The financial services field is such a wide field. Understandably so. What do we do in this day and age that doesn’t involve some sort of contact with financial services besides sleeping? Financial services are extremely to live as we know them and their importance will only grow as the finance world develops. As we create new financial instruments such as cryptocurrency new services come along with. In that regard, we can agree that many opportunities exist in financial services and here are some that are ready for Zimbabweans of the right mind. Remember that in financial services certain skills or certification is considered a prerequisite for some businesses to operate.
Personal financial management
Personal finance is where it all begins to be honest. It also just happens to be one of the most difficult subjects out there. This is great for you if you have the requisite skills and background to operate as a personal finance educator or manager in Zimbabwe. People are happy to pay for help with getting their personal finances in order.
Collection agency
The idea of a debt collector springs to mind but this is a little wider than that. A collection agency doesn’t just go after bad debts but also facilitates the collection of current outstanding amounts. You make your money by charging a percentage of the amount collected. The nature of the business does require licencing as it deals with sensitive matters.
Bookkeeping
With businesses literally mushrooming all over the country, the need for professionals like bookkeeping is on the rise. If you have the requisite skills and knowledge you can start a bookkeeping business.
Insurance broker
Insurance brokers are just what they sound like, they find good insurance deals for customers. A good example where this could work is in vehicle insurance for Zimbabwe. The industry experienced somewhat deregulation about a decade ago. As a broker, you could offer vehicle insurance from multiple insurers offering your clients a one-stop-shop for their insurance needs. You can consider this across many different types of insurance as insurance companies are happy to pay commissions to brokers.
Investment Fund
Investment Funds come in many different shapes and sizes and some of these can accommodate aspiring business people with requisite skills. This could simply be a private investment company that invests in other companies or a huge fund. There are rules as to who you can approach and how you can approach them and you will need to keep these in mind.
Venture Capital Fund
Closely linked to investment funds are venture capital firms. These are firms that provide early-stage investment capital to small and startup businesses. They profit by selling off their investment at a later stage when the business is established but may hold on long term after the business is established. This business doesn’t always start with a large capital outlay but will involve the outlay of considerable amounts of capital if done right.
Payments Agency
This business doesn’t require expertise or complicated certification like most. With advances in technology and the movement towards the remote economy, many businesses involved in financial services and payments are working with agents to expand their footprint without the expenses that come with it. Insurers, mobile money, remittance companies and many more are working with agents. You can start a business as a payments agency offering many services under one roof and it can be very lucrative to do business this way.
Finance books
Just popular as financial services are books all about finance. With quite a strong and dedicated market for these books, you will have a market that can keep you well-remunerated for your effort. You can become a reseller of books or even run a second-hand book service that is dedicated to books on finance.
Software
Another big thing is finance software. If you’re a software developer you can look at creating bespoke software solutions in the area of finance. The other option is to act as a reseller of finance software. Both avenues are lucrative.
Comparison website
As we have already highlighted financial service providers are plenty and in saturated markets, they are very happy to pay for referrals to their products. If you’re a web developer you can explore a comparison or shopping website for financial services. Take for example the funeral assurance market. Having a website that shows people all options available to them and compares the options based on variables that matter to consumers.
This is really the tip of the iceberg. If you drill down into most of these ideas you can find many more financial services business ideas that you can be successful within Zimbabwe.
