How She Turned One Vending Location Into $25K a Month
Shan relocated to Seattle for her husband's job, started vending to help fund a home remodel, and turned one micro market into $22-25K a month.
$22-25K
Monthly Revenue
4
Locations
$10-12K
Setup Cost
This one space changed everything for my husband and I.
Background
Shan relocated from the Bay Area to Seattle for her husband's new job. Her own role wasn't fully remote, leaving her under-employed and, in her words, bored. They had just bought a home that needed a remodel, so they were paying Seattle rent and a Seattle mortgage at the same time. Mike walked her through how to start a business from the ground up.
We were paying Seattle rent and a Seattle mortgage, which is a really fun thing to do — like, talk about just catching money on fire.
The Challenge
Shan had zero business background going in — she didn't even know what an LLC was. The first six months were overwhelming: inventory took over the living room and dining room of their 800-square-foot home, and within 48 hours of opening she got an email warning that the machine had already sold out and asking if she was coming back.
I had no business background. I had no business being in this business. I never knew what an LLC was. I didn't know what I was doing.
The Turning Point
Mike walked her through the fundamentals of starting a business before she had any idea the location would turn out to be special. She invested $10,000 to $12,000 in a micro market setup, which paid itself off quickly once the location took off.
I was really lucky to have Mike kind of walk me through a bunch of different areas and different steps about what does it really look like, how do you start your own business from the ground up.
Where They Are Now
A year and a half in, Shan runs four locations. Her first — a micro market inside a mixed-use Seattle high-rise with condos, apartments, and a long-term hotel — averages $22,000 to $25,000 a month in sales. Smartwater alone brings in about $6,000 a month, and a six-pack of Charmin toilet paper sells for $16.99 at roughly 50 percent margin. She hired a stocker off Craigslist and moved into warehouse space with receiving, which finally made the business feel passive.
There is nothing passive when you get started. Now is passive.
