Last Updated on December 8, 2022
With the unemployment rate in Nigeria and also the rest of the world, it is no surprise that people’s survival skills are kicking in, in the form of “odd Businesses”.
When you think of work, you might think of an office environment full of focused employees not partaking in any of the odd businesses. Many people grow up with this image of a job, but it excludes other jobs that bring fulfillment and financial security.
Have you ever heard the saying, “There is dignity in labor”? Well, there are certain jobs that you wouldn’t normally consider, at least if you had an alternative, but they are very well paid. Odd businesses in unfamiliar or sensitive industries may seem suspicious or unethical at first, but if the people working there are willing to talk about them, they are probably legal. Your business can benefit many other people as well.
Here are eight examples of working in odd business industries that are known to be completely legal:
1. Penny Stock Trader
Trading penny stocks is a lucrative business, but the industry has serious and deep-seated negative connotations, says Peter Rees, who calls himself a “penny stock expert.” “Pump and dump,” “promotional stocks,” “widows scammed out of money,” “mafia, “spam, and “scams” are just a few of these implications, according to Reese.
“Penny stocks are the cheapest stocks on the stock market,” Rees said. “Penny stocks, which are not worth a cent a share and can even trade for less than a cent, are poorly regulated and spend a lot of time advertising their businesses.”
Most penny stocks actually pay advertisers to pitch their shares to potential investors through rumors, free websites, and spam emails, he said. Unlike Leeds’ Penny Stock Trading Company, it is legally profitable.
“Me and my team have very high ethics,” he said. “Unlike nearly every other company in our industry, we find only the highest quality penny stock companies with strong fundamentals, proven management teams, and growing earnings.” We do not accept bribes or compensation of any kind from the companies we select, and we take great pride in protecting and educating our investors. This makes his services very advantageous to our clients.
“Millions of people invest in penny stocks,” he said. “Very few people talk about it.” Even fewer people make money from it. But if done right, trading penny stocks can be very lucrative.
2. Voice-over artist
Over the past few years, voice-over acting has actually become more popular. Numerous commercials are regularly aired on television and radio, narrated by various people. Who do you think is behind these narrations? Famous people? Not necessarily.
Advertising agencies and companies regularly hire and pay voice actors for tasks such as dubbing television and audio productions, creating online books, and creating audio files. These artists can earn up to N50,000 for just five minutes of recording.
This business is great for you if you have a loud voice, have good grammar command, and like reading books and other texts. If you are also fluent in any other language apart from English, this is a good fit for you, it is not paramount, it is just leverage.
Oddly or not, this is a legally lucrative business instead of being part of the unemployment statistics.
3. Personal shopper
You would be shocked at how many people use personal shoppers. There are a lot of rich people who love fashion but have no idea what to buy or where to buy it. These people use personal shoppers. So many people who have found their way in the industry were at a point where they were personal shoppers for even more famous people.
Kim Kardashian rearranged closets and personally shopped for Paris Hilton and Brandy. Some have gone on to build legit businesses and become full-time personal shoppers for rich people and celebrities who just don’t have the time.
Lagosians, for instance, love fashion, and no matter how poor they claim to be, the majority of the city’s residents will shop till they drop. The problem, though, is that most people who can afford to shop that much just don’t have the time or skills to shop for the things they need to create the style they’re looking for, hence the need for personal shoppers.
Personal shopping, although rare, is one of the easiest jobs.
This job is for people who like to shop all the time, and it pays well. All you need is a great love for fashion and good people skills, and this high-paying odd business is yours.
4. Mobile toilet transporter
I’m sure you’ve heard, “shit business is serious business”. This business is neither fun or glamorous, but it’s always in demand. In Nigeria, you can get paid $23, £9.84, per hour for this job.
This job entails the delivery and collection of mobile toilets from festivals, construction sites, events, and private events, as well as toilet cleaning and maintenance.
The transporters are expected to Use regular cleaning and hygiene products to ensure restrooms and their enclosures remain in good and sanitary condition throughout the event.
