Donna Murphy - How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Vending Business

A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bears memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

• Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.
• Support local and no-kill animal shelters.
• Plant a tree to honor someone you love.
• Be a developer put up some birdhouses.
• Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.
• Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.
• Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.
• Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.
• Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.
• If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.
• Support your local farmers market.
• Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

Trademark Statement

All trademarks, trade names, or logos mentioned or used are the property of their respective owners and are used only to directly describe the products being provided. Every effort has been made to properly capitalize, punctuate, identify and attribute trademarks and trade names to their respective owners, including the use of and wherever possible and practical. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. is not a partner, affiliate, or licensee with the holders of said trademarks.

Foreword

Congratulations! You have now taken a step forward to becoming your own business owner.

The perfect vending business is one where life is gentle and the income high. It is one with few complaints and few demands for instant response. It is one where your return on investment is high, where you get maximum dollars out of each machine, where service is easy, and where expansion is unlimited. Both you and your customers are happy when your products are moving fast. New designs and styles of different products are the norm rather than the exception, and you look forward to introducing new items to constantly keep up with these changing times.

Vending is a business that has all of these wonderful characteristics. In How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Vending Business , Donald Rodrigue and Donna Murphy have put together a valuable resource not only for the new vending route owner, but also for the seasoned professional. You took a great first step by purchasing this book to learn some of the inside information and great methods to make your business rewarding and successful.

Just buying vending machines does not equal income-producing power; this comes from putting your machines in the best of locations. A common phrase referred to in the real estate market is also a key factor in your vending business: location, location, location. The more people that pass by your machines, the more opportunities you have to capture their business and increase your profits. Whether you have 10 machines or 1,000 machines, always remember that the better foot traffic locations you have, the better your profit will be.

As a bulk vending route operator and a supplier to other bulk vending route operators for many years, I often tell people who are just starting out in this expanding business to start small and grow your business. Be wary of phone solicitors and vending machine companies who put on seminars making promises or guarantees about income as long as you buy their 50 or 100 (or more) package of machines right now because it is a one chance only deal. Remember: You can always add more machines as you secure locations to build up your route. A good start is with some of the Vending and Business Resources listed in the end of this book.