SIMPLE BUSINESS IDEAS ANYONE CAN TRY IN TANZANIA

Tanzania is one of the rapidly developing countries in Africa today. Therefore, it is one of the best countries to invest in a business right now in East Africa.

You don't need millions of shillings to start a business. With the little you have saved or have access to, you can start a business. Remember that in order to succeed in business you need to have discipline, patience and hard work.

1. SELLING SECOND - HAND CLOTHES (MITUMBA)

This is one the most popular business in Tanzania, but tricky to run. However, second hand clothes business is booming and if you are looking for a business to start, this would be the best business to invest.

The good news is that you don’t require a lot of capital to go into the mitumba business. With as little as Tsh 100,000 you can start selling mitumba clothes. All you need is to get a good location and know where you will be buying clothes. Most people buy at Kariakoo market in Dar. On average, you can make a profit of Tsh10, 000 a day, while some make up to Tsh100, 000.

2. PRINTING / PHOTOCOPYING

If you are in college or university, this is one of the most profitable businesses you can start. You could also venture into the business if you are living near a college or university. You will need to purchase a computer, printer and photocopying machine.

3. OPERATING A SALON / BARBER SHOP

While some people may underrate this business and assume that it is for the uneducated, it is, in fact, a lucrative business that has the potential of making you good money running into millions.

You can start by visiting clients in their home; make enough money to finally rent out a place.

4. MOVIE SHOP

This is one of the top businesses you can start with just about Tsh200,000 in Tanzania. It is also one of the easiest and the returns are really good. If you have a computer or a laptop already, you can just rent out a room and start selling your movies.

Most movie shops make a profit of about Tsh 20,000 per day, translating to Tsh 600,000 per month. Before long you will be having your own chain of movie shops in various major towns.

5. CAR WASH BUSINESS

This is one of the most common business ideas in Tanzania right now. You don’t require much to start a car wash, just an area with water supply. The Tanzanian culture is that people would rather pay someone to wash their cars than do it themselves.

If you charge 5000 shillings per car, you can manage to clean 20 cars per day again depending on where you are located. That is 100,000 per day.

Get a dedicated staff and you could be making around 3,000,000 in a month. Get over the mentality that car washing is for the lowly and uneducated people in society, people are making millions from that business.

6. BODA BODA BUSINESS

This is one of the lucrative business ideas in Tanzania that young people especially are venturing into in large numbers. If you are still looking for a job and have some money saved up, this is a good business start.

The good thing about this business is that you can be sure that at the end of the day, you can make a comfortable Tsh20,000. If you can’t ride it yourself, you can always employ someone.

7. M - PESA BUSINESS

M-Pesa has grown tremendously into a lucrative business. Even if this business seems crowded, no matter where you are operating at, you can be assured that at the end of the day you will still make a profit. Opening an M-Pesa business requires you to have at least 1 Million but if someone gives you their line to operate with you only require around 500,000. As with other businesses location is also key.

8. POULTRY FARMING

Instead of keeping on sending numerous job applications without getting any response, whey not better yourself by starting a poultry business? Starting a chicken rearing business requires a seed capital of as low as Tsh500,000. Profit increases as you increase the number of chicken.

9. MANICURE & PEDICURE

The truth is that every woman in Tanzania wants to look beautiful and you can tap into this potential by starting a manicure and pedicure business. You can start by doing house calls before you rent a place.

10. JUICE BLENDING / FRUIT BUSINESS

With so many terminal illnesses like cancer, diabetes and HIV-AIDS most people opt to stay away from processed foods. You can help people adopt healthier lifestyles by starting a juice blending and fruit stand. You need a seed capital of Tsh200,000 to buy a blender and other containers and you are off to go.

11. SELLING WOMEN HAND BAGS

Women love fashion and looking good. You can start selling handbags and make good profit. People who are in this business get their supplies from places like Kariokoo or Uganda.

And with the advent of social media, online business is booming. You can create a Facebook page for your business, boost a few posts to reach as many people as you want. The good news is that, you don’t have to stress about getting the city council permits or a stall when you are conducting this business online.

12. SELLING ICE-CREAM

This is another one of the top business ideas in Tanzania you can start. You need to find a good location like near a school, university or a street with a lot of traffic. The starting capital for this business in Dar is Tsh200,000, which means it could be less in another town.