep your job for now until you master the art of farming. Let people run the farm for you or spend your weekends in farm. I have a great feeling that, you will be great.

great point,was wondering why no one suggested getting cheap workers.

Benyfil:
Greetings Nairalanders

I will go straight to my point.

My salary is 59k and after monthly deductions (loans) I get N39k and it remains just a month to finish paying up my loans and I go back to receiving 59k. I have a wife and 2 kids (5years and 2 years).

I already have 3 hectares of cassava and another 1 hectare which I intend planting tomatoes. Most things have been put in place for the tomatoes after going through a lot of threads and other peoples experience on tomatoes farming (especially Jethro). I have prepared the land, water is close by, I have made beds for the tomatoes and they have germinated and waiting transplant in 2-3 weeks.

A part of me says, if I leave my paid employment, things might not work out and its better that I continue to received the 59k (fear of the unknown). Another part of me says, to leave the job and channel all efforts towards the tomatoes farming that things would get better gradually. I have already made adequate plans for my family feeding for the next 12months, but I am still scared of quieting the job.

My ultimate question is this:Is tomatoes farming on an hectare of land sustainable?. I know it wont be that easy and it would require hard word. But can it sustain me better than a paid job. Should I quit and face farming?

Looking forward to advice mostly from tomatoes farmers and others as well.
Thank you

where is ur location? do u ve d idea? cuz am thinking of going dat way

Concentrate on your farming, expand it, and learn a new trade (skill).

Alternatively,

Make attempts to get a better job. You can't go far in life on a 59k salary with a wife and 2 kids. Attempts to do this would certainly lead to regrets in the future. If you're not convinced, please meet at least 30 retired men and women and ask them to tell you their greatest regrets in life. 99% of them would mention one thing: "failure to take that bold and risk-filled decision."

Listen, your time is now! If the business fails, then go back to your job! There will always be another job!

I would have advised you quit your job, and be your own boss but you have a family and they come first... quitting your job would have been less consequential if you were still single but 59k is quite small. That's why I want to start a business before I settle down. All the best, develop your skills, and keep your dream alive.

Since you'll soon be done with your loan payment,I'll advice You to stick to your job for a while longer, and employ less expensive help, see how things go if it's done that way. If the turn out is nice you could consider going full time but for now it's better there's salary to cover expenses. Heavy Expenses with slow cash flow could be really frustrating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbCCvO3rKhc

Tomato Farming in Nigeria & how to make money

Tomato cultivation and farming in Nigeria plus how you can use our experienced farmers to work with you

Benyfil:
Greetings Nairalanders

I will go straight to my point.

My salary is 59k and after monthly deductions (loans) I get N39k and it remains just a month to finish paying up my loans and I go back to receiving 59k. I have a wife and 2 kids (5years and 2 years).

I already have 3 hectares of cassava and another 1 hectare which I intend planting tomatoes. Most things have been put in place for the tomatoes after going through a lot of threads and other peoples experience on tomatoes farming (especially Jethro). I have prepared the land, water is close by, I have made beds for the tomatoes and they have germinated and waiting transplant in 2-3 weeks.

A part of me says, if I leave my paid employment, things might not work out and its better that I continue to received the 59k (fear of the unknown). Another part of me says, to leave the job and channel all efforts towards the tomatoes farming that things would get better gradually. I have already made adequate plans for my family feeding for the next 12months, but I am still scared of quieting the job.

My ultimate question is this:Is tomatoes farming on an hectare of land sustainable?. I know it wont be that easy and it would require hard word. But can it sustain me better than a paid job. Should I quit and face farming?

Looking forward to advice mostly from tomatoes farmers and others as weill.
Thank you

!
This idea is not very bright and whoever argues with me or encourage you has not had he experience I have in business and project management.
Tomatoe farming will not sustain you .
Firstly, Because you can't compete with oligopolistic farming companies who will dominate the market
Secindly , You must be skilled in this life with continuous learning and development to amount to anything tangible as we can't predict the future. When you become a farmer and in 10 years from now if Nigeria becomes like western world were people go into Walmart to buy tomatoes and salt what will happen to you ? Who will buy your tomatoes and what skills and expertise do you have?

Thirdly, every intelligent person knows that if you want to do a business you don't Leave your job until you succeed.
That's why any serious business is hard . If you are going to do it then Leave farming for labourers and attend to it on weekends, you have no business there everyday!!

