Here is the second batch of simple business ideas you can immediately experiment with! No reason to die of poverty in a country gifted by nature!
1. Open a bar. Uganda’s per capita consumption of alcohol is one of the highest in the World. Open a bar for the right market. In Naalya put up a high end bar. Open another one in Kalerwe which sells cheap brew. Invite local artistes to perform to promote the new joint. Subscribe to DSTV to lure in the football fans.
2. Open a car wash. Cars are increasing at an alarming rate. This explains much of the traffic we see on the roads. Someone needs to wash these cars. Offer ancillary services such as muchomo, massage, juice, etc.
3. Furniture shop. I have struggled with carpenters! There is a gap of professional carpenters who know what customer service means. You can easily sweep this market if you focus on the customer processes. Hire cheap carpenters to do the actual work.
4. Metal work. A lot of un-professionalism here as well. Think of Cafe Javas customer service processes and figure out how to apply it to these metals workers! Same applies with mechanics, builders and all sorts of handymen. Makanika Dot Com is trying to rethink the car repair industry.
5. Graphics design. A lot of gigs online for good graphics designers. Check out freelancer.com and other similar sites. Also check out https://www.canva.com/ for free online design tools.
6. Photography. Many young people are doing this for a living as a way to start their business careers. Build a following on Pinterest and Instagram.
7. Part time tutoring. You can do this online at udemy.com and other similar sites. I wonder why people want the government to give them jobs. That is 20th century thinking. We are in the information age my brother/sister! All you need is an internet connection to make money!
8. Events Management. There are so many weddings and parties going on and people need Events Managers to handle all the stress. Advertise your services with the popular wedding shows on TV.
9. Raise and train dogs. Demand for well trained dogs has increased because of the recent spike in home break-ins.
10. Security equipment. Personal security will always be an issue as long high youth unemployment persists. Import cheap cameras and security equipment through alibaba.com and resell in Kampala. Use Jumia, Facebook market place, Olx, and Whatsapp to market your services.
11. Bake bread and cakes. I have grown up eating bread. Bread will always be part of our diet.
12. Make clay bricks. As construction of homes booms so will demand for clay bricks. Figure out how to increase the productivity of the brick maker by using locally made machinery. Brand and sell them. Wonder why no one brands and packages bricks nicely? If Rwenzori water can be branded so can bricks.
13. Make concrete blocks. Same with clay bricks. Target the higher end market who can afford this. Target people in estates in Namugogo, Entebbe Road, etc.
14. Dry cleaner. Pick dirty clothes from people’s homes, return them dry, clean and pressed! Get the word out using Whatsapp and Facebook.
15. Landscape design. People love beautiful compounds. Get ideas from Pinterest. Maintain a Facebook page for all your work and use it as a marketing tool.
16. Professional Services. Get a professional qualification and offer your services to other people other than your employer. If you are an Accountant offer book keeping services to your friends.
17. Sell shoes and clothes. Buy in bulk from Owino and sell them from the boot of your car.
18. Sell Bridal garments. Target wedding meetings at Centenary Park and drop your flyers. offer discounts as your wedding contribution.
19. Network marketing. Join one of several network marketing schemes around town. Make sure it is not a scam. At least you will learn how to sell things.
20. Drug shop. Target small town centers where the Indians have not yet set up their big wholesale pharmacies. Hire a good friendly nurse to sell the medicine.
21. Fuel pump. Target under served small towns along the highways where the big fuel stations have not set up.
22. Veterinary store. Over 80% of Uganda’s population is involved in agriculture. Selling agricultural inputs makes business sense. Target commercial farmers who can afford the inputs.
23. Butcher. Ugandans love meat. Have a freezer and offer fresh meat. Introduce standard clean packaging just like Ugachick and stand out from the crowd. Set up near a muchomo joint like at “kumbuzi” on Gayaza road.
24. Sell charcoal. In the absence of affordable energy options charcoal still has a lot of demand. Almost all urban households use charcoal for cooking. You can even experiment with the environmentally friendly briquettes.
25. Timber store. Timber is key in roofing of houses. Set up near hardware stores. Sell and deliver direct to building sites.
26. Supermarket. Open a mini supermarket in a town center far away from the big supermarkets. Choose niche and specialize e.g. plastics, children’s items, etc.
27. Gym. Open a gym in your neighborhood. Keep it clean. Offer friendly service and a mobile gym. Do a Saturday morning run or cycling as part of the membership offer. Build a Whatsapp group for members and share free health insights.
28. Printer. Set up a printer in the University. Print handouts for students. Negotiate with the Dean and give him a commission to allow you to offer exclusive service.
29. YouTube Channel. Use you phone to capture video of interesting stuff and post on YouTube. Earn money from adverts. Make sure your content is unique and fills a void within the market.
30. Day Care. Turn your home into a day care facility for your neighbors during the day. Reach out to your neighbors through Whatsapp groups. Hire a friendly caretaker.
31. Security firm. Offer a wide range of security services including guards, cameras, electric fencing. Security is now part of home ownership costs.
32. Open a clinic. Partner with your doctor friend and run a clinic. People are always falling sick and there will always be demand for clinics.
33. Leisure gardens. Ugandans love partying. Have some nice gardens. Get an actual florist to design the gardens.
34. Help people buy stuff online. For example i have bought several stuff from the USA through http://www.ugunlocked.com/
35. Tour guide. There is someone offering city tours using boda bodas ( http://walterstours.com/). You can also do walking tours of Kampala. Just build a good online presence!
Watch out for the last segment in this series!
Unlock your true potential 