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Title: How to Make Millions with Vending Machines with Mike Hoffman Summary: In this conversation, Seth Bradley and Mike Hoffman delve into the world of vending machines as a business opportunity. Mike shares his journey from a Midwest farm boy to a successful entrepreneur in the vending industry, highlighting the evolution of vending technology and the potential for passive income. They discuss the importance of location, understanding demographics, and the scalability of vending routes. Mike emphasizes the need for upfront work and learning before delegating tasks, while also addressing the misconceptions surrounding passive income in the vending business. In this conversation, Seth Bradley and Mike discuss various aspects of entrepreneurship, particularly in the vending machine business. They explore the importance of capital raising, the journey of self-discovery, influences that shape business decisions, and the definition of success. The dialogue emphasizes the significance of flexibility, discipline, and focus in achieving entrepreneurial goals, while also touching on financial milestones and the attributes that distinguish successful entrepreneurs. Links to Watch and Subscribe: Bullet Point Highlights: Mike's journey from a classic Midwest farm boy to a successful entrepreneur. The evolution of vending machines from traditional to smart technology. Understanding the importance of location in the vending business. The analogy of baseball levels to describe starting in vending. Scaling up from single A to big leagues in vending routes. The significance of demographics in product selection for vending machines. The potential for passive income with proper systems in place. The need for upfront work before achieving passivity in business. Vending is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it requires dedication. The future opportunities in the vending industry are expanding rapidly. Raising capital can dilute ownership but may be necessary for rapid growth. Self-discovery often leads to unexpected career paths. Influences in business can come from personal experiences rather than just mentors. Success is often defined by the ability to prioritize family and flexibility. Entrepreneurs work harder than in traditional jobs but gain flexibility. Discipline is crucial for saying no to distractions. Successful entrepreneurs often focus on niche markets. High foot traffic locations are ideal for vending machines. AI is transforming business operations and efficiency. Networking and connections can lead to valuable opportunities. Transcript: Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:04.898) Mike, what's going on buddy? Doing great brother, doing great. How about you? Mike (00:06.748) Don't worry, Mike (00:11.664) Good, I'm a little flustered. I usually have my mic set up over here, but I guess we just moved and it's not here today. I guess, yeah, new office and it's been a whole hot mess. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:19.822) New office or what? Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:27.862) Nice man, nice. I see you got the whiteboard cranking back there. Love to see that. Mike (00:33.114) Always. I love your background. That's sweet. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:38.03) Thanks man, yeah, I'm on camera all the time so I like I need to just build this out instead of using like a green screen so Made the investment made it happen Mike (00:44.86) Totally. Yeah, absolutely. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:49.442) Have we met in person or not? I don't know if we've met at a Wealth Without Wall Street event or I couldn't tell. Okay. No, I did not go to Nashville last year. Mike (00:58.478) I don't think so. don't think you're... Were you in Nashville last year? Mike (01:04.634) No, okay. No, I don't think we've met in person. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:08.256) Okay, all good, man. All good. Well, cool. I'll just go over the format real quick. We'll do kind of a shorter recording. We're do like 30 minutes, something like in that range. And then we'll just kind of like break. And then I'll, want to record a couple of other quick segments where I call it Million Dollar Monday. I'm kind of asking you about how you made your first, last and next million. And then 1 % closer, which would just be kind of what separates you, what makes you the top 1 % in your particular vertical. So we'll just kind of record those separately. Those will be real short, like five minutes or so. Mike (01:44.924) Okay, yeah, I'll follow your lead. All good. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:47.15) Cool. Cool. Let's see. I think I already have this auto recording. So we're already recording. So I'll just jump right in. Mike (01:55.377) Okay. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:57.782) Welcome to Raise the Bar Radio, hosted by yours truly Seth Bradley. We today we've got Mr. Passive, Mike Hoffman. Mike, welcome to the show. Mike (02:08.189) Thank you for having me fired up to be here. Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:10.855) Absolutely man, really happy to have you on. I know it's been a little bit of a trek here to get our schedules lined up, but really stoked to have you on today, man. I see you said you moved into a new office. You've got the whiteboard cranking, so love to see it. Mike (02:25.372) yeah, whiteboards are the only place I can get my thoughts down. Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:29.399) Yeah, man, it makes a difference when you actually write something rather than type it or even on a mirror board where you're doing it online. just there's something about physically writing something down. Mike (02:41.328) You know, I'm glad you said that because yesterday I flipped to Seattle for a quick work trip and I didn't have wifi and I literally had three pages of just, I, was so like the clarity of some of these kinds of bigger visions I have now from just being able to write for an hour on a flight was, I was like, man, I gotta do this more often. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:00.363) Yeah, for sure. The key though is once you write it down, it just doesn't go into the trash or into a black hole somewhere where you never see it again. So that's kind of the disadvantage there. If you have it on your computer and you're taking notes or you have it on a mirror board, at least it's there to reference all the time. If you write it down on paper, sometimes, I've got my Raze Masters book right here for notes, but it's like, it might go into the abyss and I'll never look at it again. So you gotta be careful about that. Mike (03:27.184) Yeah, yeah, I need to check out the Miro boards. I've heard a lot of good things about them. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:31.467) Yeah, yeah. Awesome, Mike. Well, listen, for our audience who doesn't know anything about you, maybe just tell them, you know, tell them a little bit about your background. Tell them about your your main business and we can take it from there. Mike (03:43.354) Yeah. So I think for those that don't know about me, I'm a classic Midwest farm boy started with a classic, you know, showing cattle at the county fair and all of that and had a lemonade stand growing up. And then my first job was actually at McDonald's, you know, thinking about the whole success of that business model. But when I was coaching and, out of college, I got my first rental and I was like, wow, this is crazy. making money without. really much time involved. and then with my work in Silicon Valley, know, Seth, was classic Silicon Valley, you know, cutthroat job that, startup life and traveling three weeks out of the month. And I was on, I was in airports all the time. And was like, these vending machines I would run into at airports were just so archaic. And so I went down this path of like unattended retail and kind of the future of, of that. And that's really where I just see a huge opportunity right now. And so it's kind of what led me into all these different income streams that I'm passionate about. Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:49.431) That's awesome, man. Well, let's dive into that a little bit deeper. me about these income streams. It centers around vending machines, right? But I'm sure there's a lot more to it. I'm sure there's a lot of different entry points for people. Maybe just kind of give us a general synopsis to start out. Mike (05:06.78) Yeah, so I think the big thing with, you know, if we're talking vending specifically as an income stream, you know, most people think of vending as the traditional machines where you enter in a code, you put your card on the machine and then a motor spirals down a Snickers bar or a soda and you go into the chute and grab it. Nowadays, there's these smart machines that literally you just unlock the door, or even if you go into, land in the Vegas airport right at the bottom of the escalator where it says, welcome to Las Vegas, there's a 7-Eleven with gates and AI cameras, and there's no employees in the 7-Eleven. And it just tracks whatever you grab and to exit the gate, you have to pay for it. So like, there's just this huge market now where we just installed it in urgent care. less than two months ago and we can do over the counter meds in that machine because it doesn't have to fit into a motor. It's just shelf space. You identify with the planogram with the AI cameras like, okay, Dayquil in this slot or Salad in this slot and then whatever they grab, gets charged to the person that pulls it from it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (06:15.469) That's interesting, man. Yeah, I mean, my initial thought too, was just like the traditional old vending machine where you're getting a candy bar or a cola out of there. But yeah, nowadays, now that you mentioned that, you see this more and more every single day where you've got these scanners, you've got kind of self-checkout, that sort of thing. So that's kind of, that expands that world and really opens it up to the future, right? Like it just really, that's what we're trying to get to, or at least we think we wanna get there, where we're kind of removing humans and... kind of working with technologies and things like that. Mike (06:49.488) Yeah, and I think, you know, removing the whole human thing. mean, those machines still got to get stocked and you know, there's not robots running around doing that. But I just come back to, I was a Marriott guy when I was on the road all the time and I'd go to these grab and goes at a Marriott and grab a, the end of the night, I'd grab like a little wine or an ice cream sandwich. And I literally had to go wait in line at the check-in desk behind three people checking in just to tell them, Hey, put these on. room charge and I was like if I had a checkout kiosk in that grab-and-go I could have just removed all the friction for this customer experience. