The Graduate Boss

Business Startup Ideas, Opportunities and Guides for Young Graduates

5 Business Grants for Small Businesses in Nigeria

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One of the major problems every business person faces is capital. They spend the bulk of their time thinking on “How to raise capital for their business ideas” and “How to get money to expand their business operations”.  What if I tell you there are various business grants for small businesses in Nigeria.

Business grants are essential for the survival of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria. Business grants provide the necessary funds for new to start their business and for existing businesses to expand their business.

 

What is a Business Grant?

 

A business grant is a sum of money given to businesses. To help in starting their business or expand their business operations, without having to pay back. These grants are usually provided by governments, large corporations, foundations, or trust.

Different business grants target distinct business sectors and geography. You will need to demonstrate a great deal of thoughtfulness in writing your business plan because you will be judged based on it.

 

Difference Between a Business Grant and a Loan?

 

There are a couple of differences between a business grant and loan. Below are some  of them:

 

  1. With business grants you don’t have to pay back while you are required in a business loan with interest. Consider a business grant as a gift.
  1. Secondly, You will need collateral to access business loans while this is not required for a business grant.
  1. Business loans are more available than grants. You can get them mostly whenever you need them with various organizations and banks. While grants applications are mostly open once a year. Once you miss the application deadline, you need to wait till the next round of application before applying again.
  1. Business loans are more risky than grants. After obtaining a loan, when you are not able to pay it back.  There will be trouble with the bank/organization. While in business, you don’t even need to pay back. Therefore there is no risk involved in grants.

 

5 Business Grants for Small Businesses in Nigeria

 

1. Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP)

The Tony Elumelu Enterprise Grant is the leading champion of entrepreneurship in Africa. It was established by Tony O. Elumelu (CON) in 2010. Tony O. Elumelu is an African Philanthropist, Investor and Entrepreneur who is passionate about Africa’s economic development.

The grant is provided by the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). The foundation has empowered over 9,000 entrepreneurs and supported a million individuals in 54 African countries.

TEF’s purpose is to provide 10,000 aspiring African Entrepreneurs to profit from a $100 million grant and create a million jobs that will contribute $10 billion to Africa’s annual revenue, improving its economy over the next ten year.

TEEP focuses on empowering young entrepreneurs in Africa with mentoring, training, and funding. It is one of the most consistent business grant for small businesses in Nigeria.

Click Here to Apply for TEEP

 

2. Bank Of Industry Youth Entrepreneurship Support Program

Bank of Industry Youth Entrepreneurship Support Program is another business grant available for SME in Nigeria.

It is created by the Bank of Industry to address the high youth unemployment in Nigeria by starting and equipping young people with the requisite skills and knowledge to be self-employed by starting and managing their own businesses.

To apply for BOI YES-Programme, you must:

– Must be within the ages of 18 – 35 years.

– Must have an innovative business idea.

– Minimum education qualification of an Ordinary National Diploma.

 

3. African Women Development Fund

 

African Women’s Development Fund is a pan African business grant aimed at helping female entrepreneurs with funding. They provide business funding for businesses in the following areas:

  • Body & Health Rights
  • Economic Security & Justice
  • Leadership, Participation & peace.

Their eligibility criteria are:

  • Must be duly registered in an African country.
  • Must be up to 3 years in Business.
  • Must be led by a woman and have the majority of its staff and board being women.

This is a women-only grant that focuses on innovative projects addressing the needs of women in the community.

4. Seedstars Africa

Seedstars Africa offers business grants for Small and medium entrepreneurs in 53 countries worldwide, including Nigeria. They support entrepreneurs and online businesses in African countries with funds.

Interested Applicants will have to compete in the yearly business competition by Seedstars Africa.  They invest in high growth businesses in over 90 emerging markets through their business grants.

 

5. Savannah Fund

 

Savannah Fund is another grant opportunity for SME business owners to raise capital for their business. They give business grants to African entrepreneurs to help them

Savannah has generated over $8 million as it focuses on high growth technology startups in Africa. They support Africa entrepreneurs from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries.

It seeks to bridge the gap between venture capital investment and early startup in Africa.

