Choices! What will it be? #44

Greetings to my friends in Steem for Ladies and @patjewel. I am quite excited to take part in this contest today and I will be glad to share my knowledge on Choice No. 3 that is "CHIPS. The reason I choose this choice is because some times last year while I was thinking and pondering on a simple line of lucrative business I could be able to do in order to have additional income, I stumbled on this choice.

After I lost my job in August, 2022, I thought of a simple line of lucrative business I could engage in so I could be able to raise funds to support myself and family and I could not find any. In fact many of the business ideas that came to mind where capital intensive, whereas my capital as at then was #50,000 which is approximately 151 steem. With such capital that I had, I could have comfortably started my business without stress. The Chip business never crossed my mind, and guess what happened to me? I exhausted the whole money because I had no other source of income, so whenever I had need, I will use the money.

In September, 2023, I decided to volunteer and teach in my child's school just to keep me busy since I had nothing doing at the moment. A new school with the total number of 65, pupils. The school that offered my child the opportunity to attend without paying fees. The school Proprietor promised to be giving me #12,000 i.e 36 steem as my monthly stipend. My Dear Friends it was not easy for me. The first month I received the stipend, I was very sad, because my child became very ill that period, considering the cost of taking her to the hospital for proper medical treatment, the money at had was not enough. I began to wonder, even if I should adjust to get drugs from a medical store to treat her, how much would be left for me to pay my way to work until the month was over. Also, I need to buy biscuits and some small things for her within the month. Do not forget that feeding plus other bills are not included since my husband would have to take care of those bills. This became a serious concern for me and I began to think. What else could I do to raise reasonable amount of money so I could help myself until I get a good job.

One day, while I stayed back to do extra work at the school, the Proprietor gave me two packets of tiny broken plantain chips as his appreciation to me for working extra hours. I had a test of it while I gave one pack to my child. It was tasty and nice. Within a blink of an eye, my child had finished her own and demanded for more. I bought up to 4 packets for her that day, and she wanted it to become a daily routine. I became even more concerned as I was worried about the source of money for such expenditure. At this point, a colleague at the school encouraged me to start producing the chips just for my daughter to further control my expenditure. At this point my eyes where opened and I began to see a business opportunity in it.

The following day, I went to the market to make enquiries about the necessary tools I needed to start the business. By the end of the following month, immediately my stipend was paid, I went straight to the market and began to purchase the most basic things I needed to start the business. I was able to produce plantain chips to supply in schools and shops. Dear friends, I was able to raise daily income to support myself.

Chips is a fast food or snacks that is loved by many people. There are various types of chips such as plantain, banana and potatoes. It has several health benefits that makes it the most treasurable snacks across the world. Which makes it a veritable business one can venture into.

Specifically, Plantain chips contain slightly less fat at 17 grams. Plantain chips offer more vitamins A and C, both vitamins help keep your skin healthy and benefit your immune system to keep you free of infection. In fact, if you are a frequent traveler, I recommend plantain chips while on the road than to buy food sold on the road.

You can start a Plantain chips business with #20,000 i.e 60 steem. With that capital you will need to purchase the following items:

Qty	Items	Price in Naira	Price in Steem
1	Slicing machine	3,000	9
1 Bunch	Plantain	5,000	15
1 Litre	Vegetable oil	3,000	9
1 Packet	Staple Pin	100	0.302
1	Stapling machine	1,500	4.5
1 roll	Packaging Nylon	1,500	4.5
1 Packet	Sugar	500	1.5
1 Packet	Salt	100	0.302
2	Transparent buckets	3,000	9
1 Kg	Gas	1,400	5
	Total	19,100	58

The Steps in preparing the plantain chips are as follows:

• Pill off the plantain and wash it with clean water
• Slice it into clean water using the slicing machine
• Filter out and add salt and sugar to spice it
• Mix until evenly mixed
• Pour the oil into frying pan or pot, cooked until boiling point
• Add the sliced plantain chips one by one to avoid sticking
• Fry until it is dry
• Filter it out with a filter
• Spread it in a paper on a flat surface and allow it to cool off
• Pack it in a big nylon to prevent air from softening it.
• Begin to pack it in your desired packaging pack for distribution and sales.

You may add dry pepper if you want to make it spicy.

The Pictures below can further explain the processing steps

On this note, I will like to invite my friends @wakeupkitty, @ogechukwu-martha and @bela90to join me in this contest.