Kayode and Brown both studied Engineering in College. After College, they both parted ways; Brown went looking for a 9 to the 5-day job; and was lucky enough to get one on the Island, earning approximately N160k monthly and doing well in his company, but his pay was low sufficient to help him cater for his family.

While Kayode, on the other hand, started a Sharwama business in little over 2 months, his monthly income grossed over $1,500. His Sharwama business was one of a kind. People were already flooding it on the first day.

This is a real-life story of how a young man: Kayode Oluwamotemi, a university graduate, started a cool, Sharwama joint (the fantastic thing is that he had a lot of competitors but what singled him out from the rest was that he made his joint appealing by adding a mini lounge and drinking bar where people can cool off, listening to good music under a clean, conducive environment).

Today, he controls 2 established Sharwama businesses in Nigeria's wealthiest city—Lagos. You can make a lot of money by starting small-scale businesses like Sharwama. All you need is hard work and planning. Don’t allow the country's economy to determine your progress in Life.

You don’t have to start eatery joints like KFC, Mr Biggs, Mr Fans, Tantalizers, Crunchies, etc., to make it right here in Nigeria or anywhere else. You can start a Sharwama business and still make a lot of money!

Are you a graduate currently looking for a white-collar job? If you answered YES to this question, I’d like you to know this: You don’t have to chase the 9-5 day life; you can actually become your own boss–employing other graduates like you and expanding until your business becomes a Multimillion Dollar company. That was how Apple started. Apple was created from the garage by two young dudes; today, Apple is worth billions of Dollars. Don’t be afraid to take the plunge. If you fail in business, that doesn’t mean you are a failure. You only become a failure when you give up!

Why You Should Start a Business Making Sharwama

I remember a few years when I wondered what the fuss was about sharwama. Most people out there like Sharwama because of the meat, vegetables, lettuce and tomatoes it contains. In fact, almost all female folks in Nigeria love sharwama. Whenever I asked any female friend of mine what she wanted during our time out, I got the usual scream: “Sharwama and Ice cream.”

That was when I learned that sharwama is a winning product, but unfortunately, I have no passion for the business, so I am sharing it with you today. You can quit your day job or even run this business part-time by selling Sharwama at night parties or joints. It’s pretty easy to start, but if you are clueless about how to create and manage a Sharwama stand effectively, then here’s how to go about it:

How to Start a Sharwama Stand – Sample Business Plan Template

1. Get the needed knowledge

The first step to starting a sharwama stand is to learn how to make it. That means you must have baking skills. If you don’t, you need to spend some time developing the skills; or you can take a more innovative approach by partnering with or hiring someone who can make delicious shawarma.

2. Get experience

After learning how to make shawarma or getting someone who can, you need to build your experience. Do you know how to serve customers with a smile? Do you know how to handle rude customers? Are you social? Can you sell? Can you approach a potential customer and convince him/her to try your product?

If your answer to any of the questions above is no, then you need to gain some experience in customer service, and the best way to do that is to take a short-time job in a fast food joint.

3. Write a Simple Business Plan

Although you are about to startle a business, “sharwama stand”, I still advise you to advise your business plan, especially if you have a dream or goal to grow big in the future. Your business plan will help you plan and execute your strategies and objectives.

While writing your business plan, you must ensure it contains essential things such as marketing plan and strategies, financial costs and future projections, risks and rewards, competition analysis, location analysis, etc.

4. Get the necessary equipment

The equipment you need to start a sharwama stand is inexpensive and can be sourced or fabricated locally. Examples of such equipment are:

A new machine, Sharma Making Machine (Stainless), goes for about N110,000 (approx. $1200). Note: it must have 4 BURNERs, STAINLESS STEEL, AUTOMATIC IGNITION GAS, and INBUILT ROTOR.
Cooking Utensils
Furniture (if you are going to operate from a shop)
Uniform + Apron for branding purposes
Interior decoration (if you are going to operate from a shop)
Electricity + Gas
A mobile cart of truck
A big umbrella

How to Market and Position your Sharwama Stand

a. Make Yours the Best

The only way to stand out from the crowd is by making the finest quality Sharwama.

People don’t want to eat the same old thing. They want something different. Add spices and do all you can to make yours SUPERB so that people will start recommending your shop to their friends and Colleagues at work.

b. Get a Good Location:

Lagos's population is around 30 million, making it the largest city in Nigeria. If you start your business in high-trafficked areas like Oshodi, Yaba, Shomolu or Victoria Island, you will make it REAL quick.

The key here is to position your shop in an area with an endless flow of customers. You can also site your stand close to high institutions, as these places have a high traffic of young people, who are most crazy about sharwama. Use teenagers in most of your promotional campaigns:

Sharma is eaten more by teenagers and youths, so it is advisable to use youngsters in most promotional campaigns. It would be QUICK if you use them because they tend to attract other teenagers to your Sharwama shop. Target ladies, too.

c. Offer excellent customer service and keep improving

I’m Scared. Will People Come and Patronize Me? What If they don’t like the Taste? These are some of the questions people ask before venturing into this business. Well, the truth is that there is no perfect sharwama anywhere in the world, as there is always room for improvement.

So try to improve at any given opportunity. Test out new recipes (beef, chicken, etc.) and get your customers' feedback. Stop asking questions. Start the business, and you will be surprised by the number of people that will stroll into your shop on the first day!

In conclusion, you don’t have to work in an Oil and gas company before becoming a Millionaire. Just find a need, and meet it! That’s the secret of most successful entrepreneurs!