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:27.772) Right, 100%. Yeah, I mean, there's a place and time for it and there's more and more applications for it that just pop up every single day and you can kind of spot that in your life as you're just kind of moving through, whether you're checking into your hotel or whatever you're doing. Mike (07:41.456) Yeah, yeah. So that's just kind of what excites me today. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:45.973) Yeah, yeah, so when a stranger asks you what you do just in the street, what do you tell them? Because I have a hard time answering that question sometimes too, but I'd love to hear what your answer is. Mike (07:56.804) Yeah, I would just say it depends on the day. You know, what do you do or what's your, you know, it's like at the golf course when you get paired up with a stranger and they're like, tell me about what you do for your career. And I just say, I'm a classic entrepreneur. And then I'm like, well, what do you do? And it's like, well, tell me about the day. You know, what fire are you putting out? Like today we just got the go ahead for five more urgent cares for our local route. But then, you know, we have a community of operators across the country that we help really build. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:57.933) haha Ha ha ha. Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:09.879) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (08:25.616) Vending empires and so we had a group call this morning. So literally, there's a lot of just, you know, it's classic entrepreneurial life. You never know what the day's script is gonna be. Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:36.161) Yeah, for sure. And you focus a lot on not only on your own business, but also teaching others, right? Teaching others how to kind of break into this business. Mike (08:45.402) Yeah, that's my passion, Seth. When I got into my first investment out of college was a $70,000 rental, you know, putting 20 % down or 14K and using an emergency fund. like my background in going to college was as a coach. like I knew I wanted to kind of take that mindset of like coaching people, you know, teach them how to fish. I don't want to catch all the fish myself. It's just not fulfilling that way. So that's really where my passion is. Seth Bradley, Esq. (09:15.373) Gotcha, gotcha. tell me about like, tell me about step one. I mean, how does somebody break into this business? Obviously your own personal business is probably very advanced. There's probably a lot more sophisticated investing strategies at this point and you've got different layers to it. But somebody just kind of starting out that said, hey, this sounds pretty interesting. This vending machine business sounds like it can be passive. How do you recommend that they get started? Mike (09:40.57) Yeah, so I'm always, I view like the whole vending scale as similar to Major League Baseball. You got your single A all the way up to the big leagues. And if you're just starting out, I always recommend like find a location where you can put a machine and just learn the process. Like to me, that's single A analogy. you know, that always starts with, people want to jump right to like, well, what type of machines do you recommend? products, how do you price products? And the first question I'll always ask Seth is, well, what location is this machine going in? And they're like, well, I don't know yet. I was just going to buy one and put it in my garage to start. And it's like, no, you need to have the location first. So understanding that, is it a pet hospital? Is it an apartment? Is it a gym? Where is the foot traffic? And then you can cater to what's the best machine for that type of location. Seth Bradley, Esq. (10:36.887) Got it, got it. Now is this a kind of a rent, you rent the space to place the machine with that particular business or wherever you're gonna place it or how does that all come together? Mike (10:47.644) not typically, some people are kind of more advanced, like apartment complexes are used to the revenue share model. So they're going to ask for a piece of the pie for sure, for you to put the machine in their lobby. but like, you know, when we're talking urgent carers or even pet hospitals are viewing it as an amenity. And so we probably have, I don't even know how many machines now 75 now, and we, you know, less than half of those actually, Seth Bradley, Esq. (10:50.423) Okay. Mike (11:15.1) us rent or ask for a revenue share to have them in there. So I never leave lead with that, but we'll do it if we need to get the location. Seth Bradley, Esq. (11:23.989) Interesting gotcha. So it's really a value add for wherever you're gonna place it and that's how most people or I guess most businesses would look at that and then you're able to capture that that space Mike (11:27.366) Mm-hmm. Mike (11:34.236) Yeah, absolutely. So, um, a great case study is we have a 25 employee roughing business here in Oregon. And you might think like, only 25 employees. It's not going to make that much money. Well, we do $1,200 a month. And the cool thing about this, Seth, is the CEO of this roughing company literally did napkin math on how much it costs for his employees to drive to the gas station during their 20 minute break. And then How much they're paying for an energy drink at the gas station and then how much gas they're using with the roofing like the work trucks to get to and from the gas station So he's like I want to bring a smart machine into our warehouse Set the prices as half off so that four dollar monster only costs his rofers two dollars and then we invoice him the the business owner every month for the other 50 % and so he actually Calculated as a cost savings not asking for money to rent the space Seth Bradley, Esq. (12:35.597) Yeah, gotcha, gotcha. That makes sense. That makes sense. I love the baseball analogy with the single A, double A, triple A, even into the big leagues here. know, a lot of the folks that listen to this are already kind of, you know, in the big leagues or maybe think about some capital behind them. Like how would they be able to jump right in, maybe skip single or double A or would they, or do you even suggest that? Do you suggest that they start, you know, small just to learn and then maybe invest some more capital into it to expand or can they jump right to the big leagues? Mike (12:48.891) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (13:03.966) I think they can jump right to the big leagues. this is, I'm glad you brought this up because just listening to some of your episodes from the past, there's no doubt that you have people that could buy a route like a off biz buy sell today. And I think this is a prime opportunity. it's very similar to flipping a house. you, you know, there's a route in Chicago, I think it was for $1.1 million, you know, whatever negotiating terms or seller financing or, or what have you, got a lot of, your, your audience that is experts in that. But the cool thing about these routes is they have the old school machines that have the motors and that are limited to, this type of machine, you can only fit a 12 ounce cannon. Well, guess what? The minute you buy that route, you swap out that machine with one of these micro markets or smart machines. Now you just went from selling a 12 ounce soda for $1.25 to now a 16 ounce monster for $4.50. Well, you just bought that location based on its current revenue numbers and by swapping out that machine, you're going to two or three acts your revenue just at that location. And so it's truly just like a value play, a value upgrade, like flipping the house of, okay, there's a lot of deals right now of these routes being sold by baby boomers where it's like, they got the old school Pepsi machine. Doesn't have a credit card reader on it. They can't track inventory remotely via their cell phones. So They're not keeping it stocked. Like all those types of things can really play in your favor as a buyer that just wants to get to the big leagues right away. Seth Bradley, Esq. (14:37.651) I love that. When you say buy a route, what are you really buying? Tell me about the contractual agreement behind that. What are you really buying there? Mike (14:47.184) You're just buying the locations and the equipment associated with it. So like this Chicago route, it's like, we have machines in 75 properties all across the Chicago suburbs. And they could be medical clinics. could be apartments. could be employee break rooms at businesses, but that's when you start diving into those locations. It's like, I have a snack machine and a soda machine here. Well, you swap that out with a micro market that now instead of. Seth Bradley, Esq. (14:49.279) Okay. Okay. Mike (15:13.626) that machine that'll only hold a small bag of Doritos that you charge two bucks, well now you get the movie size theater bags that you can really put in there in a micro market. Like naturally just that valuation of that route based on those 75 machines current revenue, I mean you're gonna be able to two or three X your revenue right by just swapping out those machines. Seth Bradley, Esq. (15:35.959) Wow, yeah, I love that analogy with real estate, right? It's just like a value add. It's like, how can I bring in more income from what already exists? Well, I need to upgrade or I need to put in some capital improvements, whatever you want to call it. Here's the vending machine upgrades or a different kind of system in there. And you get more income. And obviously that business in itself is going to be worth more in a higher multiple. Mike (15:58.396) Absolutely. mean, a great example of this is we had a machine in an apartment complex and it was your traditional machine with the motors and you have to enter in the code. Well, we could only put in four 12 ounce drinks and then chips. Well, we swapped that out with a micro market. Well, now that micro market, we literally put in bags of Tide Pods for laundry, like these big bags of Tide Pods. We'll sell those like hotcakes for 15 bucks. And our old machine, Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:25.281) Yeah, let's say those aren't cheap. Mike (16:27.246) Yeah, our old machine Seth, it would take us to get to 15 bucks, we'd have to sell eight Snickers. That's one transaction. Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:33.547) Right, right. Yeah, yeah. How do you do an analysis kind of based on like what you think is gonna sell there, right? Like you're replacing, let's say a Dorito machine with Tide Pods, you know? So you have to individually go to each location and figure out what will work, what will sell. Mike (16:47.738) Yeah. Mike (16:51.834) It's all about demographic. Absolutely. So, you know, we have, we have, we have a micro market and a manufacturing plant that's, it's a pumpkin farm and there's a ton of Hispanic workers. So we do a lot of like spicy foods, a lot of spicy chips. do, we do a ton of, mean, the sugar or sorry, the glass bottle cokes. They do, they love their pastries. Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:53.431) Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (17:06.349) Yeah. Mike (17:15.868) So we just doubled down on the demographics. So yesterday I was filming at one of our micro markets that's in a gym and they crushed the Fairlife protein shakes, like the more modern protein shakes, but they won't touch muscle milk. So we're literally taking out one row of muscle milk just to add an extra row of Fairlife shakes. So you're constantly just catering to the demographics and what's selling. Seth Bradley, Esq. (17:40.632) Yeah, yeah, this is awesome. I mean, this is literally just like real estate, right? Like you go and you find a good market. You're talking about demographics, right? Find the market, see what they want, see how much you can upgrade, how you can upgrade. If it's an apartment, it's a unit. If it's here, it's the product that you're selling and the type of machine, or maybe it's a mini market. A lot of things to kind of tie your understanding to here. Mike (17:45.926) Yeah. Mike (18:05.904) Yeah, absolutely. Seth Bradley, Esq. (18:07.615) Yeah, awesome, man. Awesome, Where are you at in your business? Like what, you know, what are the big leagues looking like right now? You know, what are you doing to expand your business, raising the bar in your business? Mike (18:18.692) Yeah, I'm going after that's a really good question. I'm going after kind of these newer markets and we're kind of past that point of like, okay, let's pilot in this location. For example, that urgent care, we didn't know if it was going to be a good location two months ago when we installed. Well now it's already crushing it. Well, there's six other urgent cares in town and we just got to go ahead on five of those six. So like for me, it's doubling down on our current proof points of where. okay, we know that manufacturing plant, the pumpkin farm does really well. So let's start getting intros to all their, manufacturers of the products they need to grow pumpkin. know, like we're just doubling down on scaling because now we have the operational blueprint to really just kind of to go after it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:03.917) Gotcha, gotcha. Tell me about how passive this can really be, right? So I used to have, before we switched over to the new brand, Raise the Bar podcast, it was the Passive Income Attorney podcast, right? I was really focused on passive investments, focused on bringing in passive investors into my real estate deals, things like that. And I think that word passive gets thrown around quite a bit, right? And sometimes it's abused because people get into things that are not truly passive. Mike (19:18.427) Yeah. Mike (19:28.784) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:33.517) What's your take on that as it relates to the vending business? Mike (19:38.49) Yeah, so I think as far as with the vending business, there's clearly upfront leg work that needs to be done, whether that's finding locations or any of those things. So I have a route that is here in Oregon, and then we bought a route last year in Illinois and have scaled that route. I spend 30 minutes a week on each route now. that these urgent cares and stuff, like we have an operator that's running the whole route. Here's the problem, Seth. It's like people are so scared to build systems to ultimately systemize things or they're too cheap to hire help. And I'm the opposite. like, you know, kind of like Dan Martell's buy back your time. Like I have like a leverage calculator and like I constantly think about is this worth my time? Cause as you know, you're busier than me. Like it's so limited. for me, my routes, I would consider them passive, like one hour a week is, is nothing in my mind. But as far as like, you know, I'm, I'm also a passive investor on, we're building a, an oil loop station in Florida and I sent my money a year ago to, to my, active investor and I haven't talked to him since. Like that's actually truly probably passive now, you know, I'm not doing anything, but there's, there's different levels to that. And I'm a huge believer like. don't delegate something until you know what you're delegating. So people that want to start with the vending routes, sure, if you want to buy a route that already has an operator, that's one thing. but these, if you're starting a vending route for your kid or for your stay at home wife or whatever, as a side hustle, like get in the weeds and install that first machine. So when you hire help to take over the route, you know what you're delegating. Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:09.773) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:27.021) Yeah, that's key. That's key. And you you described just like any other business, right? I think that's kind of where people get themselves into trouble. That sometimes they get sold the dream that is truly passive. And eventually it can be. I mean, you're talking about an hour a week. To me, that's pretty damn passive, right? But you know, upfront, you you've got to learn the business. You've got to know what you're getting yourself into. Like you said, you've got to learn before you delegate so that you know what you're delegating. There is going to be some upfront work and then as you're able to kind of delegate and learn Then you can make it more and more passive as you go Mike (22:00.88) Yeah, I mean, it's no different than what's the same when people tell you that they're busy. I mean, you're just not a priority. Like that's a fact. you're not. People say it's the same thing when people come to me and they're like, I'm so busy. It's like, okay, well let me, let me see your schedule. Where are you spending your time? You know, it's like when people are like, I can't lose weight. Okay, well let me see your food log. What did you eat yesterday? Did you have ice cream? Like this is like the same kind of thing. That's where passive I think has been really abused. Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:16.097) Yeah. Yep. Mike (22:29.638) To me, the bigger issue is like, vending is not get rich quick. And so like, if you're expecting to leave your nine to five tomorrow and vending is going to make up for that in one day, like that's not going to Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:41.089) Right, Makes sense. Speaking of passive, do you raise capital or do you have any kind of a fund or have you put together a fund for something like this? Mike (22:51.48) We haven't put together a fun, we're definitely buying routes is definitely becoming more and more intriguing. And I know there's some PE players starting to get into the vending game, but it's something we've been definitely considering and on our radar of do we want to. Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:58.541) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:10.231) Gotcha. Cool. I mean, you brought in money partners for some of those routes yet, or is that still something you're exploring too? Mike (23:18.168) No, I think it's just something we're thinking about. mean, what do you recommend? Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:21.089) Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'd recommend I mean, it depends, right? Like I'm I'm scared to turn you by trade, but I don't like to say you should always raise capital no matter what. Right. Like you've been able to scale your business as you have and grown it to where it is without bringing outside capital. It sounds which is great because you own 100 percent or with whatever business partners you might have. You know, when you start raising capital, you're giving a large chunk of that piece away, not necessarily your whole company. But if you're buying you know, a set of routes or that sort of thing. You you're gonna give a big piece away to those past investors if you're starting a fund or even if it's up. Even a single asset syndication here for one of these, you know, these routes, you could put it together that way. You know, it's just something to consider. But a lot of times when people are looking to scale fast, right, if they wanna grow exponentially, you've gotta use other people's money to get there or hit the lottery. Mike (24:08.294) Mm. Mike (24:15.856) Absolutely, no, agree. That's spot-on and I actually before you know the Silicon Valley company That I was part of we had a we went through probably series a B C D C ground Let's just say we weren't very fiscally responsible. So I come from the, you know, it's like the ex-girlfriend example. I don't want to just start taking everyone's money. Seth Bradley, Esq. (24:42.413) Yeah, yeah, that tends to happen with some startups, right? Like before you get funding, you're super frugal because it's your money and every single dollar counts. And you're like, I don't want to pay, you if it's software, you don't want to pay the software engineers. I'm going to out, you know, put it, you know, hire Indian engineers, that sort of thing. And then once you get a few million bucks that you raised in that seed round, then it just goes and you're like, whoa, wait a minute, let's hire 20 people. You know, it's you got to be careful about that. Mike (25:05.606) Yeah Yeah, yeah, that's a great, great take on it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:11.245) Yeah, it's, yeah. It's a question I love to ask and I think it's about time for that. So, in a parallel universe, tell me about a different version of you. So a different but likely version, right? Like, for example, for me, I went to med school for a year and a half and then I dropped out and I ended up becoming an attorney. So that was like a big turning point, right? So I could have easily at some point just said screw it and became a doctor and that would have been a totally different route than I'm going down right now. What's an example of something like that for you? Mike (25:42.524) Wait, are you being serious about that? I took the MCAT too. I got into med school and then I, yeah, I was pretty mad in school. And then the more I learned about exercise science, I was like, organic chemistry is not fun. Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:44.321) Yeah, totally. yeah? There you go. Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:57.39) It is not fun. I did not love that. I majored in exercise physiology and then I ended up switching to biology because it was just a little bit of an easier route to get my degree and go into med school and I went for a year and a half and then I dropped out because I absolutely hated it. I knew I didn't want to do it. I was just more attracted to business and that sort of thing. Mike (26:16.346) Yeah, that's crazy. That's awesome. parallel universe. I, that's a really good question. I don't know. I, kinda, I have two kids under three and the other side of me wishes I would have traveled more. you know, I mean, we'll get there hopefully when they get out of high school and someday. But right now I just think there's so many different cultural things and ways to skin the cat. And it's just fascinating to learn some of those things. Mike (26:55.352) yourself in those cultures. go to different cultures and really like understand how they did things for a time, a period of time to really just learn their thinking. Seth Bradley, Esq. (27:07.777) Yeah, I love that man. I had a similar experience of what you're describing. I didn't travel abroad really other than like, you know, Canada and Mexico until I studied abroad in Barcelona during law school and I got to stay there for a couple of months. So you actually had some time. It wasn't like you're just visiting for a week or a weekend or anything like that. You got to kind of live there right for a couple of months and it just totally changed my, you know, my outlook on life and just the way that you see things like I feel like we're in the US and we just think Mike (27:19.627) Seth Bradley, Esq. (27:37.76) US is number one and there's only one way to do things the way that we do things that kind of attitude. And then when you go to Western Europe and you see that culture and you drive or get on a train, it's like an hour away and you're in a totally different culture and they're doing it a certain way as well and it's working. You just see that other people are doing things differently and still being successful at it, still having a thriving culture and it's just awesome to see. Mike (28:03.312) Yeah, absolutely. Seth Bradley, Esq. (28:06.251) Yeah. Tell me about some major influences in your life. What turned you or got you into that, the vending business? It's not one of those typical things. mean, I know you're in the education business, so you're kind of really spreading the word about this type of business. But I would say when you started, there might not have been a mastermind or educational courses around this. mean, how did you kind of get drawn into that? Were there any particular people or influences that brought you in? Mike (28:29.308) you Mike (28:36.188) Yeah. So the, biggest influence for me to get into vending, uh, wasn't actually a person. It was actually, was, um, I had landed, I was coming back from the Pentagon from a trip back to the Bay for the startup we were talking about. And I was in the Denver airport and 11 PM, you know, our flight was delayed. And then they're like, Hey, you have to stay in the airport tonight. The pilot went over their hours for the day, blah, blah, blah. So I went to a vending machine and I remember buying a bottle of water. I think it costs like at the time three bucks or something. I knew that bottle of water cost 20 cents at Costco. And I was like, there is someone that's at home with their kids right now making money off me and they're not even at this mission. Like the machine is doing the work. So I had like an aha moment of like, what are my true priorities in life? And like, why am I chasing this cutthroat startup from. Palo Alto and trying to make it when reality was my priorities are freedom to spend more time with my family. So that's really kind of what led me into this path of starting a vending machine side hustle to keep our lifestyle as we had kids. We wanted to have a nanny and we wanted to be able to still go on dates and things like that as a couple with my wife. So that's really kind of my family and just like... having the freedom to do things. Like that's what I'm really passionate about. Seth Bradley, Esq. (29:59.084) Yeah. Yeah. I mean, building on that, and you may have already answered that, but what does success look like for you? Mike (30:01.766) next Mike (30:06.268) an empty calendar. Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:08.621) Good luck with that. Good luck with that. Mike (30:11.516) Oh man, I was gonna say, how do we crack that code? No, yeah. No, but I think success to me is doing things like picking up my daughter at three and even being able to say no to the things that aren't gonna get you to where you need, like the discipline piece of this too. Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:15.708) man. Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:33.995) Yeah, yeah, mean, you know, for me, it's kind of similar, right? It's not going to be able to empty that calendar. Not yet, at least maybe here in the future. But for now, it's pretty filled. But it is it's flexible, right? Like us as entrepreneurs, you know, we probably work more than we ever worked when we were in our W-2s. But at the same time, it's you know, we're working in our own business for ourselves, for our families. And we have the Flexibility, a lot of people will say the freedom, right? But we have the flexibility to move things around. And if you want to pick your kids up at school at three, or you do want to take a weekend off, or something comes up in your schedule, you have the flexibility to do that. Whereas if you're kind of slaving away at the nine to five, you can't really do it. Mike (31:04.486) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (31:20.198) Yeah, that's spot on. mean, I just wrote that down, but flexibility is, cause you're right. When you started becoming an entrepreneur, this is what I tell people all the time when they want to get a venting around is like running your own business. You are going to work harder than you do for your boss currently at your W-2. Like you have to do payroll. You have to do, like you gotta like make sure there's money to actually do pay, you know, like all those things that you just don't even think about when you have a W-2. It's like, today's Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:39.543) Yeah Mike (31:48.89) You know, this Friday I get paid. Well, when you run a business, mean, that money's got to come from somewhere. Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:51.905) Yeah Right, yeah, 100%, man, 100%. All right, Mike, we're gonna wrap it up. Thanks so much for coming on the show. Tell the listeners where they can find out more about you. Mike (32:05.286) Yeah, so thanks for having me. This has been great. I have free content all over the place. can find me on the classic Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, but I also have vendingpreneurs.com is where we help people that are more interested in actually the vending stuff. But I've been really trying to double down on YouTube lately because there's just a lot of content and you can't get it off a one minute reel. Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:32.417) Love it, man. All right, Mike, appreciate it. Thanks for coming on the show. Mike (32:35.91) Thanks for having me. Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:37.227) Hi brother. Alright man, got a couple more questions for you. We do like a quick, kind of do the full podcast episode and then I'll just do kind of a quick episode that'll follow up on a Monday and then another one on a Friday. Cool. Mike (32:55.814) See you. Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:59.693) We out here. Welcome to Million Dollar Mondays, how to make, keep, and scale a million dollars. Mike is a super successful entrepreneur in the vending machine business and beyond. Tell us, how did you make your first million dollars? Mike (33:20.922) Yeah, Seth. It was probably actually through real estate and just getting a little bit kind of lucky with timing with COVID and short-term rentals and some of that. But yeah, that's probably how I got the first million. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:25.229) Mm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:37.079) Gotcha, cool. Yeah, real estate usually plays a role in the everybody's strategy down the line, whether they're in that primary business or not, whether they start out there or they end up there, real estate usually plays a part. How'd you make your last million? Mike (33:53.956) Yeah, that's a good question because it's completely different than real estate, but it's actually been vending machines. So that's been kind of fun. just, you you talk about product market fit whenever you're an entrepreneur with a business. And that was just kind of the perfect storm right now of traditional vending really kind of being outdated. And we found a product market fit with it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:57.57) Right. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:16.215) Gotcha. Cool. that was from, was this maybe mostly attributed to kind of buying those routes, those larger routes? Mike (34:23.32) Exactly. Yeah. Buying old school routes and really kind of flipping them like a house with modern micro markets charging, with different products and what would fit in a vending machine, like more of the unorthodox, you know, toilet paper and tide pods and things that wouldn't fit in a traditional vending machine. I mean, we'll sell $35 bottles of shampoo in these micro markets. So just kind of, go and add it in a different way. Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:49.857) Yeah, and then with the aging population, there's gotta be more and more of these things popping up. So there should be more opportunity for people to get involved or for people like yourself to just snag everything, right? Mike (35:01.102) Yeah, I think there's no chance I could snag everything, not even just in this town alone that I'm currently in. I mean, machines are getting cheaper, the technology is getting way better with AI. And nowadays, it's not what fits in a vending machine motor. It's okay, what's shelf space? if it's a bottle of shampoo or a glass Coke, it doesn't matter because it's not just getting thrown down the chute of a traditional machine. Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:05.387) Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:27.521) Makes sense, makes sense. Last, how are you planning on making your next million dollars? Mike (35:34.3) I think probably with AI, we're doing a lot of interesting stuff with helping people scale their, their vending routes. that is applicable to any, small business. And so I'm really intrigued. Just every time I go down a rabbit hole with some new AI tool, I feel like there's another better one that just came right behind it. So I just think it's kind of that time where you can really get ahead by just learning. Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:06.209) Yeah, totally makes sense. mean people that are not paying attention to AI whether it's simply using chat GPT instead of Google search are getting left behind quickly because it's just advancing so fast. I can't even imagine what this world's gonna look like five years from now the way that things are moving. Mike (36:23.132) It's crazy. Three years ago when I was working for a tech company selling software into the government, I would have to work with three secretaries to schedule a meeting with the general to sell their software. Now my EA is literally an AI bot and everyone that's scheduling time on my calendar, they don't even know they're talking to a non-human, which is pretty Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:43.479) Yeah, 100%. We're gonna, I predicted within five years, everybody's gonna have a humanoid robot in their home with AI instilled and they're gonna be doing physical things for us at our homes. Yeah. Yep. Yep. 100%. Awesome, All right, moving on to the next one. Mike (36:50.181) Yeah! Mike (36:57.917) I hope so. I hope they can go to Costco get all our groceries do our do our laundry The dishes Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:11.501) You're clearly in the top 1 % of what you do, Mike. What is it about you that separates you from the rest of the field? Mike (37:19.056) Ooh, that's a good question, Seth. I think it's just discipline, know, discipline and focus. One of the hardest things is being able to say no with the things that don't align. And when I was growing up, I had a quote that has really stuck with me. That's like, it's better to be respected than liked. And I think that really resonates. Like naturally as a human, you want to be liked and help people, but the 1 % are really good at saying no. Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:47.649) Yeah, I love that man. That's a great answer. Kind of building on that, what do you think the number one attribute is that makes a successful entrepreneur? Mike (37:57.468) probably focus. Yeah. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:59.212) Yeah, focus. Yep. The one thing, right? The one thing. Mike (38:04.186) Yep. That's why you come back to like the most successful entrepreneurs. They always niche down and they niche down because they just, got hyper-focused. Like this is kind of why for me, you know, I started this passive Mr. Passive on social media before I even got into Vendi. Well, now everyone's like, well, how passive is Vendi? And well, it's like, what's really interesting is I was posting all these different, what I thought passive income streams in the time, but everyone, 95 % of the questions I got about Airbnbs are all my different investments was about bending. So I just niche down on, on bending and I just looked back on that and I was like, it really forced me to focus. Seth Bradley, Esq. (38:43.263) Awesome, awesome. What's one thing someone could do today to get 1 % closer to success in the vending machine business if they are really interested in learning more? Mike (38:53.892) tap into your connections and find a location that has high foot traffic, whether that's a friend that works at an urgent care, a sister that lives at an apartment. You know, you take your kid to that gymnastics studio that has a ton of foot traffic between 4 PM and 8 PM. Like all those locations are prime locations to put one of these modern smart machines in. so, tapping into your connections, well, you know, Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:24.567) Love that man. Awesome. All right, Mike, I appreciate it, brother. We'll to meet in person sometime, Mike (39:30.574) I would love to. Where are you based, Seth? Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:31.789) I'm in San Diego, where you at? Mike (39:34.78) I am in Eugene. Yeah, Oregon. I'll come down your way though. Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:37.39) Cool We're planning on doing yeah, we're planning on doing so me and my wife we have a Sprinter van and Last May we did we did going back to the flexibility piece, right? We did 32 days in the van up through Wyoming Montana and then into like Into Canada and they're like Banff and Jasper and all the way up to Jasper and then we circled back on the west coast Through Vancouver and then down back to San Diego Yeah Mike (40:05.52) What? Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:06.829) Pretty wild, pretty awesome. And the reason I brought that up is this year we're gonna do shorter trip. We're probably gonna do two, maybe three weeks at the most, but we're gonna do kind of the Pacific Northwest. So Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver and all those parks and stuff up there. Mike (40:17.254) Yeah. Mike (40:21.744) Yeah, you definitely have a, have you been to Bend before? Bend is like my, that whole area, Central Oregon is, and even Idaho, like all those kind of, yeah. That's awesome. Please let me know when you're up this way. I mean, I'll come meet you wherever. That'd be amazing. Absolutely. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:24.641) Yeah, yeah I have. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:38.861) Sure man grab a coffee or beer. I appreciate it. Yeah, let's do it. Yeah all right brother great to meet you and I will send the information on when this is gonna get released and give you you materials and all that stuff so we can collaborate on social media Mike (40:51.964) Okay. Okay. Yeah. Is a lot of your audience, like passive investors? Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:58.593) So most of that, so now I'm rebranding. I rebranded because I'm gonna be speaking more towards like active entrepreneurs, Active entrepreneurs, people raising capital, that sort of thing. Whereas before it was based on passive investors and people really focused on attorneys. So I'm an attorney and I was raising capital from attorneys for my real estate deals. Now I'm really more into selling shovels. I'm scaling my law firm. I'm chief legal officer for Tribest, which is, we've got a fund to fund. Mike (41:20.262) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:28.085) legal product there as well. So we're really trying to bring in active, active entrepreneurs and people raising capital. Mike (41:29.777) Yeah. Mike (41:36.572) Okay, because I got that, I was just thinking through when we talking about that oil development project, that could be a good, the guy that runs that fund could be a good interview for you. Just thinking through your audience, because he's always looking for investors into his fund and like these oil lubs are just crushing it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:49.901) Cool. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:58.464) Yeah, cool. Who is it? Just, I don't know if I know him or not. Mike (42:02.183) Um, Robert Durkey, he's out of Florida. has, his problem is he's sitting on a gold mine that has no, like he's old school, doesn't know social media, any of that. So that's why I think he'd be perfect for you. Cause I think you could help him and he could definitely help you with some kickback. Yeah. So cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we meet soon. Okay. See you Seth. Bye. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:05.645) I don't think I know. I don't think I know. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:13.889) Yeah. Gotcha. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:20.705) Cool, okay, sounds good man. Yeah, I appreciate the introduction. Yeah, all right brother. Talk soon. See ya. Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Mike Hoffman's Links: https://www.instagram.com/mikehoffmannofficial/ https://x.com/mrpassive_?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedhoffmann/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.passive
Title: How to Make Millions with Vending Machines with Mike Hoffman Summary: In this conversation, Seth Bradley and Mike Hoffman delve into the world of vending machines as a business opportunity. Mike shares his journey from a Midwest farm boy to a successful entrepreneur in the vending industry, highlighting the evolution of vending technology and the potential for passive income. They discuss the importance of location, understanding demographics, and the scalability of vending routes. Mike emphasizes the need for upfront work and learning before delegating tasks, while also addressing the misconceptions surrounding passive income in the vending business. In this conversation, Seth Bradley and Mike discuss various aspects of entrepreneurship, particularly in the vending machine business. They explore the importance of capital raising, the journey of self-discovery, influences that shape business decisions, and the definition of success. The dialogue emphasizes the significance of flexibility, discipline, and focus in achieving entrepreneurial goals, while also touching on financial milestones and the attributes that distinguish successful entrepreneurs. Links to Watch and Subscribe: Bullet Point Highlights: Mike's journey from a classic Midwest farm boy to a successful entrepreneur. The evolution of vending machines from traditional to smart technology. Understanding the importance of location in the vending business. The analogy of baseball levels to describe starting in vending. Scaling up from single A to big leagues in vending routes. The significance of demographics in product selection for vending machines. The potential for passive income with proper systems in place. The need for upfront work before achieving passivity in business. Vending is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it requires dedication. The future opportunities in the vending industry are expanding rapidly. Raising capital can dilute ownership but may be necessary for rapid growth. Self-discovery often leads to unexpected career paths. Influences in business can come from personal experiences rather than just mentors. Success is often defined by the ability to prioritize family and flexibility. Entrepreneurs work harder than in traditional jobs but gain flexibility. Discipline is crucial for saying no to distractions. Successful entrepreneurs often focus on niche markets. High foot traffic locations are ideal for vending machines. AI is transforming business operations and efficiency. Networking and connections can lead to valuable opportunities. Transcript: Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:04.898) Mike, what's going on buddy? Doing great brother, doing great. How about you? Mike (00:06.748) Don't worry, Mike (00:11.664) Good, I'm a little flustered. I usually have my mic set up over here, but I guess we just moved and it's not here today. I guess, yeah, new office and it's been a whole hot mess. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:19.822) New office or what? Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:27.862) Nice man, nice. I see you got the whiteboard cranking back there. Love to see that. Mike (00:33.114) Always. I love your background. That's sweet. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:38.03) Thanks man, yeah, I'm on camera all the time so I like I need to just build this out instead of using like a green screen so Made the investment made it happen Mike (00:44.86) Totally. Yeah, absolutely. Seth Bradley, Esq. (00:49.442) Have we met in person or not? I don't know if we've met at a Wealth Without Wall Street event or I couldn't tell. Okay. No, I did not go to Nashville last year. Mike (00:58.478) I don't think so. don't think you're... Were you in Nashville last year? Mike (01:04.634) No, okay. No, I don't think we've met in person. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:08.256) Okay, all good, man. All good. Well, cool. I'll just go over the format real quick. We'll do kind of a shorter recording. We're do like 30 minutes, something like in that range. And then we'll just kind of like break. And then I'll, want to record a couple of other quick segments where I call it Million Dollar Monday. I'm kind of asking you about how you made your first, last and next million. And then 1 % closer, which would just be kind of what separates you, what makes you the top 1 % in your particular vertical. So we'll just kind of record those separately. Those will be real short, like five minutes or so. Mike (01:44.924) Okay, yeah, I'll follow your lead. All good. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:47.15) Cool. Cool. Let's see. I think I already have this auto recording. So we're already recording. So I'll just jump right in. Mike (01:55.377) Okay. Seth Bradley, Esq. (01:57.782) Welcome to Raise the Bar Radio, hosted by yours truly Seth Bradley. We today we've got Mr. Passive, Mike Hoffman. Mike, welcome to the show. Mike (02:08.189) Thank you for having me fired up to be here. Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:10.855) Absolutely man, really happy to have you on. I know it's been a little bit of a trek here to get our schedules lined up, but really stoked to have you on today, man. I see you said you moved into a new office. You've got the whiteboard cranking, so love to see it. Mike (02:25.372) yeah, whiteboards are the only place I can get my thoughts down. Seth Bradley, Esq. (02:29.399) Yeah, man, it makes a difference when you actually write something rather than type it or even on a mirror board where you're doing it online. just there's something about physically writing something down. Mike (02:41.328) You know, I'm glad you said that because yesterday I flipped to Seattle for a quick work trip and I didn't have wifi and I literally had three pages of just, I, was so like the clarity of some of these kinds of bigger visions I have now from just being able to write for an hour on a flight was, I was like, man, I gotta do this more often. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:00.363) Yeah, for sure. The key though is once you write it down, it just doesn't go into the trash or into a black hole somewhere where you never see it again. So that's kind of the disadvantage there. If you have it on your computer and you're taking notes or you have it on a mirror board, at least it's there to reference all the time. If you write it down on paper, sometimes, I've got my Raze Masters book right here for notes, but it's like, it might go into the abyss and I'll never look at it again. So you gotta be careful about that. Mike (03:27.184) Yeah, yeah, I need to check out the Miro boards. I've heard a lot of good things about them. Seth Bradley, Esq. (03:31.467) Yeah, yeah. Awesome, Mike. Well, listen, for our audience who doesn't know anything about you, maybe just tell them, you know, tell them a little bit about your background. Tell them about your your main business and we can take it from there. Mike (03:43.354) Yeah. So I think for those that don't know about me, I'm a classic Midwest farm boy started with a classic, you know, showing cattle at the county fair and all of that and had a lemonade stand growing up. And then my first job was actually at McDonald's, you know, thinking about the whole success of that business model. But when I was coaching and, out of college, I got my first rental and I was like, wow, this is crazy. making money without. really much time involved. and then with my work in Silicon Valley, know, Seth, was classic Silicon Valley, you know, cutthroat job that, startup life and traveling three weeks out of the month. And I was on, I was in airports all the time. And was like, these vending machines I would run into at airports were just so archaic. And so I went down this path of like unattended retail and kind of the future of, of that. And that's really where I just see a huge opportunity right now. And so it's kind of what led me into all these different income streams that I'm passionate about. Seth Bradley, Esq. (04:49.431) That's awesome, man. Well, let's dive into that a little bit deeper. me about these income streams. It centers around vending machines, right? But I'm sure there's a lot more to it. I'm sure there's a lot of different entry points for people. Maybe just kind of give us a general synopsis to start out. Mike (05:06.78) Yeah, so