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 one of the biggest myths in vending. Is it really passive income? Yes? No? Well... it's not that simple.

Here’s what I’ll break down for you:

• What no one tells you about vending

• How I (and others) make it easier

• The simplest way to get as close to passive as possible

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

🚀 Business Updates

• 📑 The franchise journey starts now! Legal docs are set, and we’re kicking off the first phase of franchise launch next week.

• 💼 Rafael’s onboarding (our new biz dev manager) is going great — KPIs, quarterly goals, and the Campus Ambassador Program are nearly locked in.

• 🎯 COO search is in the final phase. Heading to Dallas next week for in-person interviews with top candidates.

• 🤝 Franchise partnership with Barstool is moving forward! Conversations are progressing, and things are looking promising.

• 📊 Working on franchisee accounting. Exploring ways to bring bookkeeping and sales tax remittance in-house for smoother operations.

• 🚨 My procurement specialist resigned. Now who’s ordering inventory and machines? 😅 

• 🎥 Recorded my first-ever YouTube video! Stay tuned for the first upload soon.

  

• 🎉 This newsletter just passed 1,000 subscribers! Grateful for everyone following the journey.

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

🔗 Best Links

Curated picks for Vendpreneurs

📱 Top Reads

• A vending machine that duplicates keys in minutes? It went viral for a reason! Check out the full story. (News18)

• 💸 She went from secretly selling snacks at school to making $9K a month with vending machines. Talk about a hustle! (Wales Online)

 😱 Trending Now

• 🍕 Another pizza vending machine find. This one serves Banana Nutella pizza! People are saying it looks better than a restaurant’s. (TikTok)

• A vending machine that sells pre-workout at gyms? This could be the next big thing. (TikTok)

Vending machines in bars and nightclubs are one of the best business models out there.

But is it truly passive? Not always.

If you’re restocking every week, fixing machines, and chasing payments, it can start feeling like a full-time job.

That’s why the smartest vending operators don’t do it all themselves. They set up systems that make their business run almost on autopilot.

Here’s how I do it and how you can too 👇

The Real Work in Vending (What No One Tells You)

Most people see a vending machine tucked inside a packed bar, pulling in cash all night.

What they DON’T see is:

• 🛒 Restocking – Checking inventory, buying supplies, refilling machines (sometimes multiple times a week).

• 🛠️ Maintenance & Repairs – Bill acceptors jam. Products get stuck. Machines break. And guess who has to fix it?

• 📍 Finding (and Keeping) Locations – High-traffic spots aren’t easy to get (or keep). You’ll have to cold call, negotiate, and sometimes relocate machines.

• 💰 Cash Collection & Tracking – Collecting cash, tracking sales, and managing digital payments can become a job itself.

If you’re doing all this yourself, vending can quickly turn into another job.

But some operators have figured out how to make vending near-passive.

How Smart Operators Make Vending Easier

The best nightlife vending operators aren’t spending their nights running between machines.

They set up systems that keep their business running smoothly with less effort.

Here’s what they do differently:

• ✅ They Hire Route Runners – Instead of restocking machines themselves, they have someone handle it for them.

• 📊 They Use Remote Monitoring – With live inventory tracking, they only check machines when it’s actually needed. Plus, card readers eliminate most cash-handling headaches.

• 📍 They Secure High-Spending Locations – The right spot can 10x vending sales. They focus on bars and clubs where people are spending freely.

• 🚀 They Follow a Proven System – Instead of guessing, they follow a business model that’s already been tested and scaled.

A lot of people want passive income. They want to escape the 9-5, make money on autopilot, and free up their time.

Vending machines can be that vehicle, but only if you set it up the right way.

If you go at it alone, you’ll spend months (maybe years) figuring out.

The Most Expensive Choice You’ll Make Today? Doing It Yourself

I’ve been in vending for 5+ years. I’ve scaled to 100+ machines in bars and nightclubs across 16 states, generating millions in revenue. But it wasn’t easy.

I made every mistake and lost $200K learning what doesn’t work.

That’s exactly why I decided to franchise Pod Plug (my nightlife vending company), so others don’t have to waste time & money trying to figure it all out alone.

If you want vending to be near passive, there are only two paths:

1. You go DIY. Spend months hunting for locations, dealing with trial and error, and figuring everything out the hard way.

2. You plug into a proven system. Get pre-vetted locations, a fully mapped-out business model, and the exact steps to scale without doing all the work yourself.

One path is slower, riskier, and way more frustrating. The other gives you a shortcut to making vending as passive as possible.

Which path will you take?

👉 Click here if you’re choosing #2 and want to become a Pod Plug franchisee.

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