 

There you have it. Those are the 5 Business Grants for Small Businesses in Nigeria to checkout in 2021. Do you know of any business grants for small businesses in Nigeria? Let me know in the comment box below.

 

 

How To Become A Freelancer In Nigeria.

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The decision to become a freelancer in Nigeria can be one of the best decisions you will ever make in your life. Especially if you are looking to get new side hustles or desire to become a full-time freelancer.

Freelancing as a Nigerian, offers you the opportunity to earn in Dollar and spend in Naira. The freedom that comes with freelancing is second to none, as you can work anything of the day that you pleases.

It’s no big deal to see freelancers in Nigeria make a thousand dollar per month (approximately 450,000 Naira). This is even considered a small earning in as much as professional freelancing is considered.

Now, how many companies in Nigeria can pay their staff 450,000 Naira per month? And this is very possible with freelancing.

The earning potential as a freelancer in Nigeria is unlimited. The only barrier to your earning is the number of hours you are ready to commit to working. [Read more…]

8 Untapped Business Ideas in Nigeria [HIGHLY PROFITABLE]

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There are a lot of untapped business ideas in Nigeria that will make you money in 2021.

If you are looking for untapped business opportunities in Nigeria, that means you are tired of all those common recycled business ideas.

You are looking for something fresh and different that will make you money.

Many Nigerian business people have no innovation. They just copy any thriving business in their area and open the same kind of business without any form of modification.

One key thing to note is that not all businesses will succeed in every environment. A business idea that will make a lot of money in the United Kingdom might not be profitable in Nigeria. It’s necessary to study your environment and not only study but do a failure-proof business plan. [Read more…]

How To Make Money Writing: 7 Ways To Make Money From Your Writing Skills.

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Are you a writer that wants to make money from your writing skills?

Or you want to create multiple streams of income from your writing?

There are many ways to make money from your writing skills as a writer. Writing skill is one of the topmost skills that are in high demand in different sectors. It’s a skill that might take a while to master, but once you learned it, you have at your disposal a money-printing machine.

You can make money anytime you want, no matter the state of the economy.

In this article, I will be showing ways you can make money with your writing skills as a writer.

[Read more…]

Investment Opportunities for Beginners in Nigeria

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There are several investment opportunities for beginners in Nigeria. Investing your money is a great way to earn passive income in Nigeria. In investing, you let your money work for you.

There are many investment vehicles with different investment duration and return on investment. The most successful investors are those that think and invest for the long term.

[Read more…]

How to Become A Virtual Assistant In Nigeria in 2021

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You have probably heard people talk about making an enormous amount of money online working as a virtual assistant, or you read an article listing “working as virtual assistant” as a means of making money online in 2021.

So, you have questions about working as a virtual assistant in Nigeria and making money online as a virtual assistant.

So if you have questions, we got answers…

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know, about making money online, as a virtual assistant from Nigeria.

But first…

 

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is someone who works virtually to help businesses or individuals achieve their set goals.

Virtual assistants are hired to free up time for the most significant tasks in the business.

They serve as a reasonable alternative to hiring full-time staff as they are principally paid by the number of hours worked.

This means as a virtual assistant, you can work for many clients as they pay for your services on an hourly basis.

As the name “virtual” implies, a virtual assistant can work from anywhere as much as there is a good internet connection.

 

What skills do you need to become a virtual assistant in Nigeria?

The virtual assistance niche is not a one square fit all niche. We have different Virtual assistants with different skill-sets all serving a particular sub-niche.

It’s essential to have a good general understanding of all things on the internet since you will be working virtually on the internet.

Aside, the skills you need will determine your niche. The skills of a blog manager are different for a social media Virtual Assistant.

Plus, you will need good communication skills, both written and verbal communication skills, to become a good virtual assistant.

 

Common Services offered by a Virtual Assistant

Numerous services can be offered by a virtual assistant. As much as the task can be performed remotely, it can be offered as a virtual assistance service.

Below are the most popular services offered by a virtual assistant.

– Blog management

– Email management

– Social Media management

– Customer service

– Bookkeeping

– Data entry

– Content research

– Online Community Management

– Transcription

– WordPress Website maintenance

 

6 Steps to Become a Virtual Assistant in Nigeria.

Decide Which Virtual Assistant Services You Will Offer Your Clients

As a newbie VA, you can offer more than a service, but as you grow it’s good to focus on a single niche. Which is mostly the highest paying niche.

