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 sharing a wild story:

• How I started my vending business

• The time someone smashed my machine and stole everything

• How I bounced back and the biggest lessons I learned

🔗 Best Links

Curated picks for Vendpreneurs

📱 Top Reads

• Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and other big brands in India are using vending machines to sell more snacks on the go. 🥤 (The Hindu Business Line).

• Are vending machines the future of retail? They’re popping up everywhere and selling almost anything. (Slate)

 😱 Trending Now

• 🍺 Beer vending machines just launched at sports centers in Halifax and Moncton. (CTV News Atlantic)

• Have you seen the viral cake-in-a-can from a vending machine? 🍰🤯 Japan has done it again! (TikTok)

A frat party, a broken vending machine, and a viral video.

Three things that completely changed the course of my business.

At first, it looked like a total loss.

But what happened next? I never saw it coming. 👇

How I Launched My Vending Business

At 21, I took a big risk.

It all started because of a sports betting debt. To pay it off, I began selling Juul pods on campus. I was that guy with a backpack full of inventory, making sales between classes.

Business was booming, so I expanded fast: building a team across 15 colleges, selling over 100 pods a day, and making $550 in profit daily.

But running around campus wasn’t sustainable. I needed automation.

So, I set up two vending machines in University of Miami frat houses. No more meetups. No more middlemen. Just pure passive income.

The results were insane! Each machine pulled in $4,000 a month.

And that was just the beginning.

The Glass-Shattering Moment

It was the last day of school.

I woke up to 30+ texts and a video going viral.

Some senior, probably celebrating his final night of college a little too hard, decided to smash my vending machine’s glass and steal all the inventory.

At first, I was furious. My machine was destroyed, and all my products were gone. Months of hard work are gone in seconds.

But then something unexpected happened. 👀

Turning a Problem Into an Opportunity

The security footage of my vending machine getting smashed went viral.

Over 3 million views on Instagram! 🤯

People were sharing it, commenting like crazy, and suddenly, Pod Plug (my vending machine name) was the hottest topic on campus.

Then I checked my phone—108 DMs.

But here’s the twist… No one was messaging me to joke about the video. They all wanted to know the same thing: Where can I get one of these machines?

That’s when it hit me. This wasn’t a loss. It was a massive opportunity.

Instead of complaining, I used the attention to grow my business.

Sometimes, the worst moments turn into the best things that ever happen (if you know how to flip the script).

The Big Takeaway

With all the new attention, I knew it was time to scale.

I set my sights on Austin, TX. One connection led to another, and before I knew it, I had machines in seven bars, pulling in $15,000 a month.

I even hired my first vending route driver on Indeed to keep the machines stocked while I focused on expansion.

The lesson? Your biggest wins will come from how you handle your biggest losses.

That one viral moment—3 million views, 108 DMs overnight—could’ve been just a bad memory. But instead, it became the launchpad for something bigger.

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

Before you go, here are 3 ways I can help you get started in vending:

1.) Vending Machine LaunchPad - Learn exactly how to start and grow your vending business step-by-step and get direct access to me with 3 live calls per week, downloadable resources, templates, and a lot more.

2.) Pod Plug Franchise - With a super low-cost entry franchise, you’ll get three smart machines, starting inventory, and hands-on training. Join the waitlist!

3.) Nayax - Add cashless payments to your machines with Nayax card readers. Use my promo code “ETHANPROMO” for a nice little discount.