How to Start Your Own African Business in 2023

Have you ever thought about having your own African business? Maybe you want your new business to be the sole source of your income or are wanting to have an extra side income from it. Either way, it can be easy to get started.

There are a lot of African ideas that people like in your community and online. If you buy these products at a wholesale price, you can sell them for more money and make a profit. Another good thing about buying wholesale is that you don't need to spend much money to make a decent income. At Africa Imports, we have start-up kits with our most popular ideas to get you started.

Turn your passion in to a new business.

If you want to be an Africa Imports re-seller and start your own African business in 2023, here are 7 steps to follow.

1. Decide what products to sell – When starting out, it’s better to have a smaller product range that’s easy to manage. The more successful you become you will be able to look into adding further products. So, think about the type of products you would like to sell, such as soaps and shower gels, oils for aromatherapy, health and beauty or African clothing. But one tip; as well as choosing products you are passionate about and that interest you, make sure they are also profitable.

2. Identify your customers – determine who you are going to sell your products to, especially in the early days of your business. A good place to start is by making a list of the 100 people you know. The list should include family and friends, work colleagues, neighbors, church and community groups, as well as others you come into regular contact with. Don’t worry if you don’t have their contact details right now; this you can develop over a period of time. However, for those you do have contact details, such as emails, phone numbers, addresses and social media messages/chats, add them to the list.

3. Do your research – once you’ve got your list, talk to people on that list and see what sort of products they would be interested in buying. This will also help you determine your product range. Get a group of people together, like your family and friends, to talk about your business idea. They can give you their thoughts and ideas. You should always do research into your target customers before starting a business. 

4.Tell people about your new business – if your target customers don’t know you’ve started a business, they won’t know they can buy their favorite African choices from you. Start with your family and friends, then branch out into your local community before going further afield. There are a variety of ways you can use to get your business message out to people: 

a. Send a letter or email telling them about your new business and examples of your product range. Set up a mailing list and send regular communications about your products, special offers, new additions to the product range. 

b. The personal touch – for family, friends and the local community, visit in person and perhaps take some samples with you. Consider doing product ‘parties’ with family and friends, or even community and church groups. Even if you don’t have the products as yet, you can still take orders. 

c. Social media is probably one of the easiest, as well as most tried-and-tested ways of getting your message out there. However, pick your social media channels with care. For a product-based business, it’s probably better to stick to Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram. Remember to make sure you add a visual to your social media post; you will usually get a much better reception from images. 

5. Buy your products – whether you’ve already got a book of orders, or you are buying your first batch of products, set your budget and buy a selection within that budget. Don’t worry about starting small; it’s much better to sell your stock and have to re-order fairly quickly rather than being left with items on the shelf that you can’t sell. Remember, there is money tied up in your stock and the longer it takes to sell them, the more your profit is sitting on the shelf. 

If you're especially short on cash right now, you don't need to wait. You can get sample sizes of some of the most popular products from Africa Imports with the easy business start-up kit for just $49. with free shipping. 

The easy business start-up kit is the easiest, least expensive, and most effective way to get started

6.Marketing and sales outlets – don’t limit yourself to just one or two sales channels. As well as selling online, which is becoming more and more popular, such as via social media shops, think ‘outside the box’, The more open you are to selling in different places, the more likely you will be successful. For example: 

a.Mall kiosks/booths – you will have seen them in your local mall and on a typical weekend, hundreds of people are likely to pass by and all of whom are potential customers. Research kiosks in your local mall, including cost, position and what you can/can’t display. Make sure it’s worthwhile investment before you go ahead. 

b.Local events/markets/groups – consider all the local events/markets in your area, as well as community groups, with the potential of setting up a stand. Not only is it a great opportunity to sell your products, it’s also a good way to meet-and-greet lots of potential customers. Make sure you have flyers with you, perhaps have some samples on the table – open one of each product you have so people can smell, feel and try it. Alternatively, get a catalog created through Africa Imports; as one of our re-sellers, we provide free access to catalogs which you can give to existing and new customers. 

c.Local businesses – depending on the type of products you are selling, contact local businesses to see if they would (a) use them in their salon/spa/flower shop/clothes store, and (b) if they would sell them on your behalf. Make sure you take samples with you and perhaps arrange to give them a few samples for them to try. 

d.At home parties – this is a great way to get a group of people, potential customers, together and present your product range. Plus it’s a great social event! 

7.Follow up! More than anything, you must always follow-up on all your communications, with all your customers whether they’ve bought from you or not. Repeat business is just as important as new business.

Through Africa Imports, you will have access to thousands of popular African ideas but be careful not to make your product range too wide to start with. Think about the people you will be selling to and match them to the products you are going to sell, particularly when starting out. We also provide you with plenty of guidance and resources to help you thrive as a successful, profitable business.

Fast & Easy Ideas

If you need fast and easy ideas, our customer videos are a great resource for success stories from entrepreneurs and small business owners who have been successful after buying products from Africa Imports. These stories provide ongoing inspiration and motivation to anyone looking to start their own business, no matter the size.

These videos are available for free anytime and we upload new videos almost every month.

Get ideas for your new business from our most successful customers.

How to start your own African business

If you have any questions about starting a new business with Africa Imports, you can contact us anytime.

Get started now for just $59 with the easy business start-up kit.