As stated earlier, there are numerous services you can offer as a virtual assistant to make money from home.

But you need to take a skill assessment to determine to first list out all the skills you have that you can offer as a service. Then you will decide which of these can return the highest return on investment for you, that’s, the one that clients will pay a high fee for.

The goal of selling your skills is to make money, so you need to ensure you are offering the skills that will make you the highest amount of money. The high-income skill you select will determine how much you will earn as a VA.

You don’t have to get stuck here. You can always change your choice later. And you can offer more than one service to your clients. But having a specific niche will help you gain more visibility.

 

Get the Right Tools for Your Services

 

After settling on a service, you want to offer it as a Virtual Assistant. The next step is to get all the necessary tools you need to work effectively.

Because you are working remotely, you will need a good internet connection. Due to the unreliability of Nigerian internet service providers, it is advisable to plan A, B and C when your internet connection is a concern.

You will also need a steady power supply. Either you get a generator or install a solar panel.

A fast and reliable computer is a must.

In summary, you will need the following:

  • Stable power supply.
  • Fast internet connection.
  • A high-performance personal computer.
  • Printer.
  • Scanner.
  • A working mobile line.
  • A ventilated room that serves as your office where you can work without distraction.

 

Get The Necessary Training

Now that you have decided on the service to offer and get the needed tools.

The next thing is to dedicate time to get all the necessary training you need to deliver an exceptional service to them. The training can either be soft skills training or technical skills training. This will help you serve your clients better.

The best thing for your virtual assistant career is to keep getting referral and jobs from your old clients. This can only happen if you can offer exceptional services to your clients.

So, get all the training you need to become an exceptional virtual assistant.

 

Decide on Your Pricing Structure

 

Now that you have chosen your services, you will need to set your price for the services offered.

How much are you charging per hour? Or is your payment going to be per task?

Your fee as a newbie must differ from a professional with many years of experience. Also, the service you want to render will determine how much you can charge.

You can research to get the current market rate for virtual assistants offering your kind of service to set your price.

It’s important to note that if you are working for Nigerians, they preferred to pay monthly, weekly or per task/project. Nigerians don’t like paying per hour.

Draw up Your Legal Framework

As a virtual assistant, it’s essential to have a legal contract to protect your business and yourself from miscreants that might want to take advantage of you.

You need to explicitly spell out your terms of agreements, job descriptions, payment term, termination notice, and other relevant parts of your working contract in writing.

Do not leave any loopholes for exploitation. Protect yourself and your business.

 

Establish Your Online Presence

 

You must create an online profile for yourself as a virtual assistant, especially when you take it as a career and just a side hustle.

Update your social media with your new job title and let them know you are taking on clients. Ensure you leave your contact details on the page, and your DM is open.

You can spare a couple of dollars in getting yourself a website where people can get an idea of what you do, reach out to you, and book for your services.

Your online presence can help you land many clients as you advance in your Virtual Assistance career.

 

Land New Clients by Pitching and Networking

 

The main point of starting to become a virtual assistant is to make money. If you don’t have any clients, you won’t be able to make money.

It is essential to pitch and market your services to people. You can start using WhatsApp and Facebook groups you belong to and let people know about your services and how you can help them achieve their goals.

Also, you can make a list of people or businesses that will be interested in your services and send them a cold email.

You can also join global freelance platforms like Upwork to get virtual assistant jobs.

 

It’s simple to become a virtual assistant in Nigeria. One good thing a  virtual assistant job offers is fulfilment. As you get to help people and businesses achieve their goals while also making money in the process.

There is a lot of money to make as a virtual assistant in Nigeria, but you won’t make any money if you don’t stop reading this article now and get started.

Which of the 10 popular virtual assistant services will you choose if you’re to go into the virtual assistant space? Please let me know in the comment box.

 

How to Monetise a Blog From Day One.

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There are numerous ways to monetise a blog. Unfortunately, the majority of these ways are not suitable for small blogs with little traffic.

