If you had to do it over again....

[T BIRD]

I should have listened to advice from the very beginning and NOT buy all the crap machines ( Seaga-XYZ singles and Easy Pros - and theres more ) in the beginning brand new.  And I should have invested my money into existing routes with commission racks much earlier than I did.

[lurtsman]

There are a few different decisions I would make, but for the most part things went according to plan. However, my success is more a reflection of Nam, Kevin, and Jax teaching me how to run an intelligent business than it is of my own savvy. Being able to review my moves and mistakes to this point gives me high hopes for much faster growth next year. Going into this I said the first year would be my learning year. I would try to understand the business and get 50 heads on location. I've doubled that and know more than I thought I would. I consider the decision to start vending one of the best decisions of my life. (Ranks behind picking the right woman to marry, but still very high)

[jb5580]

Wow lurtsman, that is is pretty high marks you give, going into vending next to picking your wife! That gives me high hopes for my business. Just an update from me to everyone who has been kind with your advice, I'm still waiting for my LLC to go through. Then I will buy and place my first machine with a locator. I am also in the process of securing 3 locations in hotel break rooms were I work part time. I will put triple heads in these three since I think three two choose from will do better in these break rooms. Each breakroom is in a hotel with 9 employee's daily in the house keeping area, 7 days a week.     

[antoniocinisi]

my first mistake was to buy all the 8 select uturn machines I did by.fortunately I was cheap and smart enough not to buy them new.it wouldn`t have been as bad as a mistake had I been selling toys because thats what I do with one of the 2 -8 selects I didn`t sell,toys on top candy on bottom.as others have said here I should have gotten into toys sooner then I did ecspeciallty with all the advice available here.I also would have expaned (which I ended up doin) much sooner on my best location.I went from a 5 way rack to a 9 way rack ,crane, oscar wild ride ,and candy machine but not fast enough.

I should have gotten into the interactive gumball machins much sooner then what I did.I have to thank nam for the initial jump.I bought my first oscars wild ride thanks to him.I now have 6 of this type of machine,even if only 3 are located for now.

my best advice for you is to get into this type of machines and toy racks.ecspecially if you have some common sense and a little mechanical know how,buy some interactive gumball machines.I have 3 oscar wild rides(1 -4 parts) a shooting hoops,a wowie zowie and I just bought a kinetic kid and sports ball machine both made by ok manufactureing.I got all these used,some needed tlc others did not.it would be an understatement to say that kids love this type of machine.gumballs are the highest profit margin and even adults are curious to see these macines in action.

[lurtsman]

I love my shooting hoops machines. How do you move a wowie zowie around?

[antoniocinisi]

I love my shooting hoops machines. How do you move a wowie zowie around?

so far I have only moved it from my storage building acoss the street from the pizza shop to the pizza shop with a hand truck. I sent someone to pick it up when I bought it.when it has made the money I spent on it I will move it to it`s new location with a hand truck and a long floor mat, the kind you see in restraunts .the hand truck will take it to the truck.I will put the mat on the bed with it hanging to the ground.I will put wowie far enough from the truck to where I can tilt it enough so it leans on the tailgate kinda balanced and I will lift the base up and push it in.pulling on the mat from on the bed will also help with the loading as well as with preventing scratches.now all this is what I think I will do what actually might happen could be differant.hopeflly my wife will be there to help me.