20 Best Business Ideas for Men in Nigeria

These are small-scale business ideas for men in Nigeria to start. Today, we will be talking about the best businesses in Nigeria that Nigerian men can start because we all know being a man is majorly about creating wealth – having money, enough money to take care of all your needs, and then some of your wants.

And above all this, to be able to have enough money stored in the bank. If you are not a Nigerian man you may not understand this. It may even look like gibberish to you but it’s the truth. Even the ordinary Nigerian man knows this. So here and now with the little findings I have made on this topic online and offline, I want to share with you the best business ideas men in Nigeria can start today.

And begin to make money from as soon as possible depending on how much effort they put into these businesses to make it grow. Some of these businesses are lucrative business ideas in Nigeria while some are business ideas in Nigeria you can start with small capital. These small-scale business ideas are all for men in Nigeria not only for graduates looking for jobs.

But also for fathers who are looking forward to diversifying their income – (creating a business on the side that can make more money even while they’re not there). What we call a side hustle. So let us go into them right away.

Best Businesses for Men in Nigeria

Here are the best business ideas in Nigeria for men to start now.

1. Photography Business

This is a very common small-scale business in Nigeria for men. It is also a lucrative business in Nigeria, especially since the advent of smartphones but you can still make money and if possible build wealth from these businesses. And another amazing thing about this business is that you need little to no experience to start it.

In case you are in doubt about this, 8 out of 10 professional photographers in Nigeria did not go to a photography school and they are creating their wealth now through this same business. I also discovered this reading from most of their biographies that it’s just passion and persistence that brought them to where they are today.

To start a photography business in Nigeria as a side hustle, you need passion, persistence, and a good camera. Mind you, you can now get a good camera for a cheaper price so if you ask me the capital for starting is not intensive. Another thing you should also put in mind is that if truly you’re going into this business, you should be ready to stand out from the other photographers.

You might decide to only go into the production of soft copies or go into large format printing of photographs. Anything you decide is totally up to you but for more guides on this on how to start and make more money. You can read my complete step-by-step article on this business.Here is our guide on how to make money from photography business in Nigeria.

This article will inform you of everything you need to know about photography.

2. Tutoring Business

Tutoring is another business idea in Nigeria for Nigerian men who want a side hustle and want to keep themselves busy. It is a profitable business if you are passionate about children. Are you passionate about teaching adults or children? Do you see yourself as a man a master in a specific topic, niche, or talent, or you can teach regular subjects taught in schools?

Now is the time to make money from this intelligence or gift. Depending on the area you reside in, you can make 30k to 60k tutoring one person. If you are tutoring 2 persons, you can make 50k to 100k depending on your negotiating skills and how well you can package yourself.

Now, imagine you make about 150k tutoring 4 kids in a month aside from the money you make from your other businesses or your regular 9 – 5. Isn’t this a huge sum of money? In fact, if you do this well and you’re wise with your spending you should be a millionaire before the year ends.

I, too tutor some kids in my area during my free time in music. I like teaching them how to play the piano and lead guitar and I also teach regular subjects in academics. And I make my cool cash at the end of the month. Also, by the way, I help people who can tutor get clients.

If you are interested in this as a Nigerian man, you’re passionate and you want to start making money immediately notify us in the comment below so we can take it up from there.

3. Poultry Business

Currently in Nigeria, the best and most profitable poultry business Nigerian men can go into that does not demand much of your time and attention is the snail, turkey, and chicken business in Nigeria. I say this because of the little experience I have been able to gather from the poultry business we started recently.

After feeding for some months depending on the size of the turkey, you can sell a turkey from 8k – 15k. Imagine how much is if you have 6 turkeys to sell and aside from this you have a female that can lay and hatch her eggs by herself. You are in real money.

Another amazing thing about the turkey business is that turkeys do not consume too much of your expenses in the sense that you can feed them 80% vegetables from your compound or area and 20% of their feed. Comparing my chickens with my turkeys I will say my turkeys save me more money than my chickens on this.

Snail business in Nigeria is also profitable in the sense that they are easy to breed and feed. All they need is a cool humid place and loamy soil plus local vegetables sourced from your compound and in the next 6 months depending on the size and location, you can sell a snail from N500.

All you need to start this small-scale business idea in Nigeria as a man is a small space in your compound to build a cage or closure for these animals. Read our article on how to start poultry farming in Nigeria & make money.