As a newbie blogger, monetising your blog from day one can be a big challenge, especially when you don’t have enough eyes on your blog.  That’s when you don’t have enough traffic on the blog.

Blogging in its nature required a lot of effort and persistence to make money from it.

You need to spend time creating high-quality content that is helpful to your readers and can rank high on Google. Your readers need to keep coming back to your site and share your blog post with their network to have considerable traffic on your blog.

Getting quality traffic is essential to your blog. This is because many of the monetising methods require you to have considerable traffic before you can be monetised.

Getting traffic takes time because it will take months to get your blog to register on the Google database and for your blog to develop reputable credibility among your audiences.

This will be less difficult if you have a large following on social media that you can redirect to your blog. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebooks are used by many bloggers to drive a ton of traffic to their blogs.

 

Can I monetize my blog with Google Adsense from day one?

Monetising your blog with Google AdSense from day one will be difficult because part of Google Adsense requirement for monetising a blog is that “it must have sufficient content or posts” and “blog domain must be old at least 6 months”.

Although these requirements have been removed from their page, newbie bloggers that applied for Google Adsense have experienced a delay in getting approval to join the Google AdSense program.

But, if you have an existing Google AdSense account, either for your Youtube channel or other websites, you can simply add your new blog to the list of channels you want to monetise.

 

How then can one monetize a blog from day one with little traffic?

 

In this article, I will be showing you 4 ways to monetise your blog from day one as a newbie blogger.

NOTE:

Monetising your blog from day one doesn’t mean you will make money from day one. It means your blog is well-positioned to start making money from day one.

 

Four Ways to Monetise Your Blog From Day One

 

Monetise Your Blog With Amazon Associate

Amazon Associate is the affiliate program for Amazon. Amazon is the world’s largest online store.

They have numerous products on their database that will be suitable for your target audience.  Products like books, computers, tools and equipment, software, and many others.

You will earn a percentage commission for every purchase your audience makes from your recommendation. Before publishing your first blog post, you can include affiliate links in the blog post. So that as people read your articles, they can follow your affiliate links to buy the recommended stuff.

As a Nigerian blogger, you will need an international phone number (UK or USA is recommended)  for address verification.  You can get an international phone number by buying one from Skype. Or use a phone number that belongs to your friends or family members that are abroad.

Becoming an Amazon affiliate is one of the most popular ways to monetise your blog from day one in 2021.

 

Monetise Your Blog With Affiliate Marketing

Aside from Amazon, numerous affiliate marketing platforms accept Nigerians on their affiliate programs. You just need to register on those platforms and find products that are useful to your audiences.

As much as the services and products that you are recommending on your blog are helpful to your audience, you will make money from affiliate marketing in no time.

Affiliate platforms that allow Nigerians on their platforms include Expertnaire, WarriorForum, Jumia Affiliate, Konga Affiliate, Whogohost and many more.

 

Monetise Your Blog With Your Book

Another way of monetising your blog from day one is to write a book.

Do you have a lovely story, information, or a solution that you think your audience will be interested in? Then package it as a book and sell it to them. You can frequently (in a non-sales way) make reference to it in your blog posts.

Although having a book in your niches will generate more sales from your blog, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a book in your blogging niche. You can also write in other Niche and cleverly make reference to it in your blog posts.

You can self-publish your book on Amazon, Okada books, or Kobo Books. You can also sell it directly through Paystack, Flutterwave or Gumroad.

Do you think you are not a good writer? You can easily outsource it on Fiverr.  You can also record yourself talking and have people transcribe it into a book for you.

 

Monetise Your Blog through Online Course

You can monetise your blog by creating courses and selling to your audience. It is easy nowadays to create an online course.

For you to have a blog, I believe you must know something that you think is worth sharing with the world. You can turn this into an online course and make money from it.

The people that love your blog posts and want more in-depth information about your content can buy your course to get more clarity.

This is especially good for coaches and people that offer services. You can also outsource the course creation on freelancing sites like Fiverr.

Udemy, Skillshare are popular course hosting platforms (with millions of customers already) that you can use to publish your course. Also, you can make use of platforms like Teachable and Gumroad to publish your online course.

