How to Start Your Own Building materials Business in Nigeria. The construction industry in Nigeria has seen enormous growth in the past couple of years and given that about 60% of the country’s population live in urban centers, it’s safe to say that this trend will only continue over the next decade or so. There is no better time than now to get into the building materials business in Nigeria and what better way to start than by learning how to start your own building materials business from scratch? In this article, we will take you on a step by step guide on how you can get started with your very own building materials business in Nigeria and make money from it in the shortest possible time period.
Step 1: Planning
A good business plan for your building materials business in Nigeria lays out your game plan. Figure out where you are going, how you are going to get there, and who is with you on your business journey. If all goes according to plan and if you have a killer marketing strategy, success will come next. This is also when you should decide what kind or scope of business entity is best for you, sole proprietorship, Limited Liability Company, etc. as well as how much startup capital it will take to get things started. There are many online resources that can help you through these decisions; make sure to do your research before moving forward. In addition, keep in mind that most banks require a personal guarantee from anyone applying for a loan, so be prepared to be fully committed if you go that route. Remember: It doesn’t matter how perfect your building materials business plan is, if you don’t put it into action, nothing will happen!
Step 2: Carryout Market Research for Your Building Materials Business in Nigeria
To set up your building materials business in Nigeria there’s need to carry out a market research and getting organized. This will be a crucial step as it will help you get a better understanding of how you can benefit your target market and how you can solve their problems with your products or services. If you are selling building materials, for example, find out what types of building materials people are currently using for their houses and how you can convince them to buy your products. You could do so by creating an infographic that compares different types of building materials based on price, quality and durability. Another option would be to create a short video showing how easy it is to install one of your products—this way, potential customers can see how simple and straightforward installing one of your products really is.
Step 3: Get Your Building Materials Business Register In Nigeria with CAC
The federal government of Nigeria mandates that anybody who wants to start a building material business in Nigeria should register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) before they can operate. You can register your building materials business with CAC as an enterprise. Ventures or as a limited liability company.
Step 4: Select the Right Location For Your Building Materials Business.
Before you can start your own building material business in Nigeria, you will need to find a good location for it. You should plan on finding a place that is along a major road near residential, office and building construction sites. As customers will not want to travel too far to purchase their building materials. You should also look for a place with ample space so that you can stock lots of different types of building materials. The first thing you will need to do when searching for your location to site your building materials business in Nigeria is find out who owns the land on which it will be built. Once you know who owns it, you can negotiate with them about renting or buying the property. If they agree on allowing you to use their property, then go ahead and seal a deal.
Step 5: Work on Branding Your Building Materials Business In Nigeria.
Once you have you created a business plan, it is time to begin branding your Building Materials Business. To do so, you will need a logo, website and social media pages for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. A good web hosting service that allows WordPress installation would be great. This is how you will begin building traffic for your site by using keywords relevant to your niche/industry in your articles. Keep posting photos of the different type of building materials you sell and share it on social media to create awareness about your business.
Step 6 : Locate Suppliers Of Building Materials In Nigeria
There are many building materials suppliers in Nigeria, so to stock your building materials shop or warehouse with regular supplies, all you need to do visit building materials manufacturers or dealers in area and negotiate deal with them.
Step 7: Source For Capital Needed to Start A Building Materials Business In Nigeria.
To start a small building material business in Nigeria successfully you need a minimum startup capital of about N400,000 but you can invest more into the business if you have more money.
Step 8 : List of Types of Building Materials Commonly Sold in Nigeria
There are many different types of building materials in Nigeria one can decide to sell and make money. Below are some of the most popular building materials to the common used and sold in the Nigeria market.
1. Cement Blocks or bricks
Cement Blocks or bricks are commonly used to build houses, erect fences and for other civil works.
2. Bags of Cement
Cements are used in building construction to hold blocks or bricks together to make them stand firm.
3. Building Sand
Building Sand is commonly mixed with cement and used in building and construction industry to plaster building walls to give them a good look.
4. Sharp sand
Sharp sand is one commonly used building materials in Nigeria for construction purposes both in road and housing sector.
5. Granite or Building Stones.
Granites are commonly used to build concrete structures or hold pillars together in building and construction sites to avoid collapse.
6. Iron rods
Iron rods are commonly used alongside cement, granites and sand to construct decking and pillars together in the construction low and high-rise buildings.
7. Roofing sheets
Roofing sheets of different types are commonly used cover building tops as roofs. These various types of roofing sheets can be produced from different materials ranging from ceramic materials to iron or aluminum.
8. Woods
Woods as a common building materials in Nigeria are usually used for different purpose in the building and construction industry. Woods can be used to connect and hold the roof of building together and they can be used to hold concrete mixtures together till it dries up.
9. Paving stones/Floor tiles.
Floor Tiles and Paving stones are commonly used as building materials in Nigeria’s construction industry to build roads in residential or industrial areas like housing or industrial estates in Nigeria.
10. Pipes, accessories and fitting building materials: They are commonly used in plumbing works in building and construction industries in Nigeria.
11. Electrical wires, fittings and accessories: They are building materials used in lighting and other electrical installations in the building and construction industry in Nigeria.
