Digital working environments are undoubtedly the future & are increasingly becoming commonplace. With a local mobile internet penetration of over 50%, it is now apparent that online businesses are a domain to seriously engage in. Online businesses offer flexibility for the entrepreneur & the consumer, whilst involving very low overhead costs. Setting up an online business entails a lower investment risk yet allowing one to reach more prospective consumers. When contemplating starting an online business, focus on ideas that you are passionate about; find a business that you are willing to learn & grow with. Then ensure that you get your business to a point where it earns you money passively.

The online business domain is still relatively in its infancy locally & that presents a vast untapped territory of infinite possibilities. Some online business opportunities in Zimbabwe are discussed here on as follows:

Web Design

It’s interesting to note that most public figures, companies, schools, institutions, brands etc don’t have websites. I did a mini survey in Masvingo and was shocked at the high number of schools that don’t have websites. Due to the ascendancy of online digital working environments it means the need for websites is now unavoidable. You don’t necessarily need to be a web developer; you could partner with web developers and come up with a simple business initiative of developing websites for various clients. Overheads costs are low which are basically data charges for internet connectivity; you could include web hosting & other costs on prices you charge for your services.

E-commerce Store

This entails setting up an online store. Your product or service range could be broad & diversified or specialized; the onus is on you to find out what sells. You’ll need a web-hosting service that has a shopping cart feature integrated into it. Alternatively you could use online e-commerce software. Again, you don’t necessarily need to be the technical expert, you can partner with tech-savvy people. On products & services, you could even partner with brick and mortar product & service providers and then you tap into online prospective consumers and you direct them to the providers. There are endless ways of customizing this business idea.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Examples of this are cloud storage services, domains & web hosting services. Developing a service that is online which addresses an on-demand need but requires users to pay to get access. Thus, the onus is on you to research and find an online service people would be willing to pay for. Some examples are online dating platforms, job search platforms, business networking platforms etc.

Mobile App Development

It’s important to note that mobile phone & mobile internet penetration is now significantly high in Zimbabwe. This obviously means that mobile apps demand & usage is now on the rise. Most people are willing to invest in mobile app development initiatives; therefore, funding isn’t a major issue. Development costs are quite low since there are no storage or transportation costs, thus, widening the profit margin. The concept here is to identify an online need that can be addressed by a mobile approach and money can be made from the process.

Blogging Sites

You can use existing platforms such as WordPress to do this. Alternatively, you can develop your own site and host it; this is a more preferable option as it gives you room to not be limited in what you want to do with your site. The concept here is to regularly post content that’s engaging & generates traffic to your site. As your traffic/following grows, you’ll also begin to attract advertisers. Thus, you’ll make money from people paying for ad placement on your site. You could also incorporate affiliate marketing i.e. you can get paid for promoting other products on your site. Have a look at more ideas on blogging.

Tutoring Services & Information Products

A lot of people are now engaging into business activities locally. Furthermore, people are now undertaking academic programs & various skills development programs. One can make a lot of money from tapping into this huge market of consumers. You can provide online information products in the form of pre-recorded audios, videos & text publications that are accessed by paying first. You could provide paid-access tutorials in the form of webinars, podcasts etc. The idea is to tap into various segments of this broad market.

Freelancing & Virtual Assistance Services

Products offered as freelancing services could be content or article writing, graphic design, programming, data entry, typing, document or article editing etc. The models or approaches to employ are plenty and up to one’s innovativeness. Freelancers can develop a site where people can offer proposals, ideas, services, expertise etc and then people can pay for whatever is in line with what they need. Virtual assistance involves offering one’s services or bringing together people with specialized expertise who can offer online assistance to anyone requiring help in issues pertaining to any field. Example could be, maybe someone’s car has encountered a problem, and someone can take the person through steps of addressing the issue online. It’s just like technical support offered by a gadgets provider.

Social Media Consultancy

Social media use has significantly increased in the country for public figures, corporates etc. You can study, research and become skilled in social media management. Thus you will start offering your services to run social media accounts of different type of clients. You will develop social media strategies, helping determine approaches, posting schedules & content. One can make lots of money from this business concept because most people have social media accounts but don’t have time to manage them plus they don’t realize handling a social media account isn’t just a casual thing but an art form.

Affiliate Marketing/Advertising

You can do this by developing a site dedicated to selling or marketing products & services for other companies. You make money by earning commissions for all subsequent purchases made.

 

The list is nowhere near exhaustive but those are some of the opportunities available for online business in Zimbabwe. Understanding your comity and market can bring you better understanding of the sort of solitons they require and are willing to pay for. Why not subscribe to receive or posts via email Whatsapp?