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This is a great question which must be considered in any home-based business opportunity.  It is also a question very difficult to answer because it depends on a number of factors:

How many machines will you have?
How far away from your home base will you go?
Do you consider your preparation time together with your time for servicing machines?

To help answer some of these questions, I'll give you my perspective from managing over 2,500 bulk vending machines. 

We have a huge area to cover and do a bit of prep work before we ever leave home.  I package my gumballs up in gallon bags to quickly dispense the product on the route and move quickly to the next location.  I don't count money on the route but place them in little quart zip-lock bags and label the bags according to my route sheets.  This maximizes my ability to service machines.  I count money after I return home and match the bags to the number on my spreadsheet for record keeping purposes.  The only exception to this is if I pay a percentage to the business owner.  In this case I usually count the money and pay the percentage before I leave.

Having stated the previous, I can easily cover 60-80 machines a day and drive 200-300 miles.  I start early by servicing businesses which open at 8 am and continue servicing until after 5pm.  This way I can accomplish the most with my time.  It might be 8pm before I return home but this way, I save gas - a huge consideration for anyone thinking about getting into vending today. 

One important thing to consider is the extra time it takes to service in a large city.  If you have bulk vending machines like mine (Beaver Machines) it could take 25% longer to service.  Rural areas have less traffic and typically go faster.  I also have a few Vendstar 3000's which are the plastic 3-compartment machines typically used for candy sales.  These take longer to service than a typical single or double-headed Beaver or a Northwestern machine.  

Don't forget about the extra time you will need for record keeping.  You can use a spreadsheet to record your account sales in.  You'll also need time to take money to the bank, get your vehicle ready, prepare your taxes related to vending, time to get new accounts, service calls for broken machines, etc. 

Bulk vending is a BUSINESS like anything else.  It will not run itself.  You must be willing to WORK to enjoy passive income from your assets (vending machines).  The good news is that if you are will to work to set up your routes in the beginning, you'll enjoy the passive income from the legitimate business and the freedom which comes from your monthly cash flow!

SEE ALSO:

Optimum Route Size

Vending Management Strategies

Mark Evants
(C) Christmark Enterprises, LLC.



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