I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen the setup. What does this young man do? He sells ice blocks. Just that. Ice blocks.
At a minimum, he gets net returns above 2 million monthly.
He has 3 staff that he pays 30k monthly. Their job is just to tie water in Santana and stock the freezers. They do this every morning and evening. Each block goes for 200 naira. He told his staff he doesn't care how much they sell; he only wants to receive an alert of 100k daily. Imagine that level of motivation. The staff have off days, but they don't take them. Why should they?
He rents 3 shops to house 9 solar freezers, and he pays 900k for all 3 shops yearly. His capital outlay for the solar setup is 11.9 million naira. His sales in a day pay all his staff for the month. How insane is that?
Who will believe that just producing ice blocks can give someone this level of income? Admittedly, the business is seasonal, but it is a business that can generate maximum returns for 6 months or more in a year at scale.
I don't know if something like this can move nationwide. I went to Nasarawa State on business and stumbled on a long‑time friend, and this is what he is engaged in even though he has his PhD already.
There are countless opportunities like this nationwide. It doesn't necessarily have to be ice blocks. Business is capital. Huge amounts of it, for that matter.
10 million will take you far as a poultry farmer, eggs particularly.
10 million will give you access to Dangote or Coca‑Cola distributorships.
20 million will give you Nestle.
My knowledge here is quite rusty though.
I don't know about Flour Mills, Dufil Prima, or other fast‑moving consumer goods companies. I know someone who sells just Tom‑Tom sweets as a major dealer, and bank managers are begging for his business.
I don't have an idea how much major cigarette and beer dealers make monthly, but Nigerian Breweries and Guinness Nigeria Plc are some of the companies with the highest market capitalisation on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. So that should give you an idea. There is good money in sin after all!
To have ideas for business and have no capital for execution is a curse. Nigeria works, but limited access makes it appear an impossibility for most of us.
I'm not engaged in any of the businesses listed above. I'm just a young man with his face pressed on the glass looking in. Some day though, I may be able to knock on that glass for access. But today, I'm just one who believes so much in this country and the vast opportunities it holds to provide wealth.
Nigeria is working. We need it to work for all of us.
To have ideas for business and have no capital for execution is a curse. Nigeria works, but limited access makes it appear an impossibility for most of us.
I'm not engaged in any of the businesses listed above. I'm just a young man with his face pressed on the glass looking in. Some day though, I may be able to knock on that glass for access. But today, I'm just one who believes so much in this country and the vast opportunities it holds to provide wealth.
Nigeria is working. We need it to work for all of us.
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteRooting for you!!!
ReplyDeleteHe could pay the 3 staff more.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that so many talk about poverty that they are blind to all the opportunities around them. Even the very things that annoys them daily presents an opportunity to fill that gap
17:06, thanks for saving me time. In the mindset of chronic nagging a major management, security, motivational and business nugget was missed by those given to complain all the time.
DeleteNice one👍👍
ReplyDeleteThis is the absolute truth
ReplyDeleteNice one Doggy 👍
ReplyDeleteNothing but the truth, opportunities are abound in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteTrue. So many opportunities in Nigeria but capital is the problem
ReplyDeleteNicely written.
ReplyDeleteLack of capital is not the only challenge in Nigeria. It is incredibly difficult to do business in an environment where dishonesty and exploitation are so common. Sometimes, even the people you try to empower end up taking advantage of you. Sadly, trust and accountability remain major issues holding many businesses back.
ReplyDeleteHello Doggedity,
ReplyDeleteWhat stands out most in today's essay isn't even the business itself - it's the mindset behind it. And honestly, that's where most people stumble. They're drawn to what fascinates them without fully understanding it, and fascination without foundation has a way of quietly outsmarting you.
The owner understood something that many people miss: in a tough economy, incentives matter just as much as capital or profit. By setting a daily target and allowing workers to keep whatever they earn beyond it, he stopped managing employees and started creating partners in achieving outcomes. That's not just smart - it's psychologically precise.
These workers aren't clocking in for a wage anymore. Their effort has a direct return, which explains why they avoid taking days off. When your income moves with your output, your whole relationship with the work shifts. Incentives are quiet but they're powerful like that.
There's also something we should be careful not to gloss over, because the essay does gloss over it a little. The same structure that creates motivation can also create pressure. Long hours, the weight of daily hustle, income tied to showing up no matter what is not just drive, but intentional survival. Both things can be true. We can admire the model and still acknowledge the strain behind it. He didn't arrive here overnight.
What I found most valuable - and what I think many people can relate to - is that opportunity rarely shows up looking like opportunity. It usually looks like an ordinary problem that someone decided to solve, consistently, at scale. That's the part that should interest us.
So I'll ask you directly, Doggedity - and through you, everyone who read and admired this piece - did you observe, or did you actually learn? Because admiring a well-built thing and understanding how to build one yourself are two very different experiences.
If we're being honest with ourselves, we'd stop treating business success as something that happens to other people. Longing changes nothing. Admiring other people's vision from a distance changes nothing. What moves things is turning inward, finding genuine conviction, and being honest about whether this path is actually right for you - because enterprise is not for everyone, and there's no shame in that truth.
But if it is for you, stop admiring from the outside. Find a real communal need around you - even as a side hustle. Study the economics behind it. Look for a model you can adapt rather than invent from scratch. Start where you actually are, not where your ambitions wish you were. Execution, done with discipline and consistency, is what business rewards. Not enthusiasm. Not envy. Not applause. And definitely not admiration.
Lovely piece.