50 Free Online Business Ideas to Make Money

By Loy Okezie On July 1, 2009 · 21230 Comments2009-07-01+13%3A53%3A23Loy+Okezie

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Starting an online business has become very cheap and easy. If managed well, online businesses can generate multiple streams of income.

Today, I am sharing 50 free money-making online business ideas that are worth exploring in Nigeria. Most of these ideas have grown to become successful businesses around the world, and some have been bought by huge companies such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft.

I’ll be adding more ideas in the future. But the trick is that you can actually start any online business in any niche of your choice. All you need to do is learn how to market your business and how to make that money.

If you need advice, send me an email via buzz {at} loyokezie.com

50 Free Online Business Ideas to Make Money

1. Photo sharing

Photo sharing sites allow users to upload photos and share them with an online community. Don’t just be Flickr fans. Start one. Users can share photos of places visited, event pictures, nature photos, etc in Nigeria.

2. Video sharing

Video sharing sites allow users to upload music and music videos, and share them with an online community. Don’t just be Youtube fans. Start one. With a video sharing site, we can watch episodes of soap operas, TV programs, Nollywood movies, etc

3. Dating

Dating sites in Nigeria are not bad at all. But how about adopting a different approach to the dating game? I like the concept of www.Alarena.com, a match-making site for Africans. I also like the concept of www.PlentyOfFish.com where you don’t have to pay to join.

4. Auction

There are only a few auction sites in Nigeria and they are not doing badly. If you are thinking of an auction site that will sell in Nigeria, why not consider an auction start-up that auctions jewelleries real-time. I’ll recommend a site like www.Bidz.com

5. Web Office Applications

Can you launch a start-up that can compete with the Microsoft desktop software? According to Paul Graham, this is a rich market, considering the huge sums of money Microsoft makes from it.

He also thinks that “a start-up that takes on such a project will be helped along by Microsoft itself, who between their increasingly bureaucratic culture and their desire to protect existing desktop revenues will probably do a bad job of building web-based Office variants themselves.

He further advises that before you try to start a start-up doing this, you should be prepared to explain why existing web-based Office alternatives haven’t taken the world by storm, and how you’re going to beat that. A Nigerian site www.Nigeria.ms seems to have an idea of a site for web desktop & office apps.

6. Online Learning

Nigerian schools don’t seem to have the best to offer our youths. Candidates who sit for WAEC, NECO and JAMB exams fail because of a failed education system, where the learning environment is not conducive.

Perhaps, youths can enjoy learning online if there are sites that help them go through revisions and prepare for tests. A site like www.InstantRevision.com is good example. Another idea could be to design online games that would help children improve their learning abilities and thinking faculties.

I also like the idea behind www.NaijaLingo.com – an online dictionary of Nigerian Pidgin English words. Can there be Naijapedia just like Afropedia that offers a free online encyclopaedia and social networking where users can all contribute information and enjoy the learning experience?

7. Search. Search. Search.

We all search everyday on the Internet. Do you Yahoo? or Are you a Googling? Yes, Google is the King of Search, but there’s probably something that Google hasn’t done with search that we can still do. Paul Graham thinks that Google’s biggest weakness is that “they have no sense of design” with their search pages, as they tend to keep things sparse. But if there were a kind of search that depended a lot on design, a start-up might actually be able to beat Google at search.

8. Online Payment Platform

Have you noticed that Nigeria is not listed as a PayPal member country? That’s sad! Ok, I know what the world says about Nigeria and scam, blah blah blah. Isn’t that enough reason to develop efficient online payment systems that could cater for the African market and beyond? I like what InterSwitch, eTranzact, and ChamsSwitch are doing, but their cards should be Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) compliant.

9. Online Shopping Portal

Another untapped market, although there are a few online shopping sites in Nigeria such as www.BuyRight.biz, www.Tokunbo.com and www.Flegz.com amongst others. There are also sites where you can recharge your call credits such as www.PrepaidNigeria.com and www.RechargeNigeria.com Most of these sites are on the Interswitch network.

