As a student living in the hostels of Kaduna Polytechnic, I thought about starting a business that could fit alongside my studies. I looked around and noticed something, banks were far from our school, and the ones nearby don't usually work well. I saw an opportunity
GETTING A POS TERMINAL
I decided to get a POS (Point of Sale) terminal. It is an electronic device that lets you process transactions, people can pay using debit cards, credit cards, and sometimes mobile payments. You can also sell data and airtime with it. I thought it could solve a problem for students like me.
BALANCING BUSINESS AND SCHOOL
I had to think, would this business affect my academics? I wanted to make sure it did not get in the way. I decided I would take the terminal to class and also run it in my hostel room. I told people in the hostel and my classmates about it and my business started.
CHALLENGES I FACED
Running it was not always easy. I did not have a lot of money to start with, sometimes I did not have enough for transactions. But I added whatever little I got and kept trying my best to make it work. The profit was not huge, but it really helped me.
I remember the first day I took my POS terminal to class. I was not confident bringing it out. My friend saw it and she was the one who told others, they started calling me ''Mai POS" in Hausa meaning the pos girl, I liked it, It felt good to have my own business.
ADVICE I GAVE
Someone in my class asked me for business ideas when she saw what I was doing. I told her, look for problems students are facing and find solutions. Get a business that fits what you are good at. One that does not mess up your studies. And one you can handle properly.
Doing a side hustle like this you meet challenges, You have to know when to keep pushing, and when things aren’t working for you. For me, it was a learning curve. The POS business taught me a lot.
