Last updated on September 16th, 2022 at 07:50 pm
There are lots of people who live in the rural areas in Nigeria and other parts of the world that want to engage themselves in business that can generate revenue, but most of them don’t know where to start.
Of course, we know that entrepreneurs are usually careful whenever they want to start a new business, so they won’t end up wasting their capital. And one of the things they pay great attention to before opening a business is Return On Investment (ROI). This is one of the reasons why a lot of business-minded people usually consider cities as their location of business.
However, several businesses will do well in rural areas too, and you can start any of them as soon as possible. Let’s explore them now.
Provision store
Although many rural dwellers are known for making attempts to produce their basic needs themselves (such as food and local clothing), the fact remains that no group of people can be completely self-sufficient, but will always need other things which they can’t produce all by themselves. Hence, you can open a store that sells regular products in a rural area and people will still patronize you.
You can sell items such as matches, toothbrushes, toiletries, beverages, and so on. Just ensure you have direct links to bigger stores where you can get these products in bulk (which are cheaper), and sell them in your store for profit.
Fashion designer/ Clothing store
People dwelling in rural areas are also humans, and they too appreciate, desire and want nice things. They watch TV and movies, and see the beautiful clothes people in cities are putting on – and they want the same. You can thus make money by opening an outlet where clothes can be made and sold.
How to win their hearts: Make sure your products aren’t too expensive because most of your customers are farmers, petty traders.
Don’t forget that many rural dwellers are also travelling to big cities just to buy clothes. Let’s say you start a clothing store, and they are aware that your store is filled with good clothes of different types, you can dominate the area easily in that regard, as they will patronize you than to travel to the city to buy the same thing you sell.
Electronics shop
Impressively, a lot of rural areas now have access to electricity. Hence, they can afford to buy electronics such as television, radio, DVD player and so on. You can open a store selling these products and you will be amazed at your sales performance.
Flour mill
You can start a flour mill in a particular area where it isn’t available and be known for offering the service. Let’s even say other flour mills are operating in the area already, you can introduce marketing strategies to attract several customers.
Your mill can also offer services of grinding other grains like corn, oats, barley, and so on. This is a lovely business idea for rural dwellers, but you will need electricity for your operations.
Organic vegetables/fruits
Going into this kind of business requires strategy and tactics, as these products are perishable goods. But since emphasis are now being greatly placed on organic fruits and vegetable, and people are eager for healthy things in the cities, you can grow them yourself or simply hire farmers to do so for you and sell to the city people.
For instance, there are women across villages in Nigeria who transport plantain in large quantities to Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, and other major cities, most of them do well.
Milk/dairy centre
There are usually numerous milk sources in rural communities. You should therefore consider running a milking centre as you seek business ideas in rural areas. You can put in place a structure where milk can be obtained from individual houses and supplied to dairy farms.
Establish a School
Due to obvious reasons, there are usually few well-qualified teachers in rural communities because most of them migrate to the cities where they can get better opportunities.
But not everyone will reside in big towns. And we should note that there are elderly rural dwellers who are bent on giving their wards quality education.
You can therefore start a school in such a community and ensure you offer quality education to the students. This will help provide employment to some educated folks living in that community, and still empower the pupils with a good education.
Poultry/live-stock farming
Indeed, the poultry farming business is a very superb one that is usually neglected by people due to different reasons. There are some interesting things about this business. You don’t need to have a lot of money before diving into it, as it is not a capital intensive business (depending on how big you want it to be).
Additionally, you don’t even need a vast expanse of land before you can build poultry that can accommodate a lot of birds.
Nevertheless, before you can start a thing like this, you should ensure you first learn the ropes, so you won’t lose your investments. There is however a huge demand for poultry products, and this is a recommended business idea.
Fertilizer/pesticide store
You will agree that the rural economy is majorly based on agriculture. Hence, it is a good idea to run a fertilizer/pesticide business in such a place.
Gone are the days when farmers used cutlasses to cut weeds, agricultural science has invented weed-controlling chemicals that make farming easier when it comes to controlling weeds.
Barbing Saloon
It is cool to cut one’s hair in a barbing salon, even in a rural area. You don’t need much investment capital before opening one. This business doesn’t disturb other activities you might be doing in the rural community. Most of the rural dwellers go to their farms early in the morning and come back before nightfall to cut their hair.