10. Portfolio Valuation

These days, Nigerians are becoming more aware of the benefits of investing in shares, stocks, bonds, etc. in the Nigerian Stock Exchange. If you are a stock market broker, expert, enthusiast, or novice like me, you could consider a start-up that evaluates the portfolios of investors (i.e. that monitors the value of people’s investments on the NSE). A good example is www.InvestorDelight.com

11. Web Hosting

Perhaps a saturated market in Nigeria, there is already a handful of web hosting sites offering web hosting packages, web design and web domain name registration services. Some good examples are NairaHost and Web4Africa.

12. Blogging Platforms

Blogging has been very successful with the help of blog platforms such as WordPress, Blogger (Blogspot), and Typepad amongst others. In fact, this blog is hosted under WordPress.

However, we need Nigerian blogging platforms that offer local content, design/theme and settings. I like www.BunduBlog.com, an African-owned blogging platform that echoes the voices of Africans to the world.

13. Blog Themes/Templates Design

We know we have so many design & graphics experts in Nigeria that should hone their skills more on today’s new web space. We need blog templates and theme designers out of Nigeria and Africa that offer and market their own designs based on local backgrounds and concept to the world. Thus, a start-up site that showcases blog templates/themes and allow users to download for a fee could be a hit.

14. Consumer Reviews

Of course you have used a product or service in Nigeria that you didn’t like. And you cursed and cursed but nobody listened to you. Here’s a chance to provide consumers/users the opportunity to share their opinions and experiences about a product or service.

15. Public Complaints

Maybe you have a public complain to make concerning a justice system gone bad, or a corrupt police force, or even a Nigerian government agency or ministry that needs to improve their service, a public complaints site could be a good place to voice your opinions anonymously. It could even be designed as a wiki page and could get a lot of attention. Trust me. Apparently, an ATM machines/ATM card online forum will be a mega hit.

16. Social Bookmarking

Sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, South Africa’s Muti and Nigeria’s Sturvs help share content around the web. But there’s something that Sturvs is not doing (well) – Social Bookmarking. A Nigerian site that allows users to create bookmarks for local web items will really fly.

17. Social Music

When I discovered Last FM, I was thrilled to know that music can be social and fun on the web. Nigeria’s Truspot is a great example of a social music revolution. It would be great to see a Nigerian social music site that allows users to listen to full music tracks and download music (MP3) for free. Is there any site like that?

18. Room/Apartment rental

This is probably one area that has not been explored yet in Nigeria. Most people, especially students who can’t afford a 600K naira apartment for two years in Lagos or Abuja could benefit from this kind of site that allows them find roommates to share the rent and utility bills. You can get ideas from US-based www.EasyRoomMate.com

19. Classifieds

There are so many classifieds sites around the world providing different product listings from cars to laptops to jewelleries. An example is Craigslist. In Nigeria, this market is growing exponentially and sites like Nairalist and Kerawa are tapping into this market. If you’re thinking of launching one or you’re already in this business, you had better read about the recent Craigslist saga! Yeah, dating is allowed, but not prostitution!:-D

20. Editing & Proofreading

A site that provides students, researchers, etc with proofreading and editing services for a fee can be experimented. After all, there are still schools that value high standards for grades in Nigeria, so people who value good grades will pay for a service like that.

21. Technology Blog

A blog about Nigerian technology news, reviews, interviews and analysis will attract tech enthusiasts, IT experts, industry watchers, consumers/customers, advertisers, investors, etc

22. Fashion Blog

A blog about new fashion trends in Nigeria, fashion shows/awards, fashion tips, advice and ideas. This should include photos of different fashion outfits (both male and female), especially of African traditional wears. The audience would be fashion freaks, fashion designers and people looking for anything new in the fashion world. I like what Linda Okeji and LadyBrille are doing.

23. Entertainment Blog

A blog that provides entertainment news, reviews and interviews as well as gossips and gist in the Nigerian entertainment industry will sell big-time. You may include the who’s who in the entertainment world, events coverage, music/movie news, etc No doubt, Bella Naija has done well.

