Making ice block is a fun hobby that can turn into a full-time business and as well earn you a profitable income. To succeed in the ice block making business, you will need to make quality ice blocks and probably know how to market your product.
Starting an ice block making business in Nigeria doesn’t need a huge capital to get started. You can easily start it on a small scale or even from your home. An ice block business is also a work-from-home business any person can start. If you must make it in selling ice blocks, then you must become a professional in making ice blocks.
In case you don’t know how to get started, this article will guide you on how to start an ice block making business in Nigeria.
Starting An Ice Block Making Business In Nigeria
1. Come Up With A Business Plan
A plan mostly is a guide away from failure. A business plan guides you through the journey of knowing and identifying relevant, irrelevant, and excesses. After all, growing a business is a process, it is never an immediate achievement. Therefore, a good plan from the start gives you clear visions, confidence, and focus.
There are two methods of writing your business plan, the traditional business plan method, and the lean business plan.
The traditional business plan: This is mostly used or needed by a detailed business owner or investor, this is mostly the best option as it is detailed. The traditional business plan contains:
√ Business name
√ Your mission statement
√ Your services
√ Your business leadership team
√ Your employees
√ Where your business is located.
√ Your Target market
√ Your Market Analysis
√ Your SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Oppositions Threats) Analysis
√ Your Organisation and management structure with a chart if possible
√ Marketing and sales strategy
√ Funding requirements and duration
√ Business yielding Potentials
√ Credit Histories
√ Permits that would be required
√ Licenses that would be required
The lean business plan method: This is a direct-to-the-point type of business plan, it contains:
√ Mission Statement
√ Major Partnerships
√ Resources that would be used to create services
√ SWOT (Strength Weaknesses Oppositions Threats) Analysis
√ Sales and Marketing Strategy
√ Target Market
√ Revenue Streams
2. Conduct A Market Research
You must understand the system of your market because you will be needing it. First and foremost, understanding your market gives you a great insight into what the value you are providing is worth, it’s target and the competition.
Additionally, you can conduct market research on the strength and weaknesses of other ice block making businesses, what you are going to do differently or what you are going to improve on to provide a better service. What you need to make the difference or improvements, what it will cost you to startup. During your market analysis, you take a SWOT analysis of your business.
3. Improve Your Business Plan
With the knowledge from your market analysis, you improve your business plan, let go of the excesses and add to the plan the necessities to be the shift in the market. This stage in starting your ice block making business can be regarded as the final plan stage.
At this point, a clearer picture of your business and a modification of your mission statement is done. So as you go about putting things in order, you have a clear perception of what you are doing.
4. Raise Capital For Your Business
As there are several means of raising capital, a lot of negative information is out there about taking a loan. Taking a loan depends on the business plan and structure, if you are confident enough about the potential of your business, a loan is no bad idea.
LOAN: Loan is a certain amount of money lent to you by the bank over years and the interest rate and monthly payments are fixed in terms.
Other ways to raise capital include:
√ Personal Savings: The money you have put aside to start a business. This is not gotten from anyone else but you.
√ Selling stock of your business: This refers to liquidating your asset for money. Your investor buys the share and gives you cash, most times it is advisable you keep over 50% of your stock as the investor has the exclusive right to re-sell his share and that might affect your ownership of your business. The highest shareholder is the owner of the business. These are the things to consider when starting a business.
√ Partnership: You partner with someone or an organization of like minds. Where the other party who contributes to the capital is given a percentage. In partnership, they share in the profit as well as the loss which would mostly be aligned to their contribution of capital and overall growth of the business.
√ Sponsorship: You can write a business proposal to individuals, organizations, or companies. If validated and approved, these individuals, organizations, and companies will raise the capital. In this case, they may not be interested in any percentage of the profit but might be requiring a steady report on the growth process. On the other hand, they may require a given percentage (most times a little percentage. for Example, Non-governmental organizations) but will not take part in the loss of the business.
√ Friends and Family: This is contributions from close relatives and friends. it could be a place to start, it could be facilities but mostly cash. The business owes no obligations to these persons.
5. Find A Good Location
Location is paramount. The ice block making business has its customers. However, you can be offering the right services but with the wrong people, and this is mostly an effect of bad location and all efforts on the plan and structure will be a waste.
In choosing a location, your target market is majorly considered. You do not run an ice block making business in an area where it is not needed but in an environment where it can be accessed. The economic policy of the environment too should be considered.
6. Obtain Necessary Licenses And Permits
Registering your business is not the only guarantee you need to kick off. As a result, ice block making business have their license or permit of some sort and this is dependent on your location. Business permits regulate the structure and safety of the business community.
7. Get All The Needed Equipment, Tools, And Facilities Ready
Ice block making requires a few tools and equipment to run it successfully. And as your business grows, you can decide to buy additional equipment, but to start, you will need tools and equipment like Ice making machine, generator, freezer, nylon bags (for packaging), water supply system, etc.
8. Employ Staff
A general saying “If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go with someone”. A very important aspect of a business is employing staff. A properly trained one who have the knowledge of making ice blocks will do a greater good. Also, good training for a newbie will promise loyalty to your business.
You can not raise your business structure and do all the work and produce high efficiency, even if you do, it will take a longer time. The time that would have accomplished one or two more tasks. So, no department or aspect of your business suffers, a staff is a must. If it is a small-scale business, basically two or three for a start is enough.
9. Promote And Market Your Ice Block Making Business
We are the most fortunate generation with the internet, where almost everything is possible including promoting and marketing your business. Key effective ways are advising online through social media (targeting people in your area) and offline through word of mouth and billboards.
Cost Of Starting An Ice Block Making Business In Nigeria
If you want to start a profitable ice block making business in Nigeria, then you should budget about ₦900,000 on a minimum to start a good capacity ice block business. Note: The cost of equipment currently will also determine your startup cost.
Regarding the fact that you did your research well, an ice block making business in Nigeria is one of the best lucrative opportunities you can start.