Mechanic shop
Many times, vehicle owners in rural communities have to take their vehicles to far places before they can find good mechanics to fix them. You can open a mechanic shop where they are assured of nothing below quality service, and many will patronize you.
However, you have to put into consideration the number of vehicle owners in your community and if the village is by a busy road filled with vehicular movements.
Fruit Supply
You can open an outlet that sells fruits and juice to those who love them. You don’t need to wait till you have very huge capital before you can take a step.
For instance, most of the people who reside in the cities have limited suppliers of quality fruits, if you’re able to establish the right business connection with fruits sellers in the cities, you can be their suppliers and make grow your business.
TV/Radio/Mobile mechanic
As stated before, many people in rural communities now have electronics like television and radio. However, they can develop a fault at any time, and the people will need their items to be repaired by experts. Therefore, you can open an outlet that repairs electronics like televisions and radios.
Electrical Shop
You can focus just on this if it’s the skill you are good with. Electricity is getting popular in many rural communities. However, there are times when issues could arise, and people will need a professional to help them fix their electrical issues.
Plumbing shop
You can also start a plumber shop if you are knowledgeable about plumbing works. You can even make more money by training several other young individuals on the skill for a fee.
Candle/ matchbox
This is one of the manufacturing business ideas in the rural areas which you can embark on if you have the takeoff capital for machine. You can look towards small-scale manufacturing of products that are a necessity in rural communities. You can start with making candles and matches, and you can do well with your products.
Biscuit production
You can start small, making sweet biscuits in a rural area, and making good money doing so. You can sell your products to provision stores in the community at discounted rates, and directly to individuals.
Disposable bags
You can also start making disposal bags, and with proper positioning and advertisements, you will draw attention to your products.
Computer training center
This one is splendid because you won’t only be making money, but you are also empowering the rural people with the knowledge of computer usage. A computer is a tool that can be utilized to change their lives and conditions.
Transportation company
There are not too many public buses in many rural communities due to obvious reasons. But you can be innovative with this. As stated before, many villagers still go to cities each day or week for one thing or another. Your transportation company will provide buses that can take them to and fro.
Second-hand store
One of the interesting things about second-hand stores is that they enable people to get products they love at cheaper prices. You can start selling second-hand products of stuff the people are always in need of.
Car Wash
You rarely find a car wash in rural communities. Imagine being the only one operating such a business in a busy community. You can operate without competition.
Cleaning services
You should know that not all rural dwellers are poor. Your cleaning business can serve both individuals as well as other businesses around the area that need cleaning services.
Local tour guide
If you are stationed in a community that attracts tourists, you are in business! Position yourself well and be innovative, and you will make cool money.
Virtual Assistant (VA)
Now, let’s explore certain business ideas you can run from a rural community, but which your clients and customers are from other places in the world. One of such is being a virtual assistant. As far as there is superb internet in the community, you are good to go.
Freelance writer
You can offer this service from any rural area with good internet and electricity. If you have a laptop, you can start immediately. Being a rural dweller doesn’t mean you can’t make a living online as a freelancer.
Local YouTuber
This is one of the innovative business ideas in the small towns and villages. One of the things people search for when they explore YouTube is to know more about the world around them. You can make videos of places in your rural community which the YouTube community will find fascinating, and you can earn a lot of money each month if you have the required subscribers for Ads to be displayed on your videos by Google Adsense.
Rural podcaster
If you are innovative, and you have the right tools, you can start a rural podcast, discussing issues about the area: how they live, health facilities, and communal relationships among others.
Local artist/creative handicrafts
If you are skilled in making any product in this category, you will do well for yourself. You can sell them in the local market and even online., if you have superb telecommunication coverage in your village.
Haulage business
You can help people move their heavy stuff to cities from your rural community, and vice versa. This business is capital intensive if you are starting with several trucks.
In conclusion, you can also provide clinical services like treating sick people, pregnant women, and treating light wounds. You should first consider your community and try to see what will flourish easily in such a place. Remember, there are several other village business ideas for the dwellers around the world.
Featured Image:
- By eNCA