Hey there, Vendpreneur!

Welcome to Becoming a Vendpreneur—where every week I help you navigate the challenges of running a vending machine business, whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your operation.

This week, I’m going to share with you my 3-step blueprint on how to get started in nightlife vending machine business:

• ✅ Step 1: Choose the right location

• ✅ Step 2: Stock the right products

• ✅ Step 3: Invest in the right machine

But before we jump into more details, I want to share a few quick updates on my nightlife vending business, Pod Plug:

🚀 Business Updates

• ✈️ Flew to Dallas to officially onboard Brian, our first-ever COO! We visited nearly 20 of our 66 vending locations across Dallas and Fort Worth.

  

  Brian’s orientation day at the warehouse

• 🤝 Hired a powerhouse Operating Partner in DFW. She’s a liquor sales rep who currently manages 86 bars and clubs. Safe to say she’s going to absolutely crush it for us.

• 📞 Took 5 franchise sales calls this week — all from cold emails scraped off LinkedIn. 4 out of 5 are moving forward in the process!

• 🥩 Had some fun too. Barbecue with our franchise attorney Ryan, and an epic Persian dinner with our iFranchise sales consultant, Jason.

  

  Persian food in Dallas 🔥🔥🔥

• 🍽️ Wrapped the trip with a legendary dinner at Nick & Sam’s, arguably the best steakhouse in TX. They’ve got a 77 oz dry-aged NY Strip called The Luka… safe to say Luka’s already halfway to LA 🥴

• 🧠 Got in a solid office whiteboard session with Rafael, our Biz Dev, to map out our entire franchise sales funnel.

  

  Franchise sales funnel whiteboard sesh with Captain Rafael 🧑‍✈️

• 🎁 New mystery bags launched this week! Always fun to see these surprise drops hit the market.

• 🍖 Oh — and I couldn’t leave without picking up some beef ribs from Terry Black’s 🤤

  

  This thing melts in your mouth 🤤

Now, let’s dive into this week’s newsletter. 👇

🔗 Best Links

Curated picks for Vendpreneurs

📱 Top Reads

• Nayax freezes hardware prices to support US operators despite new tariffs (Nayax)

• 🩺 Vending machines are helping fight the opioid crisis in several US states (CNN Health)

😱 Trending Now

• 📣 MrBeast fan? Check out this MrBeast Chocolate & PRIME vending machine spotted in Malaysia. (TikTok)

• This vending machine trolls you... on purpose 😂 (YouTube)

In 2019, I placed my first vending machine in my frat house. It made $4,000 in the first month.

Just four months later, I scaled to $80K/month by placing machines in bars and clubs.

Fast forward to now:

• I’ve got 70+ machines in operations.

• Over $5 million in total vending sales.

• And we’ve officially become a franchise. 🥳

Nightlife vending is seriously a goldmine.

If I had to start over…

Here’s exactly what I’d do in 3 steps (save this email/post):

PS. If you’d rather watch than read, I broke it all down in a YouTube video. If you found it helpful, don’t forget to subscribe! 👇

Step #1: Choose the Right Nightlife Locations 🍸

Impulse buys are what make vending machines profitable. So you’ve got to place them where people are ready to spend fast.

Here’s how I’d do it:

1.) Create “The List”.

I’d Google the following nightlife locations within 15 miles of me:

• Bars

• Nightclubs

• Festivals

2.) Reach out (fast).

Once you’ve got your list, it’s time to take action.

I landed my first nightlife location in Carbondale, IL by cold DMing a bar on Facebook. One week later, I had a machine installed that pulled in $6,700/month.

I didn’t wait around for an introduction or referral.

Reach out directly through social media, email, or even a quick phone call. Venue owners are busy, make it easy for them to say yes.

Step #2: Stock the Right Products 📦

Don’t stock what you like. Stock what your customers actually want.

Most beginners make the mistake of filling machines with snacks & sodas. But in nightlife spots, they aren’t the heavy hitters.

Here’s how to know what really sells:

• Hang out in your venues. Watch what people ask for or wish they had.

• Talk to the staff. Bartenders and bouncers know exactly what customers are looking for.

• Run quick polls on social media or ask people directly what they’d buy from a machine.

• Use tools like Nayax to track top sellers in real time.

So, what does work?

• Hangover remedies

• Phone chargers

• Mystery bags

• Condoms

• Tampons

• Mints

• Vapes

• Zyn

These products are high-margin, high-demand, and perfect for impulse buys.

Step #3: Buy a Smart Vending Machine ⚙️

People on Reddit always ask how my vending machines legally sell vapes.

The answer: built-in ID verification.

If you’re selling age-restricted products like vapes or nicotine pouches, regular machines won’t cut it.

Don’t risk it, fines and headaches aren’t worth it.

Use smart vending machines designed for this. Look for features like:

• Touchscreens

• Cashless payments

• Dynamic displays

• ID verification (for age-restricted items)

If you're serious about vending in bars and clubs, go smart from the start.

It’s safer, smoother, and way more profitable.

✋ One fact before you finish reading this post...

The fastest way to start a nightlife vending business is by following a proven system.

I know this because if I had to start over, I’d just follow someone who already figured it out.

It would’ve saved me over $200,000 in mistakes. (True story 😅)

That’s exactly why I’m franchising my nightlife vending company, Pod Plug.

And I’m opening the doors to a small group of founding franchisees (current waitlist is 93 people and counting).

If you’re already in the nightlife scene (maybe you work in it, have the network, or just live in a city with a strong nightlife culture), this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

But heads up, this isn’t for everyone.

You’ll need $25K-50K in liquid capital (or access to funding) to get started.

If you’ve got that and you’re ready to build a profitable business…

And That’s a Wrap!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter.

Hit reply and let me know what you found most helpful this week—I read every single reply and I’d love to hear from you!

See you next Saturday!

-Ethan