24. Tourism/Culture Blog

Nigerian culture and tourism is very rich, but is yet untapped. There are monuments, rocks, wildlife, water falls, beaches, resorts, parks, hotels, festivals, carnivals, world heritage sites and more that need to be explored. A blog that covers these areas audience could attract potential tourists, people interested in cultures, exhibitors, advertisers as well as investors.

25. Sports/Football Blog

We all know how enthusiastic and passionate people get when their favourite sport is on TV. Thus, a blog about the Nigerian premier league or any other sport in Nigeria could get a lot of attention – the championships, the teams, the players, and the business side of sports – can be highlighted.

26. Career Blog

Getting and keeping a job in Nigeria is a huge challenge. I have my own stories, but please don’t ask:-) A blog about job tips and career advice as well as how to succeed in the Nigerian job market will be a major hit. As a personal and professional development coach and having worked as career consultant and recruiter for several management and recruitment firms both in Nigeria and the UK, I am “seriously” considering this.

27. Car Blog

I find that Nigerians are so crazy about cars, especially fancy cars! A blog that writes about cars, brands, models, etc including photos as well as tips and advice will sell big time. The auto industry in Nigeria is evolving and blogs that report this trend could get premium paid advertisements from car dealers in Nigeria and around the world. A great example of a successful car review blog is www.CarAdvice.com.au

28. Events Blog

Nigerians love events, especially the “owa nbe’s”:D Thus, a general blog that covers all events in Nigeria including entertainment, politics, religion, sports, technology, oil & gas, etc could be an events hub catering for a large audience and will require a lot of contributors. You could get a lot of advertisement offers if you can manage this blog very well. An example is www.EventArcade.com

29. Politics Blog

Perhaps you might not like to report political news and gossips that would get you arrested and detained, but I bet that there are lots of insightful and exciting political news, topics, debates, etc that can get massive attention, especially during an election period. (e.g. CNN Political Ticker). I think that www.SaharaReporters.com is a great example of a site dedicated to political news, reviews and analysis.

30. Celebrity Blog

I notice that people love to read about people, especially about celebrities. Sometime last year, I always wanted to know what’s new about Britney Spears, so I was always on www.PerezHilton.com A blog about Celebs in Nigeria – gossips about their personal lives, their relationships/affairs, their career lives, etc – will be widely read and make you a lot of money.

31. Movies Review Blog

The Nigerian movie industry popularly known as Nollywood has grown to become the third most lucrative movie industry in the world after America’s Hollywood and India’s Bollywood. You could write reviews on movies, and get people to analyse and rate them and also get lots of opinions from Nigerian movie lovers.

32. Photography Blog

A blog that reviews nice sites and places, photos of nature, animals, etc in Nigeria could get attention from people who are interested in visiting Nigeria. You could also share tips, advice and ideas about photography, as well as review photography gadgets such as digital cameras, camcorders, mobile phone cameras, etc

33. Aviation Blog

The aviation industry in Nigeria has experienced a lot of terrible incidents and has shaped the way people view air travel in Nigeria. A blog that reviews airlines in Nigeria, their fleets, services, routes, promotions, and flight news could be a great resource. You might get advert deals from airline operators that have air ticket promotions for their various flight destinations.

34. Stock Market Blog

A blog that reviews and analyses the stock market trends and news reports in Nigeria, including recent company listings, market analysis, industry reports, etc A good example of a Nigerian site doing this is www.NaijaLowa.com

35. Oil & Gas Blog

The Nigerian oil & gas industry has got the world’s attention, so a blog that writes about the latest news and gist about the oil & gas industry could grow to become a lucrative business blog. You could also include the who’s who in the industry.

36. Food/Nutrition Blog

Everyone eats food. Some people love food. Personally, I’m always interested in trying new food options that could nourish my health. In fact, there is a lot of Nigerian, African and continental foods that we haven’t even seen, heard of, or tasted before.

