How To Know If Your Business Is Ready For Reopening After Covid-19

Novel Corona Virus was declared pandemic by the WHO by February and since then, many businesses have never been the same.


Every business private or public has been affected uniquely by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the process of deciding and preparing to resume normal--or "new-normal"--operations will be just as different on a case-by-case basis.


For some, the timing won't be right even after the green light from government officials is given. Check these four guidelines below to determine if your business is ready for reopening.



You have met all conditions set by authorities

As the decision to reopen private businesses is a matter for states to decide, each is running its own phased approach. Both Federal and state governments have set their criteria for reopening.
Also, the NCDC has outlined some guidelines for the reopening of private companies. You can check their website for details.



You have established comprehensive health and safety measures

Before reopening, most businesses will need to make physical and procedural changes that facilitate social distancing and prevent the spread of Covid-19, such as installing clear barriers and increasing cleaning and disinfecting.


Some of the health and safety measures you need to put in place include:

• providing daily Covid-19 updates addressing social distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and changes to normal business operations (e.g., staffing, business hours, etc.); 

• continuation of remote work, including video meetings for any staff working onsite;  

• daily temperature screenings of all employees before they enter the building;

• providing PPE for employees who must be onsite; 

• and limiting visitors to the building, offices, and other physical spaces.

You are prepared to address concerns from your employees

Every business owner should prioritise the health and safety of their employees above all else. It's good humanity, first and foremost, but it also happens to be good business.


Whether for fear of becoming infected with Covid-19 or for other reasons, some employees will be hesitant to return to work environments. Regardless of what their concerns are, manage with kindness and fairness. Meet with your human resources department, employment attorney, or other trusted counsel to be as informed and prepared as possible for those conversations.


By the same token, be prepared to assume the risk that someone may contract Covid-19 at work.




You've considered the consequences of resuming operations prematurely

Aside from potential health risks, reopening your business before it's ready could be more damaging than remaining shut down. Weigh the risks versus the rewards. If you are in retail or manufacturing, for example, are your customers ready to return to the marketplace, and if so, are they in the market for your products or services?


Second, what shape is your supply chain is in? If you don't have enough inventory to accommodate demand, re-opening may be riskier than remaining closed.


And third, what do your fixed expenses look like? If they are on the higher end, the longer you go without revenue, the worse off you'll be. If they are more modest and you don't run a severe risk of losing market share permanently by delaying reopening, some short-term loss may benefit the long game.

Businesses You Can Start With Small Capital As Corona Virus Lockdown Is Relaxed

Last Updated: January, 2021

Because of this novel Corona Virus and the economic/business lockdown that accompanied it, many people lost their jobs, many used up their business capital and are left with nothing. Starting life after the lockdown will not be easy for most persons.


In the light of this, this article is to help many people with great and proven business ideas that one can start with very little capital and, make it big and back to a better financial status in no too distance time.


Coming up with a good idea isn’t a static process; it involves a lot of trial and error. To help, I had come up with the list of businesses you can do to build up your finances in no distance time. Most of these businesses I still do till today, and they are very lucrative and profitable, judging from my experience over the years. You can start of the the business with capital of about N20,000 and you can generate up to N5million (or more) in net profit less than a year, if you put in your time and dedication.



Most of these can be done at home in your spare time, and in your spare space, too. See if there are any ideas below that fit you well. If you find an idea you like, do more reading to know more and then, take action.



Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping is a supply chain management method in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock but instead transfers the customer orders and shipment details to either the manufacturer, another retailer, or a wholesaler, who then ships the goods directly to the customer.


The main concept of dropshipping is selling products you don’t actually own. Working with dropship partners is not only a product acquisition model, but also includes product fulfillment. The process works by taking orders from your online business and forwarding them to your supplier/dropship partner. They in return, ship the product to your customer on behalf of your company.


The key to making money with drop shipping is making a profit on the price difference between what you charge and what your dropshipping partners charge you. The biggest benefit to dropshipping is the ability to offer a large selection of product without purchasing inventory upfront and managing that inventory.
This is one of the most lucrative business anyone can do. You can be an owner of a Dropship store even without lifting a finger and, you will be making massive profit daily.


Read full details: How To Start A Dropshipping Business And Own Dropshipping Store 




Oil And Gas Brokerage/Marketing Business

In the oil and gas business, product trading is where the wealth is and, it has a wide scope, from the Automotive gas oil(AGO- Diesel) to PMS(petrol),  DPK(kerosene) and LPFO( low pour fuel oil- black oil). You will find opportunities from estates, banks, factories, workshops, eateries/hotels and business centres, factories, companies, government offices, filling stations and depots. All these places are where you can supply petroleum products for millions even on your first delivery.



