U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Hello All! My name is Matt and I live in North Alabama. I've been considering jumping into bulk vending for some time now, and just before the new year decided to go on ahead and get the ball rolling. I actually started posting my progress to date on the KickStart Vending forum, but unforunately there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of traffic there, so after stumbling across the VENDiscuss forum, I thought I'd join up and hopefully benefit from a forum that seems a little busier. Here's where I'm at to date: I've formed my LLC, filed the necessary paperwork for sales tax purposes, gotten a prepaid cell phone for taking the occasional phone call, gotten a PO Box, and working on having some busines cards made up. I've already made contact with the National Children's Cancer Society, and my first batch of stickers arrived yesterday. With my background in outside sales, I'm pretty comfortable talking to people, and think I'll have success locating my own machines once I get the right pitch going. But because I do have full time job and family, I may need a locator's services so I'm definitely up to recommendations. My biggest challenges at the moment are: Deciding which machines to start with initially. A&A has been strongly recommended by a forum member at Kickstart. Deciding what candy/toys to vend. I'm really excited about this type of business, and I look forward to contributing my ups and downs as well learning as much as I can from the experienced posters.Take care! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-man422 Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Matt, you're in the right place! It sounds like you are off to a great start and are motivated to get things done right. Keep us updated on your progress and welcome to vendiscuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Thanks, Gabe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo Duck Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Welcome Matt, you're doing great. With outside sales experience you should not need a locator, just carve out a little chunk of time here and there ( 30 min. on your way home from work, an hour or two on sat. morning, etc... ) and you can locate your own machines without the expense of a locator. A & A makes copies of Northwestern and Oak machines. I like the originals better. Many aspects of bulk vending have been discussed at length in the past so use the search feature to research areas in which you wish to learn about. Feel free to ask questions and one of the many great members here will help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer980 Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Welcome and I like the user name. There is a wealth of info here to help you one the way. There is a reporting section to put what your average location income is. This is updated every month so please go there and click your range of income when you start collecting. It is anonymous and the more that fill it out the better averages we have to look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 tstrong, Thanks making me feel welcome! I'm looking forward to try and do some locating on my own. This is a "joint venture" with my oldest son, who is 9, and I'd like to take him with me to a few places to watch and learn and eventually work with me on the pitch as its my plan to use a portion of the revenue to fund his and his 3 brothers' college funds. He's going to have his own business card and everything. My title on mine will be "Placement Coordinator", and his will be "Dad's Right Hand Man". Can't wait to see what the finish product looks like. Got a friend up north who is designing them for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 BEER! (Now, if THAT'S not a cool name, I don't know what is!) I'll be glad to post some revenue there once I decide what to buy and get it placed! What an awesome tool to have access to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluePlate Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Matt, Welcome, good luck. I think with your sales experience you'll do well. My son is 5 and while there is not much for him to do yet, he is my official vending machine tester. I think the vending business will be a good way to teach him businesses skill, money handling and other real world stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Thanks, Blue Plate. He's fascinated by it. I'll just need to keep whatever candy/toys under lock and key. He's already asking about temporary tatoos! I have to tell him, "one thing at a time"! I've told him I'll give him a little cash for every one that he helps me locate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserri Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Blue Plate, You have an "official machine tester" on staff too? Mine is my 4 year old daughter. She is partial to the stickers though. Welcome home Matt! I am from your neck of the woods originally and really miss it. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Thanks, Steve. I'm pretty close to Huntsville. Wow...you made it pretty far up north! Need me to ship you some hog jaw and greens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserri Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Matt, I lived just across the border from Huntsville in Lawrence Co. TN. I would love some hog jaw and greens! While you are at it, send some Sun Drop, Hardees biscuits and gravy, grits, catfish, and some decent okra! None of which is available up here. And throw in some poke salad too! :shock: Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Coast Vend LLC Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 See Matt. There is a lot more going on here than the other vending web site you started in. We look forward to working with you to get your new business off the ground. I to have been in sales all my life and would never use a locator to find accounts for me. Not that they are bad, but I would rather see what I am getting before I place my machines in new accounts. Again, welcome to VENDiscuss.com and thank you for joining the largest vending web site on the internet. We now have over 1000 members. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Rocks Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Awesome! Glad to be here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kai1836 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Matt, Welcome to the club! Gary makes a great point about doing your own locating.....you get to see firsthand where your equipment will be and can decide for yourself if it is a well suited spot. Usually before even approaching a place I will scope it out for a few days and make sure I'm comfortable with it. Speaking for myself even though I realize the machines aren't terribly expensive if you'd place two or three and have them either stolen or vandalized it would be a big downer and starting out you need positive re-enforcement. Doing it yourself also gives you a good feeling for the business owner and the type of place they run. So if you have any questions or need anything just ask everyone here is super nice and there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here to gain from. Nathaniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris harris Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Welcome aboard Matt, vendicuss has really been a blessing to me and I am sure it will do the same for you,Good Luck Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now