What is the profit margin that one could get from a Driving School business? Throughout this article, we will reveal to you how you can provide driving lessons and other types of training while earning an income.
Is it your passion to share your exceptional driving abilities with others while also earning money? Do you have vast driving experience and a strong desire to earn money while doing so? Afterwards, you can begin operating a driving school in Nigeria.
Every year, folks buy automobiles to make their transportation more convenient. Almost everyone who is asked has a mental image of how to drive in their heads.
Only a few people agreed that they would require assistance learning to drive. In any case, simply knowing how to drive in your brain is not sufficient.
They must be physically instructed on how to operate a vehicle in an appropriate manner.
At first, driving a manual transmission or an automatic transmission-equipped automobile is extremely difficult. Everyone has had a similar experience at some point in their lives.
Starting a driving school is one of the most underutilized business ideas in Nigeria since appropriate training from driving school professionals has transformed the majority of the population into competent drivers, which is where you come in.
What Is A Driving School?
A driving school is a formal institution where anyone visits to learn how to drive properly.
Individuals who wish to learn how to drive properly might do so at a driving school, which is an institution.
Individuals are taught not just how to drive a car, but also how to respect numerous traffic signs and exhibit correct driving behavior while driving. Essentially, it is a driving school that teaches students how to drive and how to be safe on the road.
Apart from the fact that only very few people can drive a vehicle without being taught, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) stipulates that no one can get a new driving license without first showing evidence that he or she has gone through and passed driving tests that are carried out in a registered driving school.
Driving schools are very important; in fact they are indispensable in ensuring that our roads are safe to use.
As some are really interested in learning how to drive, some are learning how to become a pilot in Nigeria.
At the end of this article, you will be enlightened as to how to start a driving school in Nigeria.
You’ll need to be aware of some of the country’s requirements, who is currently providing driver education services in your area, and then – finally – how to get the word out about your driving school.
Once you get up and running and position your business properly for your area, your success is almost inevitable.
Reason for Establishing Driving School Business
Young adults, those who have only recently transitioned from childhood to adulthood, are eager to learn how to operate and maintain an automobile successfully.
Furthermore, although many Nigerians own automobiles, many are unfamiliar with fundamental automobile treatment standards, traffic rules, and road signs, all of which are critical in order to avoid unnecessary automobile collisions and accidents on our roads.
Aside from these, reputable and well-established firms reach out to driving schools to train their employees how to operate an automobile safely while also demonstrating to them the meanings of traffic signs, rules, and other traffic regulations.
Young individuals, men, and women are likely targets, as as police departments, numerous businesses and industries, trucking companies, and other organizations.
You will also make some money because the price for a course of driving instruction is between N15,000 and N50,000 in several locations, allowing you to supplement your income.
How to Start A Driving School – Easy Steps to Follow
As a businessman, your ultimate goal should be to be a one-stop facility for all drivers needs including registration and licensing.
In this way, the company will offer greater perceived value. The following are steps in setting up a driving school business in Nigeria
Get Trained to Be a Certified Driving School Instructor
Before having your own school, you should show evidence that you have also been trained by a recognized instructor.
There is a common saying that you cannot give what you do not have.
Before you can embark on setting up your own driving school, it is compulsory that you obtain some training with regard to how to teach others to drive.
This training is important irrespective of the fact that you might have long years of driving experience because it will help you to be abreast of the latest developments in driving and also teach you how to impart knowledge in the right manner.
Appropriate Registration and Paper Work
This business is very sensitive to the federal government of Nigeria and to the people.
It is important you note that that driving training is highly regulated in Nigeria, so in order for you not to have any issue with government agencies, you have to tidy up the legal framework of your proposed driving school.
First of all, you have to get the necessary approval from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) office in your locality.
They will require you to show proof of your instructor training and other requirements as having been laid out by the FRSC.
They also have requirements for driving school operation, therefore get yourself familiarized with them.
Secondly, you have to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). As you might already know, all corporate bodies in Nigeria must register with CAC.
You also have to register with the state government where you intend to operate. Most states in Nigeria also regulate the setting up of driving schools as well as the issuance of driver’s licenses.
It is only after the approval and confirmation of the above that you will now be charged the free for the registration of your new driving school.
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Research The Driving School Market.
Since everyone needs to learn to drive, most locations already have some way to provide driver education to the local community – which is a good thing! Assessing the competition will give you a path to business victory.
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Start-up Budget
Now that you know government requirements, you will need to build a budget.
If you have a working vehicle for your business, then your budget should include money for rent of location, advertising, vehicle maintenance, and fuel.
If you plan to hire an instructor or administrative help to start, you will want to include this in your budget as well.
Secure An Appropriate Location
The beauty of a driving school is that you do not necessarily have to secure a very big space to start off with.
However, if you have the required funds, you can rent a suitable space, and furnish it with all the equipment required such as a table, chairs, writing boards, road signs, and even computers where you will run your driving simulator software.
In any case where you do not have the required fund to rent a place you can even start from the comfort of your home.