You can completely start the business without capital as an independent broker. The business is completely free to start. This is made possible by payment-on-delivery system of the business. The buyer issues LPO(local purchase order) to you and, with the LPO which you will send to the supplying company, the company then supplies and, when the buyer pays, you will get your commission from the supplying company. You will also get the money you must have added to each litre.


What I mean is, if the supplying company say they are supplying at N130 per litre of PMS, you as an independent broker can tell the buyer that you are selling at N135. That means, each N5 from every litre belongs to you. Each full truck of product contain 33,000 litres, some trucks can also contain 45,000 litres. You will make more money if the buyer is buying more than 1 truck. The supplying company also pays you commission for bringing the business.


You can run the business as a full time business or as part-time business. You are the boss of your own.


Read full details: How To Start Oil And Gas Brokerage/Marketing Business Without Capital 




Email Marketing Business

Email marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing.


The term usually refers to sending email messages with the purpose of enhancing a merchant's relationship with current or previous customers, encouraging customer loyalty and repeat business, acquiring new customers or convincing current customers to purchase something immediately, and sharing third-party ads.


Why Email Marketers Make More Money Than Other Forms Of Marketers?
The reason is clear– for ten years in a row, email is the category generating the highest ROI for marketers. For every N100 spent, email marketing generates N3,800 in ROI and gives marketers the broadest reach of all the channels available to them. Despite the plethora of tools available to marketers, email marketing is simply the best bet for business growth. And it offers email marketer great monthly profit.


However, there are some challenges associated with email marketing. These include,  difficulty in getting the email addresses of individuals, verification of the email addresses, updating the database, having effective way of sending out the messages, categorizing the email addresses (location, age, occupation) and the techniques in generating revenue through email marketing, among others.


These challenges are easily overcome if you can reach out to those already in the business who can provide you with relevant information and resources.


Read full details: How To Make Money Regularly Through Email Marketing Business




Cooking Gas Business

Despite the fact that the competition is there in the business, there are lots of profit to be made. More people are embracing cooking gas daily and moreover, households refill their cylinders often. Just like filling/fuel station where competition is even more higher, people are still venturing into it because of the big profit it generates. Cooking gas business is more of the same nature, in fact,  as an oil/gas marketer, I can tell you that you stand a chance of making more profit as a cooking gas refilling business owner than as a fuel station owner.




You can start cooking gas business on a small scale or medium/large scale.

Small scale involves the use of small cylinders in storing your LPG for onward refilling/selling to your customers, usually for domestic/cooking needs. You use two 100kg cylinders for this purpose or twenty 12.5kg cylinders. Though there is plan on a abolishing this type of small scale refilling system, the government are planning on making them MDCs.


Location is a very important factor when starting this business on a scale scale. Also, you don’t need much capital to start this business.

If you apply the right strategy, you should be generating not less than ₦8,000 in profit daily.




Medium/large scale involves the installation of LPG plant. There are various sizes of the plant and you can start this business on a medium scale without breaking bank. In fact, with a good business plan, you can easily get a loan from bank to start this business and, you sure will be able to pay back the money and the interest in about 8 months. Banks are aware of the potentials of the business and are willing to give out loans. There cooking gas installation companies that have made it easier for you to start this business by providing the necessary assistance required such as free installation and maintenance, securing of licenses and permits required, free equipments such as safety gadgets, free Safe training for your employees, delivery of LPG to your plant without charging logistic fees, etc.


Read full details: How to start cooking gas filling business (small/medium scale) with little capital 





Simple Website Designing/Building Business


Most people run away from this business before they lack coding/programming skills. I included this as a business one can go into because, I'm not referring to a robust website, but a simple or single page website.


In recent times, small businesses are on the increase and each want to be noticed and recognized online. Most of this small businesses lack capital to go for robust website and therefore, they settle for a more cheaper and easier to maintain website know as single page website.


Anyone that can operate a computer and type words on Microsoft office suite can venture into this business as creating this kind of website doesn't require coding. Lots of small and medium scale businesses are all around us and, you can approach them, tell them about the benefits of going online and how cheap the price it. Creating a one page website may cost about N4,000 and you can create one in less than an hour.


Creating this kind of website requires the use of software to make it easier. The software eliminates the need for coding and programming. One of such software is Microsoft FrontPage which you can get at about N12,000 on Amazon or locally.

Read full details: How To Start A Single Website Designing Business And How To Get Microsoft FrontPage Cheaper




Gift Card Reselling/Redeeming Business

Unwanted gift cards can be sold for a percentage of their value (usually 70-90 percent).  This benefits both the gift card reseller site and the seller.  The seller (you) get to trade in your unwanted card for a card you do want with the cost being sacrificing a small amount of the value to the reseller site.

The reseller site wins because they now have a full value card which they obtained at a discount.


Example: You where given a $100 eBay gift card and you trades it for a $75 Amazon gift card.
The reseller site can now sell the $100 eBay card for $95 to a buyer, making $20 in the process ($95 -$75=$20). And the good news is this, there are always market for gift cards. Which means, you make make the $20 over and over again.
And you can always withdraw your money right into your local bank account through direct deposit, paxful, luno, etc.



