Simple but Profitable Business Ideas that Work for OFWs

The life of an OFW is no joke – just imagine how many hours you put in at work just so you can send money back home to your family. Ang hirap no? You have to be away from them for several months, often years. The kids grow up without you by their side but it is sulit when you see them graduate and become independent.

You can also help your family become less dependent on their allotment and more on their own. This can also help increase your income as a family. What you can do is set up a simple but profitable business. Let your family manage the business while you send the puhunan or even the items that you will sell in the store.

ofw-business

The following are lucrative business ideas that may be simple but could be very helpful for your family:

Buy and Sell

Madami na ang kumita sa buy and sell! Your kids and the entire family are probably on Facebook many hours of the day. Why not sell something? You can start with clothes and accessories. Baby products, makeup, and tech gadgets are also quite popular. It is also easy to find a supplier on FB or Ebay.

Many shops are open to resellers. Don’t be shy to ask them about reseller rates. In fact, you don’t even have to buy the items directly because it is possible for the original seller to send the items to your own customers. All you have to do is to set up your own shop – puede yan sa FB din – and re-post lang yung mga pictures of products from the seller. When a customer buys from you, you contact the seller and they send the items for you. Simple lang, di ba?

Of course, for more profit, you can also try sending them items from where you are working. For example, those in Saudi Arabia can buy lots of items at rock bottom prices, including many designer items. For example, you can find original branded slippers such as Ipanema and Havaianas that you can sell at half the price being offered in the malls.

Food Carts and Franchise

Food-Cart-FranchiseThere are lots of food stalls and food carts available for franchise. You can simply choose which carts would work well in the area you are planning to sell. If you are planning to place one close to a school, delicious snack items are very popular – street foods like tempura, kwek-kwek, fish ball, etc. pero nasa malinis na food cart. Burgers, sandwiches, and rice toppings are also popular.

The Philippines is the world’s texting capital that’s why loading stations are very popular. You don’t even have to buy a franchise – all you need is a cellphone and retailer sim. Of course, mas mainam if you are selling load for all the networks. You can buy a cheap phone for the retailer/loader sim. Posters and streamers are provided for free so that you can advertise your services sa labas ng bahay. Yes! You don’t even have to have a store to sell prepaid load!

A Small Piggery

piggery-businessIf you have space at home and hindi bawal sa neighborhood (or hindi ka nakatira sa subdivision), a small piggery business is also great. This is especially great if your family lives in a rural area. You have the option to buy pigs for fattening only or isang inahing baboy para pang-breeding. Your choice will depend on a number of factors, including space and whether you can find someone who can handle a pregnant sow and, later, piglets.

Sari-sari Store

Syempre, nothing beats the sari-sari store when it comes to meeting the needs of the neighborhood. Kaya kahit subdivision hindi nawawalan ng sari-sari stores. If you have a small space at home that you can convert into a sari-sari store, this will be something to keep the kids or a family member busy. The profit may not be very large but there is no need to invest lots of money for this type of business as long as the family will roll the income back and buy more tinda for your store.

Any Business Capitalizing on the Family’s Talents

Is your family creative or have the talent to create items like furniture? There are also those who are great dressmakers or can create various crafts. Perhaps, puhunan lang ang kulang nila to make a business. This is perfect for OFWs. You simply have to send them ample money for the puhunan. You can even sell the items on the internet as well. If you already have an online shop from the idea above, you can also promote the items that your family is creating or puede ka gumawa ulit ng bagong FB page/shop.

Super madami pang puede mong gawin as OFW to start a business even while you are abroad. You simply have to find inspiration from the ideas listed above and create your own. Look around the neighborhood – what does the place need? Laundry shop? Lechon manok? Carinderia? Hair salon? Ask your family what they think would sell best in your area.

Giving your family ample puhunan for a business and allowing them to manage it can help them learn how to be less dependent of your income. That would mean a lesser burden for the family and more money to meet all your needs.

Don’t expect to be an overnight millionaire with these ideas kasi nga po simple lang sila. Still, a few extra pesos can go a longer way for buying more rice and ulam for the family. If your kids own cellphones of their own, they can also sell load to their classmates for extra baon.

In simple ways, the whole family can contribute to make your lives easier. Extra income here and there can be a great help if you add them all up. You don’t even have to put up a huge capital to start your own business. Start a simple business now at planuhin na ang pag-uwi ng Pinas for good.

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