Yes, I know you have your nose all scrunched up but this has been proven to be one of the highest-paying jobs and a lot of people have admitted to using it as a starter to provide for themselves and their families, before saving enough to do whatever they find more comfortable. I believe that this job pays so well because, not a lot of people will be willing to do it, only the bold and fearless ones are up for the tasks.
For sure this is an odd business but it is also very much legal. So you can scrunch your nose all you want but people in Nigeria are out here making 10-12k an hour without any college degree.
5. Sperm or egg donor
A lot of us have at some point either joked about this with our friends or seen jokes and discussions about it on the internet. Jokes or not, being a donor is something people do, either for a one-time income or an occasional income.
The first pregnancy from egg donation was reported in 1984. The use of donor eggs and donor sperm in the same treatment cycle is more common than you might think. Egg or sperm donation allows one of the intended parents to establish a genetic link with the child. Egg donation allows eligible parents to experience a biological connection with their child throughout pregnancy.
Shockingly, here in Nigeria, sperm and egg donors are rewarded with N$2.5–3 million for one cycle and N$4.8–5.1 million for two cycles. In the US, egg donation can cost up to five to ten thousand dollars per cycle.
Being a donor is certainly an odd job, and it’s something you should keep private if you want to do it, just to avoid the negative comments and judgmental attitudes of people. As odd as this business is, it is completely legal.
6. Surrogacy
Surrogacy is an arrangement, often backed by a legal agreement, in which a woman agrees to give birth to a child for another person or persons who will become the child’s parents after birth. This mostly happens when, for personal reasons, a couple can’t carry a child but their need for one does not have to be over when a surrogacy option is there.
We have seen it over the years. If you ever watched the hit comic series “Friends,” the character Phoebe (played by Lisa Kudrow) was a surrogate for her brother and his five children, later delivering triplets for them. Lots of celebrities have also gone through this route to have their babies.
At the California Surrogacy Center, the average surrogate mother’s salary ranges from $40,000 to $50,000. This is true for first-time representatives. Because a repeat agent usually gets $53,000 of her $83,000 (including benefits).
Here in Nigeria, the price range is N1.4 million to N2 million. It can vary more or less, depending on your bargaining skills. These odd jobs can be a good place to start, so if you’re in the middle of a job search, it’s time to check them out.
7. Only Fans Content Creator
OnlyFans is a content subscription service. Founded in London in 2016 by British tech entrepreneur and investor Timothy Stokely, OnlyFans is a place for content creators to offer exclusive content for which their target audience can pay a premium price. Creators can lock their content behind a paywall, allowing fans to access it for a monthly fee or a one-time tip. Today, OnlyFans has over 50 million registered users and over 1 million content creators.
OnlyFans creators can post different types of content that appeal to their audiences. OnlyFans eventually became known because it doesn’t have many restrictions and allows content creators to easily post adult material. When you hear OnlyFans, you usually think of things like sex worker adult content and models sharing their NSFW content. But that’s not what this site was created for. Anyone can post anything to OnlyFans.
Honestly, if you are creative, this should not be that odd, even with the reputation that only fans may have. Think broadly and be ready to earn.
8. Embalmers
This is the weirdest or craziest job ever, and it pays between N500k and N700k a month. Salaries are highly dependent on years of experience and skills. In the United States, annual income ranges from $38,000 to $68,000.Embalmers usually wash and embalm the carcasses.
First, all the blood must be drained from the corpse and replaced with an antiseptic or embalming liquid to prevent it from rotting. It may also be necessary to repair or reconstruct damaged body parts so that they are recognizable. You don’t necessarily need a college degree for this job, but you do need training at a regulatory agency. For example, we have the British Embalmer Association and the Commonwealth Funeral Services Association, and we also have local trainers in Nigeria.
Final Notes
Know this, in this economy, only you fully understand how life has been for you. You should understand that there is nothing like an “odd job”. As long as it is legal, and it is paying the bills, it is a job and there is no shame in trying to survive legally. Odd businesses are just a thing of the mind. Keep pushing.
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