4. Rental Business

This is another business idea in Nigeria for men. I used to have a friend back then who usually made good money from renting his old movies. This was during the days DVD movies were still in vogue in Nigeria. It was a small-scale business in Nigeria then.

At that time, he was renting a DVD at N50 and still making money from this venture because he did this small-scale business right from their sitting room. Yes, he did not rent a shop, all his customers came to rent their favorite movies from his family apartment. Sometimes, he would make N300 a day if sales were high and in a week make N2,100.

He was the richest kid on the block then. He impressed everyone with his money, especially his girlfriend. What a funny guy. I still remember him once in a while and each time I do so I smile. Anyways, that aside. This just shows you can make money if you are really passionate about renting business in Nigeria.

Fast forward to today, you can make money from renting out your spare room in your apartment or space. Do you have land? As it been idle for some time? You can also lease your land to a farmer, or mechanic to make more money. Depending on the size of the land and location you can make from 50k – 250k a year through leasing.

Try this now. Do not allow this month to pass you by without making money. Check out our guide on how to start a rental business in Nigeria.

5. Proof Reading or Editing

Proofreading and editing is another business idea in Nigeria that Nigerian men can go into that is not fully tapped. According to Google, there are millions of blogs and websites on the internet. These blogs and websites have editors who are thinking of retirement. And those who are not thinking of retirement are seriously thinking of moving to another position in the blogging world.

This means that you can make money from editing articles or blog posts for blogs and websites. Although this kind of business requires some sort of experience, it doesn’t require educational qualifications or professionalism. All it demands is your attention and patience and soon you will be in money just by sitting with your laptop in the corner of your room.

After practicing this for some time, you can also move on to proofreading books for authors. It might take you a long time to land your first deal but trust me when you finally do and you do it well other authors will want you to proofread their works for them too. What I love about this kind of business idea in Nigeria is that it is not stressful.

It only requires tools to help work and these tools are a good laptop, a constant power supply or generator, and patience. Another benefit is that customers do not need to see you one on one before they can transact business with you because you can easily connect with them online. And your works also prove you can be trusted.

This is a small-scale business in Nigeria that you should try if you are passionate about writing.

6. Car Wash Business

Car wash business in Nigeria is also making plenty of profit for the men because it is less competitive and Nigerians love to wash their cars. There is a car wash business in my area and every time I pass there I always see many cars parked on the road and people (customers) waiting in their cars to get their cars washed.

This particular queue has always made the road very busy. So one day the owner did one thing that amazed me. He started a restaurant and bar business on the side. So that instead of customers waiting in their cars till they get their cars washed, they can simply go to the restaurant to relax and watch football till washers are done washing their cars.

That is thinking ahead and thinking fast. This business owner now makes double the money from his business.

A. From his car wash business

B. From his restaurant and bar business

Car wash prices range from the type of car to the area where the car wash is located. Here at Lekki, Lagos car washers charge car owners 5k to 10k for washing cars in and out. So if the area you’re located in a high-brow area and car owners pass regularly, you can make 100k to 200k daily.

Things to consider before starting a car wash business in Nigeria are capital, space, workers, and car washing tools. Start immediately after you’ve made your proper findings. Read our guide on how to start car wash business in Nigeria.

7. Men Boutique Business

I have been in the clothing business in Nigeria on and off for about 3 years now – about the same time I started TheInfoWorth and must say it’s been a smooth sailing journey so far except for the ugly path where I consumed all my profit at one point. But fast forward to today I still make money selling clothes to my fellow men. Clothing business in Nigeria is another small-scale business for Nigerian men.

Selling clothes to men is for you if you are passionate about fashion and you are bold enough to meet people one on one and introduce what you sell to them. From leather belts to shoes to clothes and cufflinks. All these can be bought at a particular price and sold at another price.

You can also go into this business in Nigeria even if you do not know how to meet people one on one because there’s a place you can sell without talking and that is the internet. I have sold my clothes through the platform before and I still do today.

You too can start your clothing business in Nigeria with the little you gave because it is not capital-demanding. You can start with 100k, 50k even 10k depending on what you have.

We have written 2 articles on this.

A. How to Start and Sell Clothing Business Online in Nigeria

B. How to Start a Leather Belts Business and Make Money

You should read them to understand the business in Nigeria and how you can thrive in it.

8. Consulting Services Business

This is another small-scale business Idea for men in Nigeria. You should consider going into it if you have the guts. Reputable Nigerian men like Fela Durotoye started their consulting business in Nigeria from a humble beginning – from the time people in Nigeria never saw information marketing as something needful.