Thus, a niche blog on foods and nutrition could get opinions from food enthusiasts and nutrition experts. You could also include tips, advice and ideas on nutrition and food strategies that might help people eat better and stay healthy.

37. Arts & Craft Blog

The African tradition has so much influence on the way the world sees Africa. Thus, a blog about African masks, sculptures, paintings, etc with photos will get the world’s attention. People can even visit Nigeria in order to shop for these items as a result of information from the blog and which will help boost tourism in Nigeria. They could also purchase these items via online shopping.

38. Religion Blog

Perhaps a Christianity, Islamic or Traditional religion blog that writes about their various activities such as campaigns, crusades, pilgrims, conventions, conferences, carnivals, annual religious rites, worship centres, shrines, etc could get a lot of attention. It could be an online community for people who are religiously inclined. Religious organisations, especially churches may even pay for advertisements on this blog.

39. Entrepreneurship Blog

I think that people would like to become entrepreneurs in Nigeria, especially with the success stories of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola and Mike Adenuga. A business blog that provides entrepreneurship advice and resources on how to start ventures in Nigeria as well as web startups in Nigeria could be a great resource. Some examples are www.DeoluAkinyemi.com, www.LoyOkezie.com, www.NaijaEcash.com and www.EoluTosin.com.

40. Bloggers’ Blog

We’ve seen the success of Afrigator (as a blog aggregation site), but how about a blog that discovers other blogs in Nigeria. Something like a StumbleUpon for Blogs or a Blog’s aggregation Blog?

41. Web Design/Development Blog

A blog that reviews new and existing open source software applications as well as web programming technologies will have a huge readership and followership. It will also make a lot of money from advertisement, etc.

42. Telecoms Blog

A blog that reviews and analyses telecoms news, gossips, products and services, promos, as well as the NCC’s business in Nigeria, including market analysis, future trends and forecasts, industry reports, etc will be a smash.

43. Bank Blog

A blog that reviews and analyses banking trends, gossips, news, products and services, promos, reports including market analysis, etc in Nigeria will be another money spinner.

44. Interior Design Blog

A blog that provides interior decoration and home-making tips and advice, as well as design trends, news, deals, etc will draw attention especially from foreigners/expats living in Nigeria.

45. Gaming Blog

A blog that reviews and analyses gaming products, companies, etc such as PlayStation and Xbox will make a lot of money.

46. Real Estate Blog

The real estate industry has grown exponentially over the last few years. This blog will profile real estate deals and promo offers in different regions as well as tips and advice on how and where to get the best deals in Nigeria. The blog will attract advertisement from real estate companies looking to find buyers.

47. Mobile Gadgets Blog

A blog that reviews and rates mobile phones, accessories, gadgets as well as PC and laptop accessories, PDAs, and other electronics will be very resourceful and profitable.

48. Promo Blog

This blog could focus on covering all promotional offers from companies in all industries, but especially those of banks, telecoms, real estate and aviation. It could grow to become a mega promo shop online where people go to shop for the latest promo offers and news. The blog could have a mobile version, so that users can get promo news right on their mobile phones.

49. Investment Blog

This blog could be analyzing several financial investment ideas, options, and funds available in financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, asset management companies and investment capital and advisory firms. The blog could also provide tips and advice on the best investment options.

The author must be an expertise in financial management and investment strategies. If managed well, it could generate a lot of attention from people needing investment advice as well as financial institutions that would want to promote their products.

50. Social Networking Site

Social networking sites are causing social netquakes on the web space. There are just enough, so let’s try something different, dudes. How about adopting a different approach to the social networking thingy?

Interestingly, I have a cracking idea for a great social network that can be heavily monetised and get the world’s attention. I’m not kidding. I would share it here on this blog so we can x-ray and analyse it together to see if it would fly. The idea is still in conception stage, but if I see larger potentials on the project, sorry I wouldn’t share:-P

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It was an interesting exercise and experience for me compiling this list. The list is by no means exhaustive, so if you have a great business or technology startup idea that’s not on the list, we’d love to hear them.