I think the big thing with, you know, if we're talking vending specifically as an income stream, you know, most people think of vending as the traditional machines where you enter in a code, you put your card on the machine and then a motor spirals down a Snickers bar or a soda and you go into the chute and grab it. Nowadays, there's these smart machines that literally you just unlock the door, or even if you go into, land in the Vegas airport right at the bottom of the escalator where it says, welcome to Las Vegas, there's a 7-Eleven with gates and AI cameras, and there's no employees in the 7-Eleven. And it just tracks whatever you grab and to exit the gate, you have to pay for it. So like, there's just this huge market now where we just installed it in urgent care. less than two months ago and we can do over the counter meds in that machine because it doesn't have to fit into a motor. It's just shelf space. You identify with the planogram with the AI cameras like, okay, Dayquil in this slot or Salad in this slot and then whatever they grab, gets charged to the person that pulls it from it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (06:15.469) That's interesting, man. Yeah, I mean, my initial thought too, was just like the traditional old vending machine where you're getting a candy bar or a cola out of there. But yeah, nowadays, now that you mentioned that, you see this more and more every single day where you've got these scanners, you've got kind of self-checkout, that sort of thing. So that's kind of, that expands that world and really opens it up to the future, right? Like it just really, that's what we're trying to get to, or at least we think we wanna get there, where we're kind of removing humans and... kind of working with technologies and things like that. Mike (06:49.488) Yeah, and I think, you know, removing the whole human thing. mean, those machines still got to get stocked and you know, there's not robots running around doing that. But I just come back to, I was a Marriott guy when I was on the road all the time and I'd go to these grab and goes at a Marriott and grab a, the end of the night, I'd grab like a little wine or an ice cream sandwich. And I literally had to go wait in line at the check-in desk behind three people checking in just to tell them, Hey, put these on. room charge and I was like if I had a checkout kiosk in that grab-and-go I could have just removed all the friction for this customer experience. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:27.772) Right, 100%. Yeah, I mean, there's a place and time for it and there's more and more applications for it that just pop up every single day and you can kind of spot that in your life as you're just kind of moving through, whether you're checking into your hotel or whatever you're doing. Mike (07:41.456) Yeah, yeah. So that's just kind of what excites me today. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:45.973) Yeah, yeah, so when a stranger asks you what you do just in the street, what do you tell them? Because I have a hard time answering that question sometimes too, but I'd love to hear what your answer is. Mike (07:56.804) Yeah, I would just say it depends on the day. You know, what do you do or what's your, you know, it's like at the golf course when you get paired up with a stranger and they're like, tell me about what you do for your career. And I just say, I'm a classic entrepreneur. And then I'm like, well, what do you do? And it's like, well, tell me about the day. You know, what fire are you putting out? Like today we just got the go ahead for five more urgent cares for our local route. But then, you know, we have a community of operators across the country that we help really build. Seth Bradley, Esq. (07:57.933) haha Ha ha ha. Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:09.879) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (08:25.616) Vending empires and so we had a group call this morning. So literally, there's a lot of just, you know, it's classic entrepreneurial life. You never know what the day's script is gonna be. Seth Bradley, Esq. (08:36.161) Yeah, for sure. And you focus a lot on not only on your own business, but also teaching others, right? Teaching others how to kind of break into this business. Mike (08:45.402) Yeah, that's my passion, Seth. When I got into my first investment out of college was a $70,000 rental, you know, putting 20 % down or 14K and using an emergency fund. like my background in going to college was as a coach. like I knew I wanted to kind of take that mindset of like coaching people, you know, teach them how to fish. I don't want to catch all the fish myself. It's just not fulfilling that way. So that's really where my passion is. Seth Bradley, Esq. (09:15.373) Gotcha, gotcha. tell me about like, tell me about step one. I mean, how does somebody break into this business? Obviously your own personal business is probably very advanced. There's probably a lot more sophisticated investing strategies at this point and you've got different layers to it. But somebody just kind of starting out that said, hey, this sounds pretty interesting. This vending machine business sounds like it can be passive. How do you recommend that they get started? Mike (09:40.57) Yeah, so I'm always, I view like the whole vending scale as similar to Major League Baseball. You got your single A all the way up to the big leagues. And if you're just starting out, I always recommend like find a location where you can put a machine and just learn the process. Like to me, that's single A analogy. you know, that always starts with, people want to jump right to like, well, what type of machines do you recommend? products, how do you price products? And the first question I'll always ask Seth is, well, what location is this machine going in? And they're like, well, I don't know yet. I was just going to buy one and put it in my garage to start. And it's like, no, you need to have the location first. So understanding that, is it a pet hospital? Is it an apartment? Is it a gym? Where is the foot traffic? And then you can cater to what's the best machine for that type of location. Seth Bradley, Esq. (10:36.887) Got it, got it. Now is this a kind of a rent, you rent the space to place the machine with that particular business or wherever you're gonna place it or how does that all come together? Mike (10:47.644) not typically, some people are kind of more advanced, like apartment complexes are used to the revenue share model. So they're going to ask for a piece of the pie for sure, for you to put the machine in their lobby. but like, you know, when we're talking urgent carers or even pet hospitals are viewing it as an amenity. And so we probably have, I don't even know how many machines now 75 now, and we, you know, less than half of those actually, Seth Bradley, Esq. (10:50.423) Okay. Mike (11:15.1) us rent or ask for a revenue share to have them in there. So I never leave lead with that, but we'll do it if we need to get the location. Seth Bradley, Esq. (11:23.989) Interesting gotcha. So it's really a value add for wherever you're gonna place it and that's how most people or I guess most businesses would look at that and then you're able to capture that that space Mike (11:27.366) Mm-hmm. Mike (11:34.236) Yeah, absolutely. So, um, a great case study is we have a 25 employee roughing business here in Oregon. And you might think like, only 25 employees. It's not going to make that much money. Well, we do $1,200 a month. And the cool thing about this, Seth, is the CEO of this roughing company literally did napkin math on how much it costs for his employees to drive to the gas station during their 20 minute break. And then How much they're paying for an energy drink at the gas station and then how much gas they're using with the roofing like the work trucks to get to and from the gas station So he's like I want to bring a smart machine into our warehouse Set the prices as half off so that four dollar monster only costs his rofers two dollars and then we invoice him the the business owner every month for the other 50 % and so he actually Calculated as a cost savings not asking for money to rent the space Seth Bradley, Esq. (12:35.597) Yeah, gotcha, gotcha. That makes sense. That makes sense. I love the baseball analogy with the single A, double A, triple A, even into the big leagues here. know, a lot of the folks that listen to this are already kind of, you know, in the big leagues or maybe think about some capital behind them. Like how would they be able to jump right in, maybe skip single or double A or would they, or do you even suggest that? Do you suggest that they start, you know, small just to learn and then maybe invest some more capital into it to expand or can they jump right to the big leagues? Mike (12:48.891) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (13:03.966) I think they can jump right to the big leagues. this is, I'm glad you brought this up because just listening to some of your episodes from the past, there's no doubt that you have people that could buy a route like a off biz buy sell today. And I think this is a prime opportunity. it's very similar to flipping a house. you, you know, there's a route in Chicago, I think it was for $1.1 million, you know, whatever negotiating terms or seller financing or, or what have you, got a lot of, your, your audience that is experts in that. But the cool thing about these routes is they have the old school machines that have the motors and that are limited to, this type of machine, you can only fit a 12 ounce cannon. Well, guess what? The minute you buy that route, you swap out that machine with one of these micro markets or smart machines. Now you just went from selling a 12 ounce soda for $1.25 to now a 16 ounce monster for $4.50. Well, you just bought that location based on its current revenue numbers and by swapping out that machine, you're going to two or three