However, he pushed on despite all these odds, and today he is smiling to the bank, or should I say in Nigerian contest that he is getting alerts on his phone. Consulting services might be good for you if you are good at advising people on the way to go in their business or in their personal lives (relationships). All you have to do is be persistent at this and as time goes by you can charge for a starter 5k to 10k per session.

In this type of business to be popular on time, you can also write a best-seller book. What kind of book is a best seller? What niche in the consulting business in Nigeria makes the highest money? Other choices to choose from in the consulting business. I shared all in this article. Information Marketing in Nigeria: How to Making Money informing people You should read this article if you’re interested in this business path.

9. Content Writing Business

This is another small-scale business idea for Nigerian men. It is also a lucrative business in Nigeria. Do you know you can make money from what you love to do as a Nigerian man- writing? Yes, but it all depends on how passionate you are and how available you are willing to learn. I am saying this because it also took me time too to get my writing skills right at least to an extent.

Just in case you do not know, this, what you are reading now is a writing from me and it started 3 years ago around the time I wrote my first book (although yet to be published). It is much better now because if you should see my first article on this blog you might laugh till thy kingdom comes. Until today I still laugh when I read my first post once in a while.

So start writing if truly this is your passion and look for ways to develop yourself as you write and as time goes by you can be making money by writing for people, blogs, newspapers, and magazines. You can even be a ghostwriter. It is all up to you. When you are writing for people you can make your money in dollars and you can make your money in naira.

It all depends on the client’s demand and how he decides to pay you. Whichever way you will be smiling to the bank as time goes by.

Tools for Freelance Writing

A. Laptop

B. Notebook

C. Pen

If you have all these you’re good to go.

10. Barbing Salon Business

An average Nigerian man barbs his hair once in at least 3 weeks if not for anything, for fashion or to look attractive and in the effort to do this he can spend a minimum of N500 to N3,000 depending on the area he resides. If 10 men barb their hair in your barbing salon in a day that is N5,000 to N25,000 in a day. This is how much you can make on an average daily when you start barbing hair (barbing salon business in Nigeria).

Imaging this amount times 7 days with the likelihood that demand for services may increase during the weekends (Saturday and Sunday). It’s no lie that barbers are making money. Any barber that tells you he is not making money from barbing is either lying or there’s something wrong somewhere. So how do you start a barbing business in Nigeria on a small scale business precisely in your local area?

The first step is to learn the job. And you can do this by discussing with your local barber that you want to learn how to barb. You’ll need to settle him with a little money for him to be passionate about teaching you the job. After payment, you will need to learn the work for 3 – 6 months before you can start solely on your own.

You can go into home services – barbing for customers at home after finishing and you don’t have money to rent a shop. This practice is commonly growing in Nigeria now due to celebrities and the privacy they want. So you can go ahead to do this and your business can start fully from there.

Or if you are too busy type and you are too busy to learn to barb, you can simply start by renting and furnishing a shop and then getting well-trained barbers to barb for your customers. The decision on this part is solely up to you.

But do not waste time. If you’re passionate about it. The more time you waste the more the zeal runs out to start. Barbing salon business is a small-scale business in Nigeria you should try especially if you are a man in Nigeria. Read our article on how to start barbing salon business in Nigeria.

11. Beauty Salon Business

A beauty salon in Nigeria is also related to a barbing salon is just that this type of salon is dedicated to women. It is another small-scale business idea for Nigerian men that are willing to try.

And nowadays Nigerian men are not just leaving women to enjoy the wealth in the business, they are joining in one way or the other whether by being involved hand in hand, by learning the business, and by starting the business and employing ladies to work for them.

Beauty salon business in Nigeria can work for you depending on where you find yourself and how much you have to start the business. If you do not have money for capital, I will advise you to go for the apprenticeship side first.

Then after you have mastered the business and gathered customers you can now look for capital to start small and then grow the business. Like I said earlier this business is related to barbing salon business but there is a little twist.

And if you want the best of both worlds you can start a unisex salon instead. Then employ workers to barb and separate workers for the beauty salon. I do not know how much money is made from beauty salon business daily.

But for you to be sure of what you’re putting your money and effort into, make your research before going into the small-scale business. Read our post on how to start hair salon business in Nigeria.

12. Laundry Business

I discovered the wealth in this industry for a long time like 7 – 8 years ago because I had a family friend that was into the business. My friend then was making 5k – 12k weekly depending on how much effort he put into the work. He rendered almost all the services surrounding the laundry business in Nigeria.