You can also up against it by offering home training services to your clients. When your location is good, proper marketing will make your potential clients locate you.
Get a Driving School Training Vehicle
This is probably going to be the single most costly item in setting up your driving school. However, it is quite flexible according to the amount of cash you have at hand.
Since the vehicle is strictly for training purposes, you do not need to purchase a fancy one. All you need is a vehicle that is easy to operate and roadworthy.
If you can afford more than one, ensure that you have both manual and automatic transmission, but if you can only afford one, stick to manual transmission because it is much easier for a student who has been taught how to drive a manual vehicle to adapt to an automatic vehicle.
In considering the type of vehicle to buy for your school, simplicity is of utmost importance because you might be dealing with some students who have to learn about a motor vehicle operation from scratch.
Develop A Curriculum and Lesson Plan.
You should offer classroom sessions where theoretical aspect of the training is done.
You teach necessary maintenances, traffic rules road signs and others here.
Then your schedule and lesson plan will include different practical like simple diagnostics and repair and various behind the wheel training.
The ‘behind the wheel’ lesson plan should include routes that are safe for the student and over time allow them to experience different road and traffic conditions.
Pricing
Just like starting a tutorial center business, you need to come up with a pricing plan.
Regardless, for your new driving school, try to pick a price that you think is competitive and that you can afford.
Will you charge only for driving training, or you’ll include helping your students get a driver’s license, since you already have an affiliation with the FRSC.
You want to start getting customers, but then you want to make a profit too. Don’t just give the business lessons away too cheaply.
Marketing Your Driving School
Just as you’ll have to market dog business, rabbit rearing business, laundry service business, you’ll have to market your driving school.
Engage in aggressive marketing and advertisement campaigns to reach your target customers.
There are more than enough people out there that will be in need of your services because people will always want to become drivers.
It is your responsibility to let these potential clients know that you can render the service.
A good number of people are on their phones constantly. In the past, word-of-mouth was sufficient for growing a business, but now people stop at Google on their way to finding a local business.
Make sure that your driving school can be found online when someone tries to find you by name and when some are just looking for a driving school near your location using a related combination of words.
Therefore, leverage your social media as well as print media. Print and distribute flyers and just generally spread the word to all and sundry to make them aware of your driving school.
Offer reduced price in form of bonanza and promotion in the beginning to pull customers. Treat them well and gently as they will always be a one-time customer.
Once they know how to drive, your service for that particular person ends. However, your clients that have patronized you can easily refer you to friends and relatives in need of driving school.
So, focus on giving your client a good training experience, they are bound to spread the word on your behalf.
As you are building your brand, keep in mind that online reviews will help you. Ask your customers to leave you a positive review online.
Improving your online reputation will help you persuade more and more customers to choose you over the competitor. Also, as your online reviews improve, you will be able to raise your prices.
Other Tips For Giving Driving Training For A Fee
Simple things like keeping to time, offering light refreshments and just generally being nice to your clients can go a long way.
Make Your Teaching Hours Flexible
As much as you can, to make your training time flexible for all target customers, be willing to bend your teaching hours.
This will enable to you be able to attend to more students in a short period of time.
It is most likely that you will encounter some working-class students who will not have the time to attend classes during the day.
For that reason run both morning, afternoon, and evening classes for busy different individuals.
You should be able to program your teaching schedule to suit these ones.
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Maintain A High Standard
There are many other driving schools out there, but one sure way of ensuring that you stand out from the crowd is by maintaining a good standard.
Do not for any reason bring down the standard of your training.
Make it a one-stop service where you can do all registrations and also aid in issuing clients driver’s license after the whole training session. By this, your business will have greater perceived value.
You can operate the driving school solely. Starting a driving school may not be easy, but the rewards are incredible once you get the business right.
For example, statistics show that unsafe driving practices are the leading causes of many deaths in the country.
In an essence, you should pride in this type of business because you are in a way offering a form of community service by keeping our roads safe, and at the same time, you are making an honest and financially rewarding living for yourself and your family.
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Summary of Starting A Driving School In Nigeria
Now that you know how to start a driving training school in Nigeria, I would encourage you to keep your passion for improved driving and safer roads alive by continuing your education.
Don’t waste any time and go to work on the tasks that will be required to set one up.
As the transportation system continues to deteriorate, there is an increasing demand for those who know how to drive. The majority of people look forward to the day when they can drive their own car.
School-leavers are likewise keen to gain their driving licenses. Even if a person can read how to drive from a book, he or she must still follow practical instructions and put what they have learned into practice.
They also need to be familiar with all of the driving restrictions and get the confidence necessary to operate a motor vehicle.
The amount of money you make is determined by the size of your operation, whether you have one, two, or a dozen automobiles. It is common for a course of driving instruction to cost anything from N15,000 and N50,000 in numerous locations.
As you acquire more vehicles, you might hire your own teachers and pay them from the fees collected from the students who take lessons from you.
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Fantastic, practical, down-to-earth, easy, and comprehensive step-by-step guide to a serious starter desiring to make owning and running a driving school a success.