You might not get much money in your first month as a blogger. As time goes on and your blog traffic increases. The profit from your blog will exponentially increase, and all your labour will be rewarded.

The lifeline for any blog is to have consistent and high-quality traffic on the website. To get this, you will need time and consistency.

Is there any other way to monetise a blog from day one that’s not mentioned here? Please do let me know in the comment box.

Thank you for reading!

 

11 Lucrative Business Ideas That Require Small Capital to Start

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Despite the numerous lucrative business ideas available in Nigeria. Many people still complain of a lack of funds to start their own business. If research is to be conducted to determine the prevalent factors preventing people from starting their own business, I am convinced the number factor will be: lack of start capital.

This has continued to be an excuse that keep people in poverty.

What if I tell you there are lucrative business ideas that require small businesses capital to start.

These business opportunities are scattered all over Nigeria, with little to no significant capital to begin. You can even start some of them from the comfort of your home.

Below are 11 lucrative business ideas you can start with little capital.

 

11 Lucrative Business Ideas That Require Small Capital to Start

 

1. Plantain Chips Business

Plantain chip is a delicious snack made from unripe plantain. It is one of the most popular snacks in Nigeria, after Gala.

You might have seen the delicious snack in traffic and shops but might not know how lucrative the plantain chip business is. With an investment of fifty thousand Naira, you can get a daily profit of ten thousand Naira.

The business does not need any special equipment or training. You just need to know how to fry and package the plantain chips.

  • Buy unripe plantain from the market
  • Peel and slice the unripe plantain
  • Fry in oil to produce chips
  • Package the chips in nylon or polythene bags for distribution. Ensure you put your label with your business name, phone number, email address and address.

You can start plantain chip business with as low as five thousand Naira and scale up as you make more profits.

2. Ice Block Business

Ice block business is another lucrative business idea that requires small capital to begin. In as much, you live in an area that has steady power, or you have a standby generator. You can start your ice block business.

Because of the erratic power supply in Nigeria, many ‘cool spot’ businesses, events planners, and different ceremonies rely on ice blocks to make their drinks cool for their customers. They depend on Ice Block to serve their customers.

All you need to start is your freezer and generator for a steady power supply, then you scale up and obtain ice block producing machines as you make more profit.

Your target audiences are clubs, joints, churches, restaurants and event centres. Making a strategic relationship with event planners will land you more gigs in the long run.

 

3. Liquid Soap Production

The liquid soap business is another lucrative business idea for women, it can make you a lot of money in 2021. Everyone can’t afford to use Morning Fresh, so they settle for the locally made liquid wash.

You can produce and sell in shops or supply hotels and restaurants because it provides a cheaper alternative to popular liquid soap.

You can invest in branding your liquid soaps to increase your market reach and appeal. You can sell to retail shops and supermarkets that will sell to other people.

The basic training needed to produce liquid soap is freely available on blogs and Youtube channels. You will have to practice mastering it, after which you can start mass-producing it for selling. Many vocational centres also offer training on liquid soap production. This training will shorten the learning curve required to begin your liquid soap business.

 

4. Mobile Car Wash

Mobile Car wash is another lucrative business idea with low start-up cost in 2021. It’s one of the untapped business opportunities in Nigeria.

Instead of having a fixed place where people come to have their car wash, you go to them and wash their car in their house. This will eliminate the majority of the cost of starting a car wash.

The major problem with this approach is that you will need to move around with your cleaning equipment.

As demand increases,  you can hire people to be able to attend to more clients. And open a standard car wash which will stand as an office where people can book for your service.

 

5. Home Cooked Food Business

Nigerians love food. I mean the local delicacy like Amala, Tuwo, Pounded yam, and many more. The most working-class and busy don’t have the luxury of time to prepare these foods.

We can get these foods from restaurants, but you will testify with me that it’s not the same as home-cooked meals.

The good news is that many people will be happy to outsource these to people that can make these delicacies. Which is like having your own personal chef.

Just imagine the joy your client will experience coming back from work to a delicious home-cooked Amala with Egusi soup.

You can start this home-cooked food business with as little as five thousand Naira and scale up as your customer base increases.