From the washing of clothes to ironing to stain removals to the washing of curtains and bedsheets. So basically there’s no way you do not need at least one of his services. He was in money then and even though it took time for him to tell me about his money-making secrets. I already knew. Till today laundry business is still gaining ground in Nigeria despite the fact that many people now own a washing machine.

Because yes, it is easy to own a washing machine but what if you do not have time to wash? This is the life of a busy Nigerian that is trying to make ends meet. The other day my friend was charged N3,000 just for drycleaning his suit. You can start also start this business if you know how much you need in terms of renting a shop and the tools you need in the cleaning business.

And you can get someone to manage the business for you if you don’t have the time or you still work your regular 9 – 5. The business can start on a small scale business first then as time goes by you can grow it into a big business in Nigeria. Read our post on how to start laundry business in Nigeria.

13. Tailoring Business

Tailoring business is a wealth creation business in Nigeria even if it started at a small scale level in Nigeria. If you’re patient enough to reap the fruit of its labor. I said this because you can’t start it without learning how to sew first and to really stand out from the crowd, you need to learn sewing for a year.

After doing this – learning to an extent, you can now start by sewing for yourself and your family before you venture into sewing for people. The good thing about this is when you sew these clothes well people will want you to also sew for them and from there, you begin to sew for their own friend.

You should read how to start tailoring material business in Nigeria just in case you do not know how to sew and you want to make money from fashion. As far as I’m concerned the sewing business in Nigeria is not capital intensive because all you need first is a sewing machine, scissors, and a tape rule.

With all this, you can start the business right from the corner of your room till you blow. The money you can charge for sewing in the tailoring business in Nigeria ranges from area to area. My tailor charges me from N3,000 to N5,000 on a normal day for sewing but then again some people consider this too small.

So you can charge N4,000 to N6,000 if you like. Read our post on how to start ready to wear business in Nigeria.

14. Bar Business

I talked about this briefly in the car wash business I mentioned earlier. Bar business is a lucrative business in Nigeria. Bar business in Nigeria is something you should consider if you have a big space and your area or location is safe.

You do not want to start your business in a place where area boys and cult boys move around – that will be worse. To start this business, you can start with chilling and selling of cold drinks before you now go into other aspects of the business as time goes by like having an asun spot, shawarma section, suya section, pepper soup, and so on.

If the drinks your customers buy are sold for N400 naira for example outside your bar you can sell your drinks for N450 just to bring the customers in first. However, you still need to make your findings first before going into this business fully. First-hand information is necessary. Check out our post on how to start bar/lounge business in Nigeria.

15. Blogging Business

This small-scale business and a lucrative business in Nigeria. It is perfect if you are a good writer as a Nigerian man and you have solutions to the regular problems people ask about on the internet. But before you start it you need to learn first or learn on the way like me meaning starting the blog and learning how to grow it alongside.

Those who have been following this blog particularly my friends can tell you more stories on this blog and how it started. Funny! However, I must confess that it is not a venture you should rush into solely for the purpose of making money.

If you do this you will be discouraged in the long run. But surely you will make money at last if you first give value first and create a bond between you and your readers.

You can make money from blogging through:

A. AdSense

B. Affiliate marketing

C. Selling eBooks

D. Sponsored articles

And so on.

I shared more on how to be a successful blogger in the article about Ogbongeblog and how it became successful. Jide Ogunsaya: 5 Lessons from Naija First Tech Blog Ogbongeblog You should read if you’re interested in this as a Nigerian man making more income online.

16. Restaurant Business

Restaurant and bar business in Nigeria is almost the same kind of business idea in Nigeria for men but there’s a little difference. While a bar business is a sole joint for relaxing after a stressful day’s work, a restaurant is strictly for selling cooked foods.

We all know there’s a difference between Mega Chicken and the Quilox bar in Lekki here. One offers food and works from morning to evening while the other sells drinks from evening to morning. So to start a restaurant business in Nigeria you must be very good at cooking.

Cooking many local foods first then as time goes by you can move on to learning how to cook intercontinental foods. To start a restaurant business you need a clean space to cook and a place for customers to sit and eat.

Asides from this, you will need cooking utensils and most importantly power or a generator. All these expenses depend on the area you live in whether an urban area or rural area. The price you sell your food also varies from how delicious it is to how many ingredients you add to your food. Here is our guide on how to start a restaurant business in Nigeria.

