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Thursday, July 17, 2014

How to start a profitable Business Center in Nigeria

Business centers are booming – in the sense that they offer quick returns on investment - in many of Nigeria’s Universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education owing to the kind of environment they offer which promotes mainly photocopying of documents, printing and internet services for the teeming student population.

The Opportunity
There are at least 150 polytechnics in Nigeria and almost 120 universities with even more likely to be established in the coming years as the population of Nigeria increases plus the need to have more tertiary institutions closer to the average Nigerian. This can only mean that opportunities exist for many more business centers to be set up.

But Universities are not the only places offering opportunities to potential business center owners. You may want to take a look at shopping malls in Abuja and around very busy commercial districts to understand that many people require the services of business centers for their various official needs. I may have a laptop but not a printer or I may have documents to type but not the time to do it where else can I check for these services?

Services and Potential Income
Business centers render a number of services such as; photocopying of documents, printing, typesetting, desktop publishing, spiral binding, scanning and even internet café services. Income generated varies depending on location and price charged on services rendered but to be a little conservative we could be looking at not less than NGN 4000 per day with net profit margin at 30% of sales that could mean from photocopying alone one could make not less than NGN 36,000 per month.

Marketing Strategy
A few smart business center operators adopt very sensible marketing strategies to reach their potential customers. Imagine that you operate a business center in a very busy institution like a University or polytechnic where there are many other business center operators what can you do to outshine the competition and make sales? The strategy you adopt is what will determine whether or not you’ll make profit.

Startup Requirements

If you want to do this business on a small scale you could start with just doing photocopying services only then migrate to other related businesses as you expand.  A small space measuring 2 square meters is okay for a start and then you could look for a new location where many customers could easily find you.

Required for starting a  mini business center in Nigeria

Photocopying Machine – NGN 50,000
Chairs and Tables – NGN 10,000
A4 papers – NGN 1,000
Rent – NGN 60,000
Others – NGN 30,000

Total – NGN 151,000

Want to write a professionally acceptable business plan? Call for details: 0803 206 4106

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

How to pick a Reliable Business Plan Consultant in Nigeria

         
There are many people who claim to be expert business plan writers in Nigeria but not all of them know their work nor will deliver a neat, professional job in time. Many so called business plan writers have disappointed their clients by unduly stretching work far beyond the intended deadline and this makes many potential business owners and entrepreneurs worry about why they bothered themselves outsourcing their business plan writing in the first place.

But if you however can get a reliable business plan writer to meet your needs you’re not only going to be glad you did but you’d also reap many potential benefits in future with regard to managing and running your business successfully.

What to expect in a professional business plan
Here are a few things to look towards when trying to write a professional business plan;

Concise and accurate information. An excellently written business plan contains information that is to the point and is also rich enough to express relevant information that is accurate. Experienced investors and financiers can see through a business plan and decide on the spot whether it’s worth their time or not. A professional business plan writer knows how to put ideas and information as accurately and concisely as possible
 
Reliable figures. If the statistics and numerical data supplied are inaccurate it could either mean incompetence or dishonesty both of which will make any investor to cringe and walk away. Your financial statements and market information must show that you know what your idea is capable of delivering.                                                                                                                                            

Convincing and well expressed ideas. A business plan is also a sales document. You’re trying to sell an idea to potential partners, investors, lenders etc and you have to show them why your idea should be taken seriously. A professional business plan writer knows this and works to ensure that you can achieve this result – getting that financial injection to start your business.

Why you should pick a business plan writer?
But not everyone thinks they need a business plan writer. Some people believe they can do just as well on their own but here are some reasons you may wish to hire a business plan writer;

Save time  
                                                                                                                        
Many business plan writers have plenty of spare time to do hard market research and compute financial figures something that most of us aren’t willing or even able to do if we had the time. So instead of spending weeks searching for industry data and even more time writing down your findings which would cost you valuable man hours at your work or business simply outsource it to a business plan writer to do the job for you.

Save Money

How much would it cost you to do primary market research or a feasibility study? A business plan writer may charge you NGN 30,000 to write a complete business plan but that is nothing compared to transportation and other costs you may incur in the process
 
Professional Touch          

Many investors would look at your business plan and decide on the spot whether your idea is worth a minute or not of their time. If it looks anything but professional they won’t give you a chance

Questions to ask when looking for a reliable business plan writer
Ask the business plan writer the following questions as a way of knowing whether or not to give him a chance.

What are his/her records?  Let the business plan writer give you at least 3 other jobs his done and for what projects. Was the client successful in securing a grant or investment or loan to finance the business? How much was raised by the client eventually? 

Ask Probing Questions: Ask other probing questions such as; the method of operations (let the business plan writer tell you how he intends to deliver the service), deadline for delivering the job and his fee. If the fee is too high do well to work away but note that expert work doesn’t come cheap.
Do you need a reliable and expert business plan writer in Nigeria to help you with your business plans, business proposals or advice in writing one? Call me on: 0803 206 4106 or send me an email: paulonwueme@gmail.com