The two skills you need to succeed are good cooking skills and customer service skills. A subscription plan where customers can choose the kind of home-cooked food they want and the time of the day they want it to deliver will make running the business easy.

 

6. Freelance Content Agency

Many businesses need written content, from business websites to social media pages, YouTube channels, magazines, and blogs.

With your mobile phone, you can make a decent living writing content for businesses. There are many freelance platforms that connect freelancers to potential employers.

blogging for women - Business Ideas for Women

As the demand for your services increases, you can hire more writers and create more structure around your business.

A content writing agency is a lucrative business that will help to make money online from your home.

 

7. Hamper Business

Another business opportunity that you might want to explore is the hamper business, especially when you have a knack for picking gifts.

You can help companies and individuals to design and assemble gift baskets on different occasions.

Then you make good money picking gifts and souvenirs for clients. There are seasons like the Christmas and new year period, where companies and individuals will want to give gifts to their loved ones or customers.

You can make a lot of money helping these individuals or companies picking out their gifts and souvenirs.

You can also create and assemble your own hamper and sell it. The business does not require much capital to start.

 

8. House Cleaning Business

Who doesn’t want a clean and sparkling home? Cleaning the house can be very stressful, especially when you have a job that demands much of your time.

People will be willing to outsource the cleaning of their home to professionals who will come to clean while they are away at work or during the weekend.

By this, they will come back to a clean and well-arranged home every day.

You don’t need much capital to start, only the money for buying the cleaning ingredients. You can start with as low as ten thousand Naira.

 

9. Video Game Center

Another lucrative business opportunity to consider is to start a game centre. People love to play games, especially the male gender, both teens and adults.

They love the adrenaline rush that comes with the competition. The game centre serves as both a relaxation centre for the customers.

A standard game centre will require intense capital to start, but you can always start small and scale from there.

10. Okrika Bale Business

The Okrika Bale Business is an evergreen business that you can do from any part of Nigeria. You will buy Okrika Bale and resell in pieces.

Many Nigerians prefer buying Okrika clothes because of the cheap cost and quality of the Okrika clothes.

As someone that’s just starting out, you can share a bale with other traders. Also, you will need a shop or space in the market to sell your clothes.

 

11. Cake and Cupcake Bakery

 

Who doesn’t like eating cake? Probably, 1% of the world’s population. Everybody loves eating cake.

People also use it to celebrate special occasions like Birthday, wedding anniversary, job promotions, and many more. Therefore, cakes are always in demand.

 

You will need to enroll in a confectionery school to learn how to bake, after which you can start making money from your newly acquired skills. You can also learn how to bake from YouTube.

 

When it comes to business, it takes determination, strategy, and hard work. Starting with small capital only means you will need more time to scale your business.

What I want you to do right now is to pick one of these business ideas. Do your market research and feasibility study.

Then put everything you have into it for 12 months. You will come back and thank me for sharing these lucrative business ideas with you after 12 months. And, please come with your tithe.

 

10 Best Freelance Websites for Nigerians to Make Money Online in 2021

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What are the best freelance websites for Nigerians to make money from home in 2021? This is one question I get a lot from Nigerian freelancers who desire to earn in dollar.

It’s no longer news that an average Nigerian can make money online working from home as a freelancer. Many Nigerians are already cashing out selling their skill on these global freelance marketplaces.

Freelancing offers many young Nigerians the opportunity to sell their services to employers from all around the world while working from home.  Becoming a freelancer is a perfect way to make money from your talent, hobby and passion. You have the liberty to choose the project you want to work on and the time you want to work. It offers the freedom to decide the time of the day to work.

There are many freelance websites available on the internet. But it’s not all of them that allows Nigerians on their platform. This is because of low quality of work, fraudulent activities, inability to meet deadlines, and many more.

What are Freelancing Sites?

Freelancing websites are platforms that connect employers to skilled workers looking for work. Employers can post their offers, and freelancers can apply for these jobs on these platforms.

They offer protection for both employers and the freelancer, ensuring that the freelancer delivers high-quality work and that the employer also pays the agreed amount for the job. The platform takes a fixed percentage or commission from every contract on its website.