17. Graphic Design Business

Graphic design is another lucrative business idea in Nigeria and a small-scale business in Nigeria for Nigerian men. It is for men who are passionate about art but not looking into using a paintbrush. It is for men looking into using their laptops and software to build attractive images or logos for websites and blogs.

You can render your services as a graphic designer both online and offline. Online to blogs that need a logo for branding and offline to companies or businesses that need a logo for branding. However, the big thing here is to learn it first.      

After learning for about 3 – 5 months you can start rendering your services to people. How much you earn on this business depends on how good you are and how you package (brand) yourself. Read our post on how to become a graphic designer in Nigeria.

18. Frozen Foods Business

This is another small-scale business idea in Nigeria for Nigerian men. Cold room business in Nigeria is always going to be in high demand in till Nigeria has enough fish to sustain itself. Just in case you don’t know over 80 – 90% of Nigeria’s seafood is imported.

What is the purpose of cold rooms in Nigeria? Well in the future its sole purpose might change but for now, it is used to preserve imported fish till they are sold to the final consumers. There are different types of cold room businesses.

We have the ones that are wholesale which means they only sell to smaller cold room businesses and we have the ones that retail. These sellers are the ones that sell the seafood to the final consumer. This is the part where you can come in. Buying the fishes in retails and selling to people in your community.

You can create wealth from your frozen foods business if your shop is located at a major spot where people pass all the time (preferably close to a major bus stop) and you know how to relate with customers.

To start your cold room business in Nigeria otherwise, known as frozen foods business in Nigeria you will need to ask fellow people that are already in the business how much capital it takes to start. But from my little inquiry, you will need a deep freezer, table, generator, cutlass, and a shop

And if you do not have money to rent a shop you can sell from your house. All you need is a signboard to point people to your house from the bus stop. Read our post on how to start frozen food business in Nigeria.

19. Start a YouTube Channel

This is another small-scale business idea in Nigeria for Nigerian Men. If you have been on YouTube lately you will have seen tons and tons of videos there talking about different subjects. But sadly you will notice just like I did that the number of Nigerians on this platform is very minute.

I visit YouTube every day and I can boldly say I have only come across a Nigerian YouTube channel just thrice which means there is so much money that can be made on the platform by answering questions mostly asked by Nigerians.

And if you are wondering just how YouTubers make their money, YouTubers make their money through AdSense just like we bloggers. Google uses its platform (videos) to advertise for third parties that want to make their product known and in turn, they are paid.

But take note! It is not immediately after you start making videos that you are going to start making money. It takes time but not as much time like making money from blogging (from my own experience).

However, the best thing about this business is that it does not require stress it is just about videoing yourself, editing, and uploading on YouTube. Many youths tend to grab this kind of small-scale business in Nigeria.

To start a YouTube channel you need:                        

A. Camera or a phone with a good camera

B. Laptop

20. Event Planning Business

The evening planning business in Nigeria is saturated small-scale business ideas in Nigeria for men but you can still get a lion’s share of its profits if you have the guts because there’s no weekend in your location, area, or state that someone is not celebrating his birthday, wedding, house warming and so on.

The best way to start with this small-scale business is to understand the business first which means you have to learn first. You can apply for a 6 months course in any event planning company in your area and pay attention to how things are done from the bottom.

Be close to your boss and check out how he runs things – basically from the management angle because that is where you’ll be working when you start yours. After learning this for 6 months and getting your certificate, you can now venture into starting your own events planning business.

How to Get Your First Customer

To get your first customer in this business all you need to start small. You can start with planning your friends in house birthday then introduce yourself at the party as the brain behind the decoration, food, and music then as time goes by people will call you for big contracts.

21. Fish Farming Business

Fish farming business is another business Nigerian men can try whether as a side business or a home business. All you need is to gain some experience first by learning to take care of the fish then you start fully in your compound with concrete tanks or plastic tanks.

We the fish are big enough you can then sell them to restaurants or smoke them to sell to market women. Check out how to start fish farming in Nigeria.

22. Wrist Watch Business

The sales of watches is also a profitable business in Nigeria, especially as a man. With a capital of #50,000, you can buy good quality watches from Eko/CMS in Lagos and sell them to your family and friends also sell online on e-commerce platforms like Jumia, Konga, and Jiji.

When the profits start coming in you can add it to your sales and continue to buy more watches to grow the business. The technique is commonly known as the common interest method.

Conclusion

These are the small business ideas in Nigeria I have been able to gather so far. Is there any business that is supposed to be here that I have not listed please add them in the comment below.

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