At a time when joblessness and lack of any meaningful means of livelihood are the order of the day in Nigeria, many people, especially youths, who should be gainfully employed, are busy roaming the streets, while many are engaged in various forms of criminal activities like stealing, armed robbery, kidnapping, impersonation, fraud, cyber crimes, among others.  It is, however, encouraging to see some of our youths, instead of getting involved in such vices, deciding to engage in simple and  yet legal businesses. One of such businesses is the selling of movies and music in digital versatile/video discs (DVD), video compact discs (VCD) and compact discs (CD) formats.

Over the last 10 to 15 years, the world has witnessed a great change in the production, storage and transmission of films and songs from the conventional and less reliable tape (VHS and VCR) formats to the more reliable and preservable disk formats. This change has given a lot Nigerians the opportunity of not just joining the digitalised world, but to eke out a living from it.

The business of selling DVDs, VCDs and CDs is an offshoot of the dramatic change that has engulfed the entertainment industry in Nigeria. Therefore, it can be confidently said that as long as the entertainment industry continues to thrive, the business will continue to exist.

When corroborating this idea, and when speaking with the Saturday Tribune, Mr. Abel Ukeze, who has been in the business for about five years, said that he had no regret going into the business. “I started the business in early 2005 and by God’s grace, I have been able to achieve some personal goals and targets set for myself. Yes, agreed, the business might not be bringing in huge amount of money as profit, but it generates enough returns for me to take care of myself and my family,” he said.

In his own opinion, another DVD trader, Mr. Festus Tsakano, said, “The business, like any other business, has its own ups and downs. The nature of the business makes traders like me to be more determined to make success out of it,” he stated.

Generally, the business can be divided into two categories: Sale of secular materials and religious items.

How to start
One of the unique characteristics of the business is the fact that it does not really need much training for anyone who desires to venture into the business. According to Ukeze, the amount required to start the business depends on the size of the business. “For a business that is about the size of mine, which could be considered a medium one, a start-up capital of about N40,000 to N60,000 will be sufficient,” he said.  

Both Ukeze and Tsakano, however, believe that a fairly good knowledge of the market situation, which includes the right source (wholesalers) to purchase one’s stock from as well as the right place and price, is necessary so as to maximise profit.

Also, according to the traders, it is expected that one has a good idea of ‘what is selling.’ This is understandable, because, taking music for example, some songs, when released, sell very fast, while some could turn out to be bad investment.

Therefore, the following are the summary of what to consider before venturing into the business:

*Know and have the right capital for the size of business that you desire

*Have the necessary market knowledge

*Get a good location for your business

Profitability of the business
Saturday Tribune was also able to gather that the price of each DVD varies; this depends mainly on the type and volume of the films in each disc. On the average, the price for a DVD goes for about N100 from the wholesalers, which could be sold for N200 or N250. This gives an average of N100-150 profit on each DVD sold.

How to sustain the business
The easiest way to sustain this business is, first, to buy your stock from reliable wholesalers. This is because some wholesalers get their own stocks from marketers with sub-standard products, just because they want to reduce cost. Such DVDs, when eventually bought by the final buyer, will turn out to be of poor quality.

Another way of ensuring sustainability of the business, as earlier mentioned, is to find a right location for your business. If, for example, you intend selling religious materials, then locating your shop or stall close to a church or mosque (depending on what you are selling) might turn out to be a good idea.

Ensure that your DVDs are well arranged and displayed so as to attract passers-by.

Other possible ways of sustaining the business
Though, the materials sold in the business are non-perishable, however, care must be taken so as to ensure that the discs, which are quite fragile, do not become cracked.

As a trader of DVDs, it is important to know that you are indirectly involved in the entertainment industry; therefore, you must ensure that you are kept abreast of the latest events, especially in terms of the current songs and films, in the industry.

Challenges of the business
According to the traders, one of the major challenges faced in the business is price instability. “Today, you might buy a particular film from the wholesalers for N100, only to buy the same film for as high as N170 a couple of days later,” another trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Also, the traders declared that since they are not the ones in charge of production, it is always difficult for them to determine which of the discs are well produced or not, adding that at the end of the day, buyers often return some of such bad discs because of one complaint or the other.  

Considering the above, investing in the business of discs selling could be a good option for those seeking to be self employed or those who wish to have another source of income in addition to their present employment.