Some fraudulent freelancing platforms are created to rob freelancers of their intellectual property and money. Any platform that required money to join without a free membership option is likely a scam. While this does not apply to all situations. Always carry out your research before joining any freelancing websites.

 

10 Freelance Websites To Make Money Online In 2021

 

Freelancing Websites for Beginners

 

Freelance Website for Nigerians: #1 :Fiverr

Fiverr is one of the most popular global freelancing platforms for beginners. They connect businesses and professionals together for a 20% cut from all deals on their platform.

The amount you can charge for service rendered is based on the value you provided and how much you want for your service, with the minimum being $5.

The lowest price for a task or service on the global marketplace is $5, with some services going for $100 to $500.

Fiverr has empowered a lot of Nigerians to make money online from home as a freelancer.

Popular Professional Service on Fiverr

Below are some of the popular services on Fiverr.

  • Logo design
  • WordPress
  • Voice over
  • Video Explainer
  • Social Media
  • SEO
  • Illustration
  • Translation
  • Data Entry
  • Design Book Covers

Freelance Website for Nigerians: #2: Upwork

Upwork is another freelance platform to get freelance gigs. With Upwork, you will be able to make money online from home, offering menial and professional services to people in exchange for a fee.

It’s also a global marketplace for freelancers and contractors. Upwork takes a 20% cut from every contract on the platform.

Upwork is formerly known as Elance-Odesk. It was rebranded as Upwork in 2015 to Upwork. Every profile is manually vetted before you will be allowed to get contracts on the platform.

Upwork is not as popular as Fiverr amongst Nigerians, but they offer premium services compared to Fiverr. You can make withdrawals from your earnings on Upwork through PayPal or Payoneer.

Best Freelance Websites for Nigerians - Upwork landing page

Popular Services on Upwork
  • Data Entry
  • Video Editing
  • Data Analytics
  • Ruby on Rails Development
  • Android Development
  • Bookkeeping
  • Content Writing
  • Copywriting
  • Database Administration
  • Data Science
  • Front-End Developer

Freelance Website for Nigerians #3: Freelancer

Freelancer is tagged the “World largest marketplace for freelancers”. On this platform, you can make money online without spending a dime.

Potential employers post freelance gigs that professionals can bid to complete on the platform. The bidding process is very competitive and gives the best freelancers the chance to get good clients.

Popular Services on Freelancer
  • Proofreading & Editing
  • Article Writing
  • Virtual Assistance
  • Graphics Design (Logo design, Package design, etc. )
  • Mobile Development
  • Website design

 

Freelancing Websites for Professionals 2021

 

Freelance Website for Nigerians #4: Guru

Guru is another legit platform to make money online in Nigeria. The platform has over 3 million freelancers on its platform.

Guru works on a bidding system where potential employers post job openings on the site and freelancers have to submit quotes for the jobs.

The site has a comprehensive dashboard where you can easily maintain communication with clients, create agreements, manage payment, and all other project management tasks.

Popular Service on Guru
  •  Mobile App Development
  • Virtual Assistance
  • PHP Development
  • Graphics Design
  • Sales and Marketing Services
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Python Development
  • Web Development

Freelance Website for Nigerians #5: Toptal

TopTal is another paying site in Nigeria. It’s a highly rated freelance platform that admits only the top 3% of the world’s best freelancers.

Freelancers are rigorously tested and vetted before they join the platform.

The selective have a 98% trial-to-hire success rate. One tremendous advantage of Toptal offers is that you get a chance to work with big brands like Apple, Duolingo, AirBnB, Shopify and many more.

Popular Services on Toptal

– iOS Development

– Front-end Development

– UI/UX Design

– Financial Modelling Consultancy

– Interim CFOs

– Digital Project Management

Freelance Website for Nigerians #6: PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is another paying site that allows Nigerian freelancers to make money online.

The platform offers a wide range of global talent employers to choose from. They boast of 1.5 million freelancers on the website. Freelancers are hired not only for hours but by the project also.

Popular Services on PeoplePerHour

– Business branding

– Sales and marketing

– Graphics Design

– Data entry

– Writing and Translation

– Business and Finance

Graphics Design Freelance Websites For Nigerians

Freelance website for Nigerians #7: DesignCrowd

This is a good freelancing platform for freelancers with great graphics skills to make money from home freelancing.

