As South Africa grows, so does the demand for different services and products. If you want to start a new business, you need to see what the market demands and create a business that fulfils those needs. Your first point of research should be checking which businesses are in demand in South Africa.
When you’re researching the most in-demand businesses, you can start by looking at industry-specific businesses. This will help you see which sectors are in need the most and from there you can see which service or product you can create/start.
In this article, we look at which businesses are in demand in South Africa and how you can take advantage of the market gaps.
Farming Business
Agriculture is a big industry in South Africa. In Africa, South Africa has the largest agricultural land on the African continent. You can enter the agriculture sector by becoming a crop farmer, animal farmer, vegetable farmer or even do something niche like mushroom farming.
Before you start the business, you must ensure you have done your research and choose a type of farming that works for you and will obviously, make you a profit. Also remember that you must have the right land, and it must be big enough for commercial farming.
Alternative Energy Business
South Africa is riddled with power outages. Load shedding has contributed to the disturbances of businesses and the economy. Experts predict that load shedding can cost South Africa over R4 billion a day.
You can help businesses and make a profit by providing enterprise alternative solutions. This can be anything from uninterrupted power supply (UPS), solar power or hybrid solutions such as batteries and wind energy.
Alternatively, you can become a reseller and installer for power solutions that are developed by companies such as Huawei South Africa.
Local Foods and Beverages
South Africans love local food and beverages, from cuisines like a kota, and koeksisters to drinks such as amageu and rooibos tea. South Africa also produces some great wines. You can become part of this growing industry by either starting a food business, a beverage business or both.
Food businesses are much more popular than beverage businesses and tend to bring in more profit. Food businesses are also cheaper to start. You need to research what the market needs. This could be a sushi business in the township or smaller towns or a kota and braai meat business in the suburbs.
If you want to start a beverage business, first decide on what kind of beverage you want to produce. This can be an alcoholic beverage or something like ginger beer. Although it’s hard to have your own store, you can also make money by supplying local grocery stores with your product.
Cleaning and Laundry Business
The cleaning and laundry business is very successful. Most people cannot afford a washing machine and the labour of doing laundry by hand is too much for most people. Also, most people are busy with work, so they prefer hiring someone to clean their homes for them.
You can start a cleaning and laundry business and really make money. You can create a website or even join an agency like SweepSouth and become an independent cleaner within the business.
Alternatively, you can use platforms such as WhatsApp to advertise your business and get clients nearby who will use your services.
Spaza Shop Business
The local shops provide most South Africans with essentials such as bread, milk, eggs and even electricity tokens. These local shops are called Spaza shops. These shops provide products to areas that are far from city centres, making it easier for customers to get goods.
You can start a successful spaza shop business by finding out which areas need one, what products are most in need and what the customer base is like. Most probably, your business will take off quickly and you will see a profit within months of starting.
Note: For your spaza shop to be successful, you can talk to people whose spaza shops are doing well for more advice.
Cell Phone Repair Business
Everyone has a phone these days, in fact, everyone has a smartphone these days. The downside of smartphones is that they break easily. It could be the screen cracking, the charging port not working properly or water damage. These problems need to be solved and this is where cell phone repair businesses come in to save the day.
You can create a successful business for yourself by repairing cell phones. And it doesn’t have to be just cell phones, you can also repair laptops, cameras and other gadgets. Most cell phone repair businesses also offer printing and Internet services as well.
These businesses might seem small, but the demand is high with each one. Other examples of businesses in demand include car washes, salons and most recently, personal shopper businesses. The right business is out there for you, you just need to research what is in demand, assess your financial status and if all is well get started.
Remember, before you start operating any business you must know the laws and regulations around that business. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order or else you can apply for funding.
For more information on popular businesses in South Africa, visit the SME South Africa for a guide on top business ideas to start.