Pls is there any farming group I can join on whatsapp... 08134609826

stagger:
This is why I am a personal advocate of freelance work, which I got into in 2009 and I have had absolutely no regrets. OP should think about this seriously. Get a new skill, quit that job and use your new skill to eat. What is 59K in today's Nigeria for a family man? Your kids are growing: even university education in our deadbeat universities is becoming more expensive as schools are now pushing fees into the hundreds of thousands (my first year fees was N110; shows how far we have come).

You cannot work on 59k forever. My advice to you is as follows:

a) Tomatoes are a volatile crop, and 1 hectare of land is small. Your first foray should be to test the waters, so you still need to keep your 59k job for now.

b) Hit YouTube and pick up a new IT-based skill. Give yourself 3-6 months to learn it. Then take your new skills to the global market, by which time you need to give yourself an extra 2 months to exit your 59K job, by which time you shoul easily have started making at least $300 - $500 a month. EASILY! So if you start now, you should be quitting that job by June next year.

c) Hone your farm skills and take your new found money to expand your land base.

This is my advice.

well said

XTHRONE:
Be your own Boss, that's the only best boss you can see any where in the world, no rules, no insults,no sack, no retirement. Except you are working for federal or state government I will say do both. If you are working for a private firm, my man take solo, most private firms are bunch of time wasters

it's not always about about entrepreneurship,it's good to take calculated risk
Robert kiyosaki wrote that when he 1st had his private business idea was the time he worked harder as an employee the hardest, to have enough for uncertainties...that way he won't easily give up on his dream.
Baba can employ help(pple dy find work), and see how it goes while saving for his quit.
Being your own boss is good,but it's better to be fully ready, if things don't work out well for him and he gives up to find a job again due to expenses.
He might not have the zeal to go solo until retirement

Who says you can't manage a farm with your job?

Please go ahead!!!! this will help boost food production in our region and help deter the Northerners plan to hijack agriculture business in Nigeria by making sure other region like middle belt depend on them for agric produce, by killing farmers and destroying their farms with cow! and even give them more advantage of using their land for cattle business!

Thank you for raising this topic or issue because am equally trying to start my own business as well and from the comments and advice i have equally learnt a lot.

My candid advice is that you should remain on the job while you are equally doing your tomatoes farming through the help of a labourer. You can hire someone to help you do some of the the work on the farm either by watering, weeding etc Monday to Friday, since you don't go to work on Saturday and Sunday, you can be around on those days to oversee your farming.

For me this is what on my mind, hiring 2 guys that can help me to sell and the distribution of my product.

Guys thanks for this pieces of advice it will really help me a lot as well.

U don't have to quit ur job.. At least it's paying u good. U can try run the two together and see our well independently and financially u will be

ajayiopy:
I EARN OVER 250K IN A MONTHS AND HAVE MY SIDE RUNS TOO. INFACT MY SIDE RUNS DEY GIVE ME TWICE OF MY SALARY SOMETIMES.BUT I STILL DEY JOB. JUST BE CALM,DO YOUR FARM AND YOUR WORK SAME TIME

. Put me tru for this ur side hustle abeg. Bro

stagger:
This is why I am a personal advocate of freelance work, which I got into in 2009 and I have had absolutely no regrets. OP should think about this seriously. Get a new skill, quit that job and use your new skill to eat. What is 59K in today's Nigeria for a family man? Your kids are growing: even university education in our deadbeat universities is becoming more expensive as schools are now pushing fees into the hundreds of thousands (my first year fees was N110; shows how far we have come).

You cannot work on 59k forever. My advice to you is as follows:

a) Tomatoes are a volatile crop, and 1 hectare of land is small. Your first foray should be to test the waters, so you still need to keep your 59k job for now.

b) Hit YouTube and pick up a new IT-based skill. Give yourself 3-6 months to learn it. Then take your new skills to the global market, by which time you need to give yourself an extra 2 months to exit your 59K job, by which time you shoul easily have started making at least $300 - $500 a month. EASILY! So if you start now, you should be quitting that job by June next year.

c) Hone your farm skills and take your new found money to expand your land base.

This is my advice.

Please Sir, advice me on those IT Skills that are lucrative that I can learn on YouTube, that can fetch me money as a freelancer. Pls chat me on 07036739600.

Pls keep your job

It doesn't disturb you from your farming

Involve your wife if she is less busy

With time the proceed will determine if it worths your leaving your job or combining the two of them

Besides if you can handle both of them, then the farming will be plan "B" incase your job runs down

Benyfil:
Greetings Nairalanders

I will go straight to my point.

My salary is 59k and after monthly deductions (loans) I get N39k and it remains just a month to finish paying up my loans and I go back to receiving 59k. I have a wife and 2 kids (5years and 2 years).