You can start learning the proven methods I have used for months to earn over ₦50,000 a month, that’s over ₦600,000 a year. The infamous 6 figures everyone chases for just Buying and Selling GIFTCARDS. Mind you, you can make more than ₦60,000 monthly.


Read full details: How to start gift cards Reselling and Redeeming business in Nigeria 



Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) Trading

Buying and selling bitcoins is probably the fastest and easiest way to try and make good money with bitcoin.  The value of the currency fluctuates so much each day, it's a perfect target for traders. The volatility nature, makes Bitcoin a perfect market for trading.


It's little risk, high reward and super exciting because absolutely no one knows how high or low this coin can go.  Lots of money to be made in trading bitcoin. You can learn from availabe information, safe ways to trade and with daily profit. Successfully trading can earn you upto 10% profit of you capital especially when you trade up to 4 time daily. If you take it more serious and dedicate more time to it, you can make more money daily.


You can start with as little as N10,000 and build your capital overtime. This business involves constant monitoring of Bitcoin price and ability to read price trend which you can learn easily from availabe resources (see the link below). You can successfully do this business with your smartphone. One of the trusted platform where you can trade on is LUNO and you can buy Bitcoin directly from your Nigerian bank and withdraw your money directly into your bank without going through exchangers.


Read more: How To Make Money Daily Trading Bitcoin On Luno Exchange Platform 

How Small Businesses Can Survive During Pandemic Period

In recent weeks, many governments have announced that all non-essential businesses must close. This is heartbreaking for many local business owners, despite the obvious necessity of this measure from a public health perspective. Many businesses had already closed earlier in March to prevent the spread of the virus and to protect their employees and customers.



One of the best qualities that will serve you as an entrepreneur right now is adaptability. By adapting to the way things are currently, you're more likely to survive and then thrive when it's over. There may even be an opportunity for business growth.


Small business can follow these steps below to stay afloat this period.



Tap into resources provided by government and financial institutions

Governments around the world are already putting together initiatives to support small business owners, and this is something that is evolving on a daily basis. Be up to date with how your governments can help cut costs, as well as other important institutions, such as banks who also have a social responsibility.



Move Your Business Online

E-Commerce: If you sold physical items out of your store, the first step to all of this is ensuring you have e-commerce set up. This can be in the form of a Shopify store, or WooCommerce if you have a WordPress site, or get set up on a marketplace like, Jumia, Konga,  Facebook Marketplace, etc. Having a little bit more time on your hands can be helpful with writing product descriptions or doing product photography. As everybody is home, online shopping will only increase.


If you were providing a service in person, such as exercise/gym/yoga classes at a studio, run online classes through Zoom or even Instagram Live. Promote on social media to gain visibility. For artists, this can include online masterclasses or webinars. For other small businesses, you can provide consultations and share your expertise virtually (for example, interior design). Remember that some people might be struggling with funds so if you are providing online classes, consider doing a donation-based practice.




Budget a 40% revenue reduction and the costs necessary to be able to stay profitable or break-even


For many businesses, a 40-percent reduction is probably wishful thinking. But I think that’s the point of this exercise. He wants you to figure out ways to make it so your revenues are *only* down by 40 percent. I’m sharing some of his tips on generating revenues below.



Reduce any advertising that’s not 30 days ROI

For most offline businesses, that probably means to stop advertising entirely for now. For online advertising, you have to use those that generates at least ROI in less than 30 days.



Ramp Up Your Email Marketing

Hopefully, you already have a customer mailing list. If you don’t, start building an email list immediately! Use your list to communicate with your customers. Tell them what’s happening with your business. Give them tips on how to use what you sell. Tell them what products you have available. Include coupons, links to buy, and your phone number.

Related post: How to start email marketing and be making good daily profit




Make a three-month financial plan

Every small business usually has the same key expenses, which include employee salaries, office rent, and utility bills. Further expenses range from industry to industry. Speak to who you need to pay in the next three months (landlord and suppliers), and find out what options you have to spread out the costs. Chances are they may already have options in place, or will be understanding, as it’s in their interest to keep your business.

 Always be careful when you come up with payment plans with other small businesses, as they also need to keep afloat too, so this should be fair for both of you.


Look at your personal finances, and speak to people you may support to have a realistic discussion on how to control your personal spending for the next three months. What costs are necessary, what can be put on hold? If you have a partner supporting you as you grow your business as the breadwinner, have an open and honest discussion with them about your immediate and long-term plans for the business.
Also, look at ways you can cut costs.




Looks at your subscriptions to see if you can downgrade to more basic plans


Most businesses have more subscriptions than they realize. Look at your accounting to see where your money goes when it comes to subscriptions and see if you can downgrade some of them