Let's leave the usual ones for a minute.

Because when we talk about starting a business in Nigeria, we keep going back to the same things.

Food.

Clothes.

POS.

Skincare.

And yes, those businesses can work.

But there are other things people are already paying for that we don't always think of as businesses.

Take corporate gifting, for example.

Companies give gifts more often than we realise.

Staff birthdays.

New clients.

Customer appreciation.

End-of-year gifts.

Company events.

The interesting part is that the company doesn't necessarily want to start running around different shops looking for 30 mugs, 30 notebooks, 30 gift boxes and 30 branded items.

They want someone who can just say:

Send me your budget and what you need. I'll handle the rest.

That's a business.

Then there's short-let management.

Someone owns an apartment but doesn't want to deal with guests calling at odd hours, cleaning, check-ins, maintenance and everything else that comes with running a short-let.

You manage it for them and take an agreed fee or percentage.

Again, you don't own the property.

You manage the business around it.

Or laundry pickup and delivery.

You don't necessarily have to open a huge laundry shop.

There are people who already have a laundry they use.

Their problem is simply:

“I don't have time to go and drop these clothes.”

So you pick them up, take them to the laundry, collect them and deliver them back.

The laundry does the washing.

You build the convenience around it.

And here's another one I find interesting:

Small-business procurement.

Think about a restaurant that constantly needs takeaway packs, nylon, tissue, cleaning supplies and other everyday items.

Or a salon that is always buying particular products.

Or an office that needs supplies every month.

Instead of every business owner spending hours sourcing these things, you become the person who handles the purchasing and delivery for them.

They pay for the products.

And they are also paying for the convenience of not having to worry about sourcing them themselves.

These are the kinds of businesses I find interesting.

Not necessarily because they are completely new.

But because they are hiding in plain sight.

Sometimes, you don't need to ask,

What business can I start?

Look at what people around you are constantly struggling to get done.

Then ask:

“Can I build a business around solving that?”