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 want to show you how you could place 2 to 3 vending machines in a week, WITHOUT doing a cold sales pitch. In 5 easy steps:

• 🎯 Step 1: Build Your Hit List

• 💬 Step 2: Start A Simple Conversation

• ☎️ Step 3: Aim For Warm Intros

• 📄 Step 4: Make The Offer Frictionless

• 🔒 Step 5: Lock It In In 7 Days

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

🚀 Business Updates

• 📦 Big milestone: Installing our first two machines in Jackson, MS this week! Couldn’t be more excited to finally break ground in this market.

• 📞 Franchise sales momentum is picking up! Had two solid calls with qualified leads from Miami and Charlotte. Both are moving forward to the next step.

• 🎥 Upgraded my YouTube setup with the Elgato Stream Deck + a foot pedal. Everything’s dialed in now so I can hit record the moment I sit down (no excuses).

• 💼 Spoke to a hot investor lead in Winston-Salem, NC, plus, officially closed another investor today! Funds are hitting the account tomorrow 🔥

• 🧩 Collaborated with Rafael (our Head of Biz Dev) to level up our franchise sales process. Got some exciting new tactics we’re testing next.

  

  Are there enough hours to check off everything in this list? 😅

• 📈 Reviewed cold email analytics and decided to double our outbound volume next week – targeting 58 launch towns for franchise expansion.

• 🎓 Honed in on 58 high-potential college town launch markets for our franchise rollout. A few standouts: Phoenix, Tucson, Nashville, Tallahassee, Auburn, and Tuscaloosa.

• 🎉 Turned 27 this week (!!) and celebrated with an all-you-can-eat wagyu Korean BBQ dinner with friends 🙌

• 🎓 Also made a quick trip to Madison, WI earlier in the week for my sister’s college graduation. Proud big brother moment.

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

🔗 Best Links

Curated picks for Vendpreneurs

📱 Top Reads

• 🎨 Art and vending collide in this mini-print vending machine! (LAist)

• 🏥 This “side project” is changing community health access (Columbia Gorge News)

😱 Trending Now

• 📦 PR packages for influencers just went to the next level. (TikTok)

• ♻️ Go green with UNIQLO’s vending machine (TikTok)

When I dropped my first vending machine in Carbondale, it wasn’t from some fancy ad or cold email blast.

I just slid into a local bar’s DMs on Facebook, and that machine started pulling $6,000 a month.

Chances are, your own network can do the same for you.

Here’s how to unlock it, fast. 👇

Step 1: Build Your Hit List 📱

(And I don’t mean that type of hit list. 😅)

Referral leads convert 30% better than leads from other sources.

To get started, here’s what to do:

• Use LinkedIn to find owners and managers of clubs, bars, and nightlife venues.

• Expand your network. Add anyone connected to high-traffic places.

• Build a CRM using a spreadsheet and organize your contacts there: bartenders, DJs, security, promoters, reps.

Start with your phone, build your list, and watch doors open fast.

Step 2: Start a Conversation, Not a Pitch 🎯

Nobody wants to get pitched right away.

Salespeople who ask questions first are 3x more likely to close.

• Text or DM: “Hey! You still at [venue]? Random q. Do they have vending machines in there?”

• If they say yes: ask how it’s going. If they say no: “Would they ever consider it? I run a vending business and it’s totally hands-off for the venue.”

✅ Keep it casual.
✅ Ask open-ended questions.
✅ Lead with curiosity, not the pitch.

Step 3: Aim for Warm Intros, Not Cold Leads 🎯

Text or DM your hit list.

• If they say yes: “Mind if I name-drop you or get a quick intro?”

• If they say no: “No worries. Do you know any other spots that might be open to it?”

Then follow up. Hit them back 2–3 hours later or the next day.

Most people give up after one or two tries, but 80% of deals happen after five or more follow-ups. 

Keep it short. Focus on upside:

Then go public:

Post on Facebook, LinkedIn, or local biz groups:

Tag relevant people. Let your network work for you.

Step 4: Make the Offer Frictionless 💰

Venue owners are busy, if it sounds like work, they’re out.

Keep it simple and clear.

✅ Do:

• Lead with benefits: extra revenue, no work.

• Show proof why bars and clubs love vending machines.

• Be confident. Act like this machine is already making money somewhere else.

❌ Do not:

• Over-explain how the machine works.

• Pitch like it’s a favor, you're offering value.

• Say “let me know” and ghost. Keep momentum up.

Step 5: Lock It In Within 7 Days 🏁

Once someone gives you a yes, speed is everything. Momentum dies when you wait.

Here’s what to do fast:

• Visit the spot in person

• Measure the space (use a tape measure or iPhone’s Measure app)

• Snap a pic of where the machine will go (aim for high-traffic: by the entrance, bathrooms, or near the bar)

Then send a simple contract that includes:

• Placement location

• Commission % (if any)

• Responsibilities (you stock + maintain it)

• Term (start with 6–12 months)

Pro tip:
If they’re not sure, offer a 30-day trial. That “out” often gets you the “in.”

What Do You Do When… 💭

1. You get no replies?
   Reach out to 20+ more spots.
   
   Join your local Chamber of Commerce, networking mixers, or city Facebook groups.

   
   People love helping local business owners but they need to know you exist.

2. They already have machines?
   Ask who owns them.
   
   A lot of times, it’s a third-party vendor they haven’t heard from in months.

   
   Offer a better revenue share, sleeker machines, or better product mix (stuff people actually want).

   
   A little extra value can knock the old vendor out.

3. The supplier's lagging?
   Don’t wait around.

   
   Hit Craigslist, OfferUp, or eBay and search for refurbished machines (snack-style machines with credit card readers).

   
   You can retrofit older machines with cashless readers and new motors, often for 50% less than new.

4. Location backs out last minute?
   It happens. Always have 2–3 backups.
   
   Your pipeline should stay full — the goal is placements, not just “interest.”
   

5. You’re getting ghosted after a great convo?
   Don’t take it personal. People get busy.
   
   Follow up 2–3 days later with a short message:
   “Totally forgot to follow up — still a good time to drop one in?”
   
   Timing is everything. 80% of vending placements happen on the second or third follow-up.

This game rewards volume, persistence, and speed.

You don’t need to be perfect, just consistent.

One thing to keep in mind…

Vending is a numbers game.

But it’s also a game about timing, network, and systems.

You can leverage your network on your own, yes, but why do the legwork when you can have somebody else do it for you?

• Marketing and sales work

• Planning and ordering machines

• Finding locations and setting up meetings

• Choosing the right suppliers and product mix

And so much more…

You bring the network and Pod Plug will bring the rest.

I’m franchising Pod Plug, my nightlife vending company, to help you get exactly that—so you can skip the trial and error and start earning faster.

So, if you’re ready to become a franchisee, I’d love to work with you.

But first, let’s make sure we’re the right fit for each other.

If you have:

• $25k in liquid capital

• Solid sales experience

• A willingness to learn and grow with support

• The motivation to build and scale your own business

Let’s make it happen.

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