New business for teenager.

[Leanny]

After reading many topics for a few weeks, I want to say hello.

we are starting my teenage off with the VendMaster Triple Time machine at her father bar that is scheduled to open in a few months.  She is excited and has asked several good questions that lets me know she is paying attention.  I have used several spreadsheets from this forum and added formulas to automate the calculations.  She has a location proposal that we came up with based on a class project of creating a business plan last year. And now we are selecting the candies to offer in her bulk candy machine.

she has a total of 3 locations, only 1 person said no this far, and her first machine gets placed on location out in a week, but I have a few question I haven’t been able to find on here yet:

1: how do you clean and sanitize inside the canister or is that only done when you swap out candy?  We do have removal canisters so I may get her an extra to swap out while on  location

2. Do businesses ask for proof of insurance?   I won’t let her place a machine without it to protect our family.

3. During the pandemic how often do you sanitize the outside? What products are safe for the machine ? I saw CDC compliance stickers being sold  but I find it hard to be in compliance without daily cleaning. 

The few weeks I’ve been on here I have found a lot of good information that gives me a realistic perspective on this business as we help our teen run her business. I know I have more reading to do, but we are taking it slow.

[gumball guy]

On 9/6/2021 at 8:54 AM, Leanny said:

After reading many topics for a few weeks, I want to say hello.

we are starting my teenage off with the VendMaster Triple Time machine at her father bar that is scheduled to open in a few months.  She is excited and has asked several good questions that lets me know she is paying attention.  I have used several spreadsheets from this forum and added formulas to automate the calculations.  She has a location proposal that we came up with based on a class project of creating a business plan last year. And now we are selecting the candies to offer in her bulk candy machine.

she has a total of 3 locations, only 1 person said no this far, and her first machine gets placed on location out in a week, but I have a few question I haven’t been able to find on here yet:

1: how do you clean and sanitize inside the canister or is that only done when you swap out candy?  We do have removal canisters so I may get her an extra to swap out while on  location

2. Do businesses ask for proof of insurance?   I won’t let her place a machine without it to protect our family.

3. During the pandemic how often do you sanitize the outside? What products are safe for the machine ? I saw CDC compliance stickers being sold  but I find it hard to be in compliance without daily cleaning. 

The few weeks I’ve been on here I have found a lot of good information that gives me a realistic perspective on this business as we help our teen run her business. I know I have more reading to do, but we are taking it slow.

A VendMaster bulk vending machine appears to be a new version of the the old 1-800 machines of the past. The 1-800s were good machines so hopefully this one works well for you.

Since there are no foreign objects or hands inside the canister you don't need to clean and sanitize it frequently unless you are changing from a nut based candy to a non nut based candy or for some reason it just starts to look dusty or dirty. You can use a food grade sanitizer like such as Purell Food Service Surface Sanitizer after you remove all of the product. Just wipe down the insides. let it dry thoroughly and put in the new candy. I use the Purell on the outside of the machine as well especially to clean the chutes. If more substantial cleaning is needed swap out the canister, take it home, remove the 4 screws at the bottom of the canister, and hand wash all of the parts with warm water and Dawn dish washing soap. Dry thoroughly, reassemble and your back in business. 

Over the years I have had a few locations out of thousands ask me for proof of liability insurance. If they do just call your insurance agent and he can fax a certificate to them to keep on file. 

It is impossible to keep anything in public "sanitized". People who are freaked out by germs generally don't use bulk vending machines and people who do use them accept the risk. As I said before I use Purell on the outside as well. The key to better consumer confidence in your machine (and better sales) is to keep it as clean as possible. Make sure you are thoroughly cleaning the outside of the machine including the base every visit. 

Good luck to your daughter and you on the new endeavor.