If you’re not earning enough from your regular day job (8am to 5pm) and considering establishing a businesses to run to earn good income without resigning from your regular day job, then here are a few businesses to consider. The businesses listed here are those that do not require large capital and do not demand that you stay up throughout the night. You can close at 11pm or earlier to catch some sleep for the next day’s work.
- Pub and Restaurant
Many look for places to hang out in the evening and chat with friends while they sip on some good drinks. Restaurants and pubs that are strategically located with good ambience and moderate pricing is what many look for. You can make good money between 6pm and 10pm when you open to the public. The risk in this business is low as long as you don’t invest in too much in perishable consumables and establish the right security measures.
- Teaching
If you know how to teach then there’s enormous opportunity for you. At all levels of education, quality tuition is required. First you have to get a part-time teaching/lecturing appointment with an educational institution for their evening classes. On your own, you can also gather a class to teach them through referrals and word-of-mouth advertising by family and friends. Online platforms can also be used to advertise yourself and even used to deliver the tuition.
- Event Ushering
You have probably never thought of this as a viable business in Africa. The beautiful ushers you meet at events are usually ‘assets’ of an ushering company. Employ gorgeous ladies and gentlemen who would want to be ushers and give them the professional training and coaching required for the job. Look for upcoming events in your town or city and apply to offer them ushering service – at a fee. You’ll be amazed at the jobs you’ll get. It is a competitive industry though.
- Online Trading
Though this requires some skill, knowledge and experience, you can still consider it. With as little as $400 you can make double the amount every week depending on your trading skills. Forex and commodity trading via electronic platforms is one sure side-business you can do after work. Get some training before you sign up, and don’t give up. The risk is high but so is the income.
- Sports & Gaming Center
On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, many men troop into sports centers and gaming centers to watch their favourite teams play, and bet on them as well. Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings as well have become exciting days for sports centers. You can capitalize on this appetite of men, and some ladies, to make good money after your day job. Observe all regulations of the business.
- Make-up Services
If you have good skills in facial make-ups and you believe people would want to pay for your service, you can make it a side-business without resigning your day job. Many people attend evening events everyday of the week and they want to look fabulous. That’s opportunity right there for you. Start with a customer and tell your friends to tell their friends. Use social media to inexpensively market yourself.
- Taxi
Your day job may not be physically demanding so my guess is you have the energy to drive around town for three or four more hours after work. Invest in a taxi or private car rental. Start building your customer base. Get people to contact you for their evening and night schedules. Whilst you drive them around town, you also earn some income. Short distance trips in and around your neighborhood is the best. And don’t forget to network during your rounds.
- Blogging
Get a professional blog with some aesthetic appeal. You must definitely be knowledgeable in one or two subjects. Fishing, job interviews, sports, relationships, celebrity gossips, politics, travelling, jokes, are some of the subjects you can write about. If your writing skill is not polished, don’t worry. One step at a time. As long as you have something good to offer readers, they’ll surely come back to read more. Once you have appreciable traffic (audience), you begin to monetize it.
- Food Vendoring
You may not have the capital to start a big restaurant but you surely can afford about a GHc1000 to start cooking and selling if you have the passion. And of course, if you cook well. Find a good location and make sure your food tastes well and affordable. Rice, noodles and kenkey are common foods you can find along the streets of Accra. Vendors make good money every evening selling between 6 and 10 pm.
- Graphic Designing
This is a very broad field of study that has many jobs springing out of it. If you can design digital marketing materials (images) for individuals and businesses, then this is the time to make it big – and you do not have to resign your day job. Contact corporate institutions and show them a portfolio of your works and request to be their digital marketing materials designer. There’s good money to be made as most corporate institutions in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and other parts of Africa are quickly embracing digital media marketing and increasing their budget allocation in that regard.
For tested and successful models for each of these businesses, contact me directly or through the website. You may also do your own research to find out more about profitable evening/night businesses in Ghana, Nigeria and other parts of Africa. I’d be glad to learn your findings too.