Introduction
Information and Communications Technology, or ICT, is the business of building, running, fixing and connecting the technology everything else now depends on. A shop taking card payments, a farm reading soil sensors, a clinic holding patient records and a taxi service dispatching by phone are all running on work this industry does.
It's the one industry where your customer doesn't have to be nearby. Countries in the global south now export more than a trillion dollars a year in services delivered digitally, and more than half of all services traded worldwide are delivered this way. You can serve clients in your local community on or a client on another continent, using the same skills.
There are many ways to start and operate in the industry. A phone repair table at the side of the road and a software company selling to clients abroad are both ICT businesses, and neither is a lesser version of the other.
Defining the Information and Communications Technology industry
ICT covers making and running the systems that store, process and move information, together with the devices and networks they run on. In the international standard classification of industries this sits across telecommunications, computer programming and consultancy, and information services, alongside the manufacture of the electronic equipment itself.
Some of the work the industry covers includes:
Devices and repair: Fixing and servicing phones, computers and equipment for households and businesses, and assembling or building devices and components.
Networks and connectivity: Installing and maintaining cabling, fibre, wireless links, CCTV and the physical infrastructure that carries data.
IT support and managed services: Keeping other businesses running day to day, from setting up systems to monitoring and securing them.
Software and applications: Building websites, mobile applications, custom systems and the integrations that join them together.
Digital services sold remotely:Digital marketing, design, bookkeeping, virtual assistance, e-learning content and business process outsourcing.
Data, cloud and security:Hosting, migration, backup, cybersecurity and the compliance work that goes with holding other people's information.
Technology retail:Selling devices, accessories and airtime from a shop, an online store or a stall.
Who does this industry serve?
Households buy repairs, devices, airtime, data and connections. This is the market most ICT businesses start in. It's served face to face and locally, and it pays immediately.
Other businesses buy what they can't do themselves: a website, a system, support, security and the digital work that keeps them trading. They buy on trust and reference, and they keep paying month after month once they rely on you.
Government and public bodies buy larger systems, outsourced processes and services through tender and contracts. Getting this work needs registration, references and the ability to handle information properly.
The difference worth noting is between selling a once- off job and selling a contract for repeat business. A repair or website project is usually paid for once. Support, hosting, security monitoring and systems management are paid monthly, which gives the business a more predictable income base and gives clients a reason to keep working with you.
Which industries does it interact with?
ICT supports nearly every industry, which creates an advantage for entrepreneurs who understand how a particular sector works. The better you understand a customer’s daily problems, the easier it is to offer technology that solves a real one.
Retail and wholesale:Point-of-sale systems, stock management, online stores, payments, devices and airtime.
Financial services:Payment systems, mobile money, lending platforms and the infrastructure behind fintech.
Agriculture: Sensors, irrigation controls, mapping, weather data and platforms that connect farms to markets.
Construction and property:: Design software, site monitoring, security systems and the cabling installed in new buildings.
Renewable energy and environment: Metering, remote monitoring and reporting systems that track energy generation, storage and use.
Facilities management, logistics and transport:Scheduling, tracking, dispatch, access control and communication systems.
Education and training:Course platforms, learning content and systems that enrol, assess and support learners.
Knowing technology matters. Knowing the industry you serve makes that technology easier to sell.
The MSME Business Models within the Industry
Some routes are built around local, hands-on work while others can be delivered remotely to clients across cities or borders. A repair business may begin by serving walk-in customers, while a digital-services business can work with clients online from the start.
Your business model shapes what you need next: technical capability, stock, equipment, reliable power, internet access, staff, systems, contracts or a way to receive international payments. As your business grows, the model itself can change. A technician can become a managed-services provider; a web designer can add hosting and maintenance; a local service business can package its work for remote clients.
The MSME Categorisation Framework helps you identify where your business fits now and what the next stage requires.
How do businesses in this industry grow?
ICT businesses grow when they move beyond selling time alone and build services, systems or products that customers keep paying for.
Sell an ongoing service: Add support, hosting, monitoring or management to once-off work. Monthly services create more predictable income and stronger client relationships.
Specialise: Focus on cybersecurity, a specific platform or a sector you understand well. Specialists solve clearer problems and can charge for deeper expertise.
