Zimbabwe is considered to be a religious nation; this is because the vast majority of the population are religious. It is also said that around 85 per cent of Zimbabweans are Christians. Over 60 per cent of them are said to be regular attendees of church meetings. This clearly shows that churches are a strategic business target market. You can actually come up with business ideas that specifically target churches in Zimbabwe. That is the focus of this article so that you can see where you can fit.
Real Estate Rental Services
Most churches rent certain spaces for them to conduct their services. Most churches have at least two major services per week. In fact, several different churches can rent the same space having different slots for their services. This can be easy money where you know you will have a monthly recurring income. In principle, if you have some piece of real estate that you do not really have use for, you can turn it into an events centre where churches pay to use. I have even seen some churches using simple shade structures – you can do the same if you have space and you rent it out.
Public Address System Hire
For most church services, a good public address system is a must. Some churches are still to purchase their own and you can offer the service of them hiring for their services. The needs of churches will vary given the attendance of the services and also the nature and size of the venue. There will also be times when churches hold significantly big events that might need bigger public address systems. Most churches even when they have their own public address systems will have to hire. You can offer that service and many churches will be turning to you from time to time. In 2017 there was a popular church that hired a public address system from SA for an event in the National Sports Stadium. The system was state of the art and cost around US$100 000 to hire.
Event Management And Services
I have mentioned that there will be times when churches hold special or big events. There might be several things they might need for such events. Aside from the public address system, they might need stage setups, chairs, tables, and the like. You can put together a business where churches can turn to you for a one-stop-shop for their event management service needs. I know of someone who makes a living offering professional décor services. They actually get hired to do décor at various churches.
Web And Live Streaming Services
More and more people are realizing the importance of going digital. The same goes for churches who have realized that live streaming can help ensure there is normalcy even under lockdown scenarios. Even though there is somewhat a semblance of normalcy now the need for virtual meetings is still needed. Regional and global travel has not yet really gone back to normal so physical meetings are still far off and mostly restricted. For most churches, live streaming is still a new experience and they still largely rely on Facebook streaming and the like. You can put together live streaming services where churches can sign up so that they can exclusively stream their services. You can also marry that with web services where churches can establish a good internet presence.
Branding Services
Churches and specialized events are synonymous. Often time churches have to organize and hold themed events. Themes are also a major part of church activities. Once something is themed then you know there is a need for branding for a wide array of things. Things that need to be branded can be t-shirts, wrist bands, caps, banners, billboards, various kinds of signage and the like. Virtually any church needs some form of branding services.
Fashion And Design
Fashion is an integral part of any church. Whether they wear uniforms or they wear whatever they want, fashion matters to them big time. For those who wear uniforms, you can provide design and tailoring services. For the latter, you can source and sell them fancy clothes that people typically love to wear to church. It is funny there are some churches that some people shy away from because they feel you have to really dress up to go there. That simply tells you how much of a big deal fashion is to church members. For instance, suits and formal shoes are a big deal to the gents in most of these churches. There is money to be made if you strategically approach churches with alluring offers.
All the business ideas I have mentioned can be done exclusively or you can have special packages tailored for churches. I say so because all those business ideas can exist even when you are not specifically targeting churches. This should be a eureka moment for you because you probably might have never thought of it this way. Tapping into the churches demographic can be the solution to your market problems. Have not noticed how even political parties and civic society organizations deliberately tap into that demographic for support or certain initiatives? Why not be that deliberate in your business ventures; it can be the missing link in your business journey.