The platform hosts over 600,0000 freelance graphic designs from all around the world. You can host a design contest and get designs from different graphic designers on the platform.

Popular Services on DesignCrowd

– Logo Designs

– Merchandise designs

– Book and Magazine Cover Design

– Business Card design

– Flyer Design

– Graphics Design

 

Freelance website for Nigerians #8: 99designs

99 designs is a freelance marketplace for graphics designers. It’s a legit platform that allows creatives to make money online from home.

The platform is one of the best freelance websites for Nigerians to make money from home, especially the creatives – those with design skills.

The platform is considered the largest freelance design marketplace, with over 1 million creatives on this platform. Nigerians can get paid through Payoneer or Paypal.

Popular Services on 99Designs
  • Illustration
  • Book Cover
  • T-shirt Design
  • Book Covers
  • Logo Designs

 

Content Writing Freelance Website  For Nigerians

 

Freelance Website for Nigerian #9: Contently

This freelance website is for Nigerian who have content writing skills that they can use to make money online. It is a high-quality agency style platform that connects freelancer to clients. The freelancers are well vetted before they can join the platform.

 

Clients on Contently pay top dollar for content. The site also expects a high-quality editorial from their freelance writer.

Freelance Websites for Nigerians to make money online in 2021 - Contently

Popular Services on Contently

– Ebook Writing

– SEO Writing

– Content Writing

– Translation

Freelance Website for Nigerian #10: iWriter

iWriter is a freelance website that allows Nigerian writers to make money online. The platform is dedicated to the writing niche.

On iWriter, clients come to outsource their writing gigs to competent writers. Joining the platform is very easy, especially if you have an exceptional writing skill.

The amount of money you can make on the platform is based on your writing skill and the number of word-written. The higher your rating, the higher you can charge per word.

Popular Services on iWriter.

– Article writing

– SEO writing

– Ebook Writing

– CopyWriting

 

How Can I Make Money Online In Nigeria As A Freelancer?

 

You can make money online in Nigeria as a freelancer by signing up for any of these websites listed above.

Take your time to create an excellent profile showing your skills and adding a worthy work sample to your profile.

After you have set up your profile, you can start bidding for gigs on the listed platforms above, joining competition and contests, submitting quotes and proposals.

The freelancing platform serves as escrow, holding the funds and releasing them only when you deliver a satisfying job.

You will be able to withdraw your money into your PayPal or Payoneer account when you hit the minimum withdrawal amount, which varies with different platforms.

 

How can I start freelancing in Nigeria?

Starting a freelancing career is very easy nowadays.

First, you need to start to learn and master a skill. Dedicate your time to become top-notch at what you do. Check out the most in-demand digital skills for 2021 for an idea of profitable skills to learn.

Secondly, create a worthy portfolio for your work based on your niche or area of specialization. Take out your time to create a couple of samples for your work. This will serve as a testament to what you can do.

Finally, join one of these freelance websites for Nigerians, where you can regularly get freelancing gigs.

In conclusion, there are many freelance websites for Nigerians to make money from home.

I cover only international freelancing platforms in this article. This is because you can make more money on these platforms compared to Nigerian freelance platforms.

While freelancing websites offer you a magnificent opportunity to earn Dollars, becoming successful on these platforms is not an easy task. You have to work hard to stand out in the freelance marketplace.

There are many other freelancing websites out there. Which ones have you used that’s not listed in the article? And are you able to withdraw your money?

Lemme know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Thank you for reading!

 

High-Paying Digital Skills to Learn in 2021 [9 In-Demand Skills]

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“What are the best high-paying digital skills to learn in 2021?” is one question that’s on the mind of many people looking to upskill and gain high-income skills in 2021 to make more money, either as a freelancer or become more valuable as an employee.

The skills considered to be “high-paying skills” in the past may not be fit to be called as high-income digital skills in 2021.

The skills that were in-demand in 2015 are different from what organisations are looking for today.  This is because of the fast-paced nature of technology.

How much you earn or get paid is determined by the problem you solve in the market and who you solve it for, assuming your negotiation skill is at least average.

[Read more…]