Like most of the other teenagers, you’re either a student, secondary school leaver in the build-up to a higher institution entry or even employed. Whichever your case is, this content is for you.
A side hustle is a business or a job that you can do alongside your academics or job without one affecting the progress of the other. It’s a mutually exclusive situation here. The success of one does not inhibit the growth of the other.
From this content, as a student, you can lead a financially independent life and reduce the pressure on your dear parents.
If you are also in the workforce as a youngster, you won’t have your eyes fixated on the calendar for your salary’s sake.
So if you are ready, let’s delve straight into the meat of the matter.
10 Lucrative Side Hustle for Teenagers in Nigeria
1. Sell Something
Let’s assume you are a student in Nigeria and you stay in the hostel. By default, you are already a potential rich student.
Why?
You live in a community of over 30,000 students on the average and they all have needs. From recharge cards to clothes, toiletries, reading lamps, accessories, books and you can complete the endless list.
All you have to do is sit down one midnight and analyze the most paramount need of your colleagues. A need that no one is addressing or very few people are addressing, then find a way to be the solution.
Remember, you can sell anything, just about anything, asides marijuana, alcohol and other illegal commodities. So long as what you are selling is high on demand.
Most students are just too lazy to go downstairs and purchase little tangible things like groundnut. In this case, your room becomes a close call.
If, however, business is not your thing, then continue reading, there’re 9 more lucrative hustles to go through.
2. Photography
Every Saturday is someone’s wedding, an event, a seminar, conference, show, reunion, memorial, complete it for me. Will you? Every day is someone’s birthday and even the most introverted camera-shy people will love to have memorabilia on their special day.
See why you are not permitted to be broke –whether you are working or schooling.
You work from Monday to Friday and on Saturday you just idle away at home. Why not save some money or reach out to your parent and get a camera?
Clean up nice and gate crash a wedding, you should return in the evening with at least 5k.
You are a student, that’s why you should even make more money with this side hustle.
I’ve never seen a category of people that loves taking pictures more than students. So get rich off their cravings for pictures.
3. Event Planning
Most persons, from childhood, are blessed with the prodigy of just organizing things. They love occasions and events and are happy to be behind the scenes. It’s a gift and a lucrative one.
As with photography, every weekend is tied to something big.
You might need a little training on this one but it won’t be too rigid on you.
Find a boss and volunteer to work under him for a couple of months. By the time you guys have successfully planned and executed up to 20 or more grand events, you can unleash yourself and make your own money.
Even while working for your boss, you will still be getting some peanuts which are better than nothing.
Most people pay to learn, but you are learning and still earning something simultaneously.
Event planners are highly sought after in Nigeria where we never stop celebrating. Make yourself wanted!
4. Freelance Writing
By freelancing, you don’t have to work for one person alone, you can work for as many clients as your time can contain.
If you are a teenager with top-notch writing skills, this side hustle is for you and won’t creep into your time for work or academics.
I can hear you say in your mind, “But I don’t know how to write?”
Says who?
Who does your assignments for you in school when you are given a topic, asked to go research on it and write in your own words?
You write your English exams yourself and you compose letters yourself so nothing stops you from writing for the money?
Nothing!
In freelance writing, all you do is research on a given topic and rewrite in your own words after compiling information from multiple sites. It can be that easy.
The client will tell you what he or she wants in terms of tone, writing style and a number of words amongst other details.
If you don’t meet up the demands, the job is being returned to you for correction and you learn every day on the job. Just like fine wine, you grow better with the years.
I began writing without taking any formal writing course anywhere. I learnt everything I know now by practising, learning and working writing jobs. You too can.
Read Also: How to Become a Freelance Writer in Nigeria –With No Experience
5. Proofreading and Editing
This is similar to writing. A client gives you a text and your job is to proofread and spot the errors in spellings, punctuations and fix wrongly constructed sentences.
Most times you are asked to add some content to it and make it rich.
As a Nigerian teenager, you are in a community where people write every day and you can offer to proofread their assignments, projects, seminars and term papers for a fee. You will be surprised to see how people will gladly pay you for this service.
Also, freelance websites like Fiverr and Upwork are lucrative sites where you can provide these services as a side hustle or on a part-time basis and make some impressive money. However, you need to have what it takes to make money online in Nigeria before jumping on these websites to earn a decent income.
6. Tutoring Service
As a teenager, whether you are working or schooling, this side hustle is another stream of income for you.
Teachers are never enough to cater to the academic needs of kindergartens, thus parents are always in need of external tutors to supplement this.
For the better part of this service, it’s always in the evenings and weekends. This won’t have to encroach into your other activities.
Many teenagers and workers are into it.
People are making money off it because it’s lucrative, especially if you are working for rich Nigerian parents.
7. Real Estate Agent
People are always looking for accommodation. As a teenager, instead of perambulating aimlessly in your neighbourhood and socializing, use those legs for the work of an agent.
An agent is entitled to 10% of the total money the client he or she brings pay to the landlord.
Move around, liaise with landlords to bring tenants for them. Put up your number and the service you offer in as many social media platforms as you can. Tell friends about what you do and you will be the first port of call when someone is looking for a house.
If someone, through you, rents a house of about N200,000, you get N20,000 as commission from it, plus the agent fee you will charge the tenant of about N1,500 for showing him the house.
This side hustle is very lucrative, trust me.
8. Graphics Design
As a teenager in Nigeria, one of the skills you must acquire in this digital age is computer operating skills.
This includes full knowledge of all the applications in Microsoft office.
Away from that, graphics design is another skill in hot demand right now.
If you have the skill, great! If you don’t have, then go learn it.
Every day you see fliers litter your street, campus and workplace. Events are being publicized daily and graphics designers are behind the publications, raking in money.
You can even join the best freelance sites and offer graphic designs for foreign clients. This option is lucrative because the clients pay in dollars.
A hustle that pays in dollars. Think about it!
9. Clothing and T-Shirt Branding
Nigerians love to what is good.
Having your name crested behind your shirt gives you an awesome feeling of ownership.
Schools have student’s week, fellowships on campus have annual events, people have birthdays to celebrate and couples have pre-wedding photoshoots to make.
Now, do you see how awesome and lucrative this side hustle is for you as a Nigerian teenager?
Say you have graphics design as a skill alongside photography. Branded shirts come with logos and stylish inscriptions most of the time; that’s the work of a graphics designer. And people who have their clothes branded would love to take pictures; that’s the job a photographer.
You see why you can’t have money as one of your problems. Additionally, you could also be selling the clothes used for branding. No need for your clients to go to the market and buy clothes. They come to you, select the clothes and have them branded. This can’t be more lucrative.
10. Social Media Management
An average teenager spends up to 4 hours (or more) a day on social media, chatting and envying the lavish lifestyles of celebrities. You can convert that exercise into a money-making venture here in Nigeria.
As a social media manager, basically, your job is to man a company’s social media pages and blog.
The relationship between a company and its clientele base online is kept robust by a social media manager. Promotion of new products and services online is part of your job description.
Analyzing trends and needs of customers and relaying them to the company for immediate action is also part of your job.
This requires you to be active on social media like you’ve always been for nothing and this time, you make money from it. You might need a little training on this though.
Your turn
So, have you decided which one of these lucrative business ideas you’d like to go for as a teenager?
If there is anything you’d like to say or ask, feel free to leave it in the comment section below.
Until next time!
