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, we’re diving into why my vending machines in bars and clubs make 5X more than the average. Here’s what I’m breaking down:

• The problem

• The solution

• The result

But before we jump into more details, I want to share a few quick updates on my two vending businesses, Pod Plug and Vending Machine LaunchPad (VMLP):

🚀 Business Updates

• 👥 Had a promising second interview with a potential full-time merchandiser for Dallas. Onboarding is moving forward!

• 🎥 Deep into Iman Gadzhi’s 8-fig Personal Brand Challenge, learning the ins and outs of creating a YouTube channel.

• 🎙 Landed a guest spot on the Nikinomics Podcast, my first major podcast feature. Episode coming soon!

• 📢 Had a meeting with our cold email expert + investor to refine our franchise outreach strategy. We’re officially pulling the trigger on a 90-day franchise cold email campaign.

• 💼 Had our first-ever Intern Invasion EOS meeting—my interns absolutely crushed it. Also gearing up to hire two content creators for the marketing team!

• ✈️ One step closer to locking in my trip to the Philippines 🌴 to visit my PH team! Can’t wait to connect in person and make some big moves together.

• 🚗 Rafael (potential Pod Plug’s first-ever franchise salesperson) drove 3 hours from San Diego to meet me in person, and we ended up dabbing up Adam Sandler at a café. Life’s random like that.

Big week, big moves. More updates coming next time!

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

🔗 Best Links

Curated picks for Vendpreneurs

📱 Top Reads

• 🔥 A 13-year-old is running a vending business in a laundromat. Respect! (Vending Times)

• 🥤 Coca-Cola’s Big Buy Coca-Cola HBC just acquired BDS Vending Solutions, expanding its vending empire in Ireland. (Irish Independent)

 😱 Trending Now

• 🤦‍♂️ Pokémon Vending Machine Drama Two grown men fought over their spot in line. Was it worth it? (Twitter/X)

• 🎨 $1 Vending Machine Art? Affordable art is trending, and vending machines are leading the way! (Instagram)

Most vending machines struggle to make just $300 a month.

That’s not much, right?

Now, imagine a vending machine pulling in $1,500, $2,000, or even more—EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH.

That’s exactly what mine do.

Let me show you how nightlife vending changes the game. 👇

⏳ The Problem (Why Most Vending Machines Struggle?)

Most vending machines fail for three simple reasons:

(1) They’re in the wrong places, (2) selling the wrong products, with (3) too much competition.

Think about it. How often do you buy from a machine in an office break room or apartment lobby? Probably not often.

Now, look at what they sell: $1 sodas, $1.50 chips. Even if they sell a lot, the profit is tiny.

On top of that, they’re competing with other machines selling the exact same stuff. No wonder most barely make $300 a month.

But nightlife vending flips the script 👇

🎯 The Solution (What Makes My Machines Different?)

Most vending machines sell low-margin snacks and sodas, making barely $0.50 to $1 profit per sale.

Mine sell niche products like vapes, Zyns, and mystery bags (where I can get a 75% margin or more per item.)

Traditional vending relies on office workers buying cheap snacks. But in nightlife, people are already spending money… and they’ll pay more for convenience.

Picture this:

A guy at a club runs out of Zyns. A girl at a bar needs a vape. Someone wants to try something fun and grabs a mystery bag. They don’t want to wait in line or leave the venue.

And that IS why nightlife vending makes 5X more than regular machines.

💸 The Result (And How I Made It Happen)

CHA-CHING.

Last week, my nightlife vending machines pulled in $17,237.

And just a few years ago, I was making $0.

While my numbers might be 5X the average…

It shows what’s possible when you have:

• The right products with 75%+ margins.

• A proven system to land the best nightlife locations.

• A repeatable process that takes the guesswork out of vending.

All things I’ve spent five years perfecting inside my own vending company, Pod Plug.

So, if you’re interested in getting into nightlife vending machines…

Click here to learn more.

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