I already have 3 hectares of cassava and another 1 hectare which I intend planting tomatoes. Most things have been put in place for the tomatoes after going through a lot of threads and other peoples experience on tomatoes farming (especially Jethro). I have prepared the land, water is close by, I have made beds for the tomatoes and they have germinated and waiting transplant in 2-3 weeks.

A part of me says, if I leave my paid employment, things might not work out and its better that I continue to received the 59k (fear of the unknown). Another part of me says, to leave the job and channel all efforts towards the tomatoes farming that things would get better gradually. I have already made adequate plans for my family feeding for the next 12months, but I am still scared of quieting the job.

My ultimate question is this:Is tomatoes farming on an hectare of land sustainable?. I know it wont be that easy and it would require hard word. But can it sustain me better than a paid job. Should I quit and face farming?

Looking forward to advice mostly from tomatoes farmers and others as well.
Thank you

Their are three levels of income:

1. Daily income
2. Weekly income
3. Monthly income

To be financially stable, you must have at least one of that.

Here's the question:

Would a tomato farm fetch you income daily, weekly or worse still... monthly?

Well...

Since u're just starting, I think the answer is no.

So its best used as a side income or fallback till it expands enough as a business.

Plz.... Keep ur job for now - or else...

Farming has been my secondary job for more than two decades, so I can say a little.
Remain in your job and steadily expand your farm.
Three hectares of land is not enough for a family to depend on.
l guess someone rent out the farmland to you. If so, he can wake up tomorrow and tell you to vacate the land citing cogent reasons.
That meagre salary you are earning is decisive for now to sustain your small farm.
Thereafter, you can steadily expand the farm size and turn in your resignation letter.
At inception, three hectares of farm cannot sustain your family.
Farming is a kind of business in which the producer dictates nothing when it comes sales,especially in crop production.
Let me cite instances for your perusal. In 2017, from about 30 acres of cassava, I made a profit of #5.6 million. This year 2018, it was zero profit or even a loss. Thanks to my regular monthly salary, otherwise ........
Hopefully, next year 2019, the proceed from the farm may double that of 2017.
All the best.

Farming is very lucrative and it really requires a lot of time and attention, if your place of work permits you to check on the farm very often,then you should visit the farm most times.
And if you want to go into it full time, then you can talk to your spouse about it so that you guys can sort out all the bills together because it is better you manage your farm yourself since you are just starting rather put someone in charge of it

Farming is very lucrative and it really requires a lot of time and attention, if your place of work permits you to check on the farm very often,then you should visit the farm most times.
And if you want to go into it full time, then you can talk to your spouse about it so that you guys can sort out all the bills together because it is better you manage your farm yourself since you are just starting rather than putting someone in charge of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbSUntR29bw
hey brother I will never advise you to quit your present job no matter how small the income is. wht I will advise you is how to manage your farm in a more smarter way nd wit wht I read from your post your tomatoes are still in dr nursery so before you transplant I will like you to go tru that YouTube video I posted up dr, it talks about drip kits wich you can use to manage your farm with less stress.
the drip kits comes as a complete unit nd saves you alot of labour cost.
u can call me on this number 08022133848 or whtsapp on 08094845867...

olaeffect:
Hmmm. I will strongly advice you remain on your job for a while till you test run your tomatoes harvest.
Farming is very lucrative but it does not give constant cash flow like salary.
You however did not mention your wife's earning capacity. If she earns salary too, then you can afford to quit your job while she augment for any shortfall in the family income.
You mentioned 2 children and that is very critical. You can only afford to take calculated risk with two kids.
Best of luck.

best advice you should heed to, even though it clear that agriculture is one of the most lucrative business, it downfall too can't be ignore, stay with your job while you hire some trust worthy expert.. and channel some of your less busy time to it till after first harvest. which i believe you wil not be needing any advice again then...
good luck!

olaeffect:
Hmmm. I will strongly advice you remain on your job for a while till you test run your tomatoes harvest.
Farming is very lucrative but it does not give constant cash flow like salary.
You however did not mention your wife's earning capacity. If she earns salary too, then you can afford to quit your job while she augment for any shortfall in the family income.
You mentioned 2 children and that is very critical. You can only afford to take calculated risk with two kids.
Best of luck.

Exactly.Cashflow is everything

stagger:
This is why I am a personal advocate of freelance work, which I got into in 2009 and I have had absolutely no regrets. OP should think about this seriously. Get a new skill, quit that job and use your new skill to eat. What is 59K in today's Nigeria for a family man? Your kids are growing: even university education in our deadbeat universities is becoming more expensive as schools are now pushing fees into the hundreds of thousands (my first year fees was N110; shows how far we have come).