Serve clients further away: Digital delivery allows you to reach customers beyond your immediate area without opening another branch.
Sell proven work again: Adapt a system, template, process or product that already works instead of starting from scratch every time.
Add related services: A repair business can sell devices and accessories. A web business can provide hosting and maintenance. An IT-support business can add security.
Build a team: Growth eventually requires the owner to hand over technical work, client support or administration. That creates capacity to sell, manage quality and build the business.
The goal is to build a business that becomes more reliable, more valuable and less dependent on one person’s hours.
Where are MSMEs working in this industry?
MSMEs run technology businesses all over the world. The difference from region to region is the kind of work the market needs most.
The ICT businesses that do well are usually the ones solving local problems.
Where businesses are moving online, they need websites, digital marketing and technical support.
Where devices are costly and used for years, there is demand for selling, repairing and assembling them. Where technical skills, reliable connectivity and international business links are already in place, local businesses can serve clients in other countries.
So the question worth asking isn't which of these is the best business to be in. It's which one the place you're in is asking for.
Our Country Insights show these opportunities in practice, from software development in India to electronics and hardware repair and maintenance in Libya.
The pattern that appears across nearly all of these markets is that ICT attracts younger business owners. If you're starting out, that can work in your favour. You can build current skills, work with newer tools and grow alongside the businesses adopting them.
What local business problem do you think ICT entrepreneurs in your market are best placed to solve?
The competencies required for success
Technical skill helps an ICT business win its first clients. But as the business grows, key business competencies become especially important:
Leading people: Managing employees, freelancers and subcontractors so that work you do not deliver yourself still meets your standard.
Planning and delivery: Organising projects, setting priorities and managing deadlines so the business grows deliberately rather than job by job.
Marketing and brand-building: Having an online presence, building credibility and giving clients a clear reason to choose you.
Using systems and technology:Using tools to quote, schedule, invoice, communicate and keep records so you can serve more clients without losing control of the work.
Financial management: Understanding your costs, setting profitable prices, managing cash flow and knowing whether the business is actually making money.
Technical ability gets you in the door. These competencies help you build a business that can take on more work, keep clients confident and grow beyond your own hours.
trainerz® free Entrepreneur Competence Test shows you where your strengths are and what to work on first.
Formalising and growing the business
Many people already earn from ICT work before they formally run a business. You may repair devices, build websites, manage social media, set up networks or help people solve technical problems. Formalising lets you present that work more clearly, price it properly and compete for larger opportunities.
Register the business: Registration helps you invoice clients, open a business account and qualify for opportunities that require a formal supplier.
Agree ownership in writing: State who owns the code, design, domain, account or system you create. If you're licensing rather than transferring ownership, say so clearly before work begins.
Handle information responsibly: The moment you hold client or customer data, you take on legal and practical responsibilities. Good data practices protect clients and strengthen trust.
Scope and price work clearly: Record what is included, what is excluded, what changes will cost and when payment is due.
Track your work and costs:Keep records of the time spent, the services delivered, the client and the amount charged. This gives you the information needed to quote the next job with confidence.
Your portfolio, client relationships and reputation are already business assets. Formalising gives those assets a structure that can grow with you.
Our business consulting and legal consulting are there for the parts of this you'd rather not do alone.
Why consider ICT as an entry point into entrepreneurship?
ICT gives you a practical way into entrepreneurship because you can often begin with a skill, a device and a customer problem you already understand. Many industries require premises, stock or expensive equipment before you can trade. In ICT, the first step is often learning a useful skill and applying it well.
Local customers may provide your first income, referrals and proof of work. From there, many ICT services can be offered to clients in other cities or countries, provided you have reliable internet, steady power and a workable payment method.
ICT businesses need people who can sell, manage clients, run projects, handle accounts, organise teams and understand the industries their customers operate in. Technical ability matters, but strong operations and customer management are often what turn useful work into a lasting business.
If you already understand retail, agriculture, legal services, logistics, education or another sector, that knowledge gives you a starting point. You can build or sell technology that solves problems you recognise because you've seen them firsthand.
For the questions along the way, ZeeBot is available at any hour.