You cannot work on 59k forever. My advice to you is as follows:

a) Tomatoes are a volatile crop, and 1 hectare of land is small. Your first foray should be to test the waters, so you still need to keep your 59k job for now.

b) Hit YouTube and pick up a new IT-based skill. Give yourself 3-6 months to learn it. Then take your new skills to the global market, by which time you need to give yourself an extra 2 months to exit your 59K job, by which time you shoul easily have started making at least $300 - $500 a month. EASILY! So if you start now, you should be quitting that job by June next year.

c) Hone your farm skills and take your new found money to expand your land base.

This is my advice.

Very informative! Thanks for sharing, bro. I have been thinking about freelancing for sometime now. Could you please hold my hands, bro.

I'm very willing if you show me how. Please advise me. Thanks.

Benyfil:
Greetings Nairalanders

I will go straight to my point.

My salary is 59k and after monthly deductions (loans) I get N39k and it remains just a month to finish paying up my loans and I go back to receiving 59k. I have a wife and 2 kids (5years and 2 years).

I already have 3 hectares of cassava and another 1 hectare which I intend planting tomatoes. Most things have been put in place for the tomatoes after going through a lot of threads and other peoples experience on tomatoes farming (especially Jethro). I have prepared the land, water is close by, I have made beds for the tomatoes and they have germinated and waiting transplant in 2-3 weeks.

A part of me says, if I leave my paid employment, things might not work out and its better that I continue to received the 59k (fear of the unknown). Another part of me says, to leave the job and channel all efforts towards the tomatoes farming that things would get better gradually. I have already made adequate plans for my family feeding for the next 12months, but I am still scared of quieting the job.

My ultimate question is this:Is tomatoes farming on an hectare of land sustainable?. I know it wont be that easy and it would require hard word. But can it sustain me better than a paid job. Should I quit and face farming?

Looking forward to advice mostly from tomatoes farmers and others as well.
Thank you

I salute and commend your courage to seek advise publicly. First, I'd advise that you stay on the job till your farm project stabilizes. Depending on the nature of job you are engaged in.
Secondly, i think you should use 12-24 months to ensure firm establishment of your farm project.

Thirdly, i think you should consider the idea of multi streams of income. The pay from your paid job might go along to help you in the dark days. For instance, It can aid you to access cooperative loans which is easier than commercial bank loans and repayable conveniently.

Benyfil:


One of my reasons exactly. I wake up 5am and get home 8pm (Mon-Fri). But in my case, the job is not high paying, I run all my expenses on loan, at the end of the day, my take home pay is 39k. I spend an average of 1k per day (eating and transportation to work), thats about 22k per month. I only use my car once in a while. If I remove that from the 39k take home pay, it remains 17k (which is not even enough to care for the family talk less of saving). Been living on the edge of management and if any sudden expectation comes, I would have to seek for loan again, which continues the cycle and this is the 10th year at work. If the management decides to call it quit, that would spell trouble.

My wife supports a lot, but a man got to be a man. right?

All the same, thanks bro.

I would never lie about this. I find your story quite inspiring. You appear to possess great acumen and vision.

I'm convinced you don't live in Lagos, please guide if I'm wrong, but you have shown great resolve nevertheless. How were you able to pull off all of these.

I'm truly rooting for you, it looks likely that you will make a great fortune out of your new ideas.

Agriculture is a very profitable business but for a fact the farmers are at the bottom of the cash flow.I suggest you put more energy in marketing your farm produce for fair ROI.

As far as tomatoes is concerned I hear there are cabals in the business just like cattle business. How ready are you to break even?.

Keep your job, do a test run not only on the farming but on the marketing ,because to me,its really of no use if you put in your energy into farming and the total profit can't cover your cost of production and still keep your pocket healthy.

You cannot work on 59k forever. My advice to you is as follows:

a) Tomatoes are a volatile crop, and 1 hectare of land is small. Your first foray should be to test the waters, so you still need to keep your 59k job for now.

b) Hit YouTube and pick up a new IT-based skill. Give yourself 3-6 months to learn it. Then take your new skills to the global market, by which time you need to give yourself an extra 2 months to exit your 59K job, by which time you shoul easily have started making at least $300 - $500 a month. EASILY! So if you start now, you should be quitting that job by June next year.

c) Hone your farm skills and take your new found money to expand your land base.

This is my advice. [/quote Pls pm me bro.....08134947873