acts your revenue just at that location. And so it's truly just like a value play, a value upgrade, like flipping the house of, okay, there's a lot of deals right now of these routes being sold by baby boomers where it's like, they got the old school Pepsi machine. Doesn't have a credit card reader on it. They can't track inventory remotely via their cell phones. So They're not keeping it stocked. Like all those types of things can really play in your favor as a buyer that just wants to get to the big leagues right away. Seth Bradley, Esq. (14:37.651) I love that. When you say buy a route, what are you really buying? Tell me about the contractual agreement behind that. What are you really buying there? Mike (14:47.184) You're just buying the locations and the equipment associated with it. So like this Chicago route, it's like, we have machines in 75 properties all across the Chicago suburbs. And they could be medical clinics. could be apartments. could be employee break rooms at businesses, but that's when you start diving into those locations. It's like, I have a snack machine and a soda machine here. Well, you swap that out with a micro market that now instead of. Seth Bradley, Esq. (14:49.279) Okay. Okay. Mike (15:13.626) that machine that'll only hold a small bag of Doritos that you charge two bucks, well now you get the movie size theater bags that you can really put in there in a micro market. Like naturally just that valuation of that route based on those 75 machines current revenue, I mean you're gonna be able to two or three X your revenue right by just swapping out those machines. Seth Bradley, Esq. (15:35.959) Wow, yeah, I love that analogy with real estate, right? It's just like a value add. It's like, how can I bring in more income from what already exists? Well, I need to upgrade or I need to put in some capital improvements, whatever you want to call it. Here's the vending machine upgrades or a different kind of system in there. And you get more income. And obviously that business in itself is going to be worth more in a higher multiple. Mike (15:58.396) Absolutely. mean, a great example of this is we had a machine in an apartment complex and it was your traditional machine with the motors and you have to enter in the code. Well, we could only put in four 12 ounce drinks and then chips. Well, we swapped that out with a micro market. Well, now that micro market, we literally put in bags of Tide Pods for laundry, like these big bags of Tide Pods. We'll sell those like hotcakes for 15 bucks. And our old machine, Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:25.281) Yeah, let's say those aren't cheap. Mike (16:27.246) Yeah, our old machine Seth, it would take us to get to 15 bucks, we'd have to sell eight Snickers. That's one transaction. Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:33.547) Right, right. Yeah, yeah. How do you do an analysis kind of based on like what you think is gonna sell there, right? Like you're replacing, let's say a Dorito machine with Tide Pods, you know? So you have to individually go to each location and figure out what will work, what will sell. Mike (16:47.738) Yeah. Mike (16:51.834) It's all about demographic. Absolutely. So, you know, we have, we have, we have a micro market and a manufacturing plant that's, it's a pumpkin farm and there's a ton of Hispanic workers. So we do a lot of like spicy foods, a lot of spicy chips. do, we do a ton of, mean, the sugar or sorry, the glass bottle cokes. They do, they love their pastries. Seth Bradley, Esq. (16:53.431) Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (17:06.349) Yeah. Mike (17:15.868) So we just doubled down on the demographics. So yesterday I was filming at one of our micro markets that's in a gym and they crushed the Fairlife protein shakes, like the more modern protein shakes, but they won't touch muscle milk. So we're literally taking out one row of muscle milk just to add an extra row of Fairlife shakes. So you're constantly just catering to the demographics and what's selling. Seth Bradley, Esq. (17:40.632) Yeah, yeah, this is awesome. I mean, this is literally just like real estate, right? Like you go and you find a good market. You're talking about demographics, right? Find the market, see what they want, see how much you can upgrade, how you can upgrade. If it's an apartment, it's a unit. If it's here, it's the product that you're selling and the type of machine, or maybe it's a mini market. A lot of things to kind of tie your understanding to here. Mike (17:45.926) Yeah. Mike (18:05.904) Yeah, absolutely. Seth Bradley, Esq. (18:07.615) Yeah, awesome, man. Awesome, Where are you at in your business? Like what, you know, what are the big leagues looking like right now? You know, what are you doing to expand your business, raising the bar in your business? Mike (18:18.692) Yeah, I'm going after that's a really good question. I'm going after kind of these newer markets and we're kind of past that point of like, okay, let's pilot in this location. For example, that urgent care, we didn't know if it was going to be a good location two months ago when we installed. Well now it's already crushing it. Well, there's six other urgent cares in town and we just got to go ahead on five of those six. So like for me, it's doubling down on our current proof points of where. okay, we know that manufacturing plant, the pumpkin farm does really well. So let's start getting intros to all their, manufacturers of the products they need to grow pumpkin. know, like we're just doubling down on scaling because now we have the operational blueprint to really just kind of to go after it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:03.917) Gotcha, gotcha. Tell me about how passive this can really be, right? So I used to have, before we switched over to the new brand, Raise the Bar podcast, it was the Passive Income Attorney podcast, right? I was really focused on passive investments, focused on bringing in passive investors into my real estate deals, things like that. And I think that word passive gets thrown around quite a bit, right? And sometimes it's abused because people get into things that are not truly passive. Mike (19:18.427) Yeah. Mike (19:28.784) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (19:33.517) What's your take on that as it relates to the vending business? Mike (19:38.49) Yeah, so I think as far as with the vending business, there's clearly upfront leg work that needs to be done, whether that's finding locations or any of those things. So I have a route that is here in Oregon, and then we bought a route last year in Illinois and have scaled that route. I spend 30 minutes a week on each route now. that these urgent cares and stuff, like we have an operator that's running the whole route. Here's the problem, Seth. It's like people are so scared to build systems to ultimately systemize things or they're too cheap to hire help. And I'm the opposite. like, you know, kind of like Dan Martell's buy back your time. Like I have like a leverage calculator and like I constantly think about is this worth my time? Cause as you know, you're busier than me. Like it's so limited. for me, my routes, I would consider them passive, like one hour a week is, is nothing in my mind. But as far as like, you know, I'm, I'm also a passive investor on, we're building a, an oil loop station in Florida and I sent my money a year ago to, to my, active investor and I haven't talked to him since. Like that's actually truly probably passive now, you know, I'm not doing anything, but there's, there's different levels to that. And I'm a huge believer like. don't delegate something until you know what you're delegating. So people that want to start with the vending routes, sure, if you want to buy a route that already has an operator, that's one thing. but these, if you're starting a vending route for your kid or for your stay at home wife or whatever, as a side hustle, like get in the weeds and install that first machine. So when you hire help to take over the route, you know what you're delegating. Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:09.773) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (21:27.021) Yeah, that's key. That's key. And you you described just like any other business, right? I think that's kind of where people get themselves into trouble. That sometimes they get sold the dream that is truly passive. And eventually it can be. I mean, you're talking about an hour a week. To me, that's pretty damn passive, right? But you know, upfront, you you've got to learn the business. You've got to know what you're getting yourself into. Like you said, you've got to learn before you delegate so that you know what you're delegating. There is going to be some upfront work and then as you're able to kind of delegate and learn Then you can make it more and more passive as you go Mike (22:00.88) Yeah, I mean, it's no different than what's the same when people tell you that they're busy. I mean, you're just not a priority. Like that's a fact. you're not. People say it's the same thing when people come to me and they're like, I'm so busy. It's like, okay, well let me, let me see your schedule. Where are you spending your time? You know, it's like when people are like, I can't lose weight. Okay, well let me see your food log. What did you eat yesterday? Did you have ice cream? Like this is like the same kind of thing. That's where passive I think has been really abused. Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:16.097) Yeah. Yep. Mike (22:29.638) To me, the bigger issue is like, vending is not get rich quick. And so like, if you're expecting to leave your nine to five tomorrow and vending is going to make up for that in one day, like that's not going to Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:41.089) Right, Makes sense. Speaking of passive, do you raise capital or do you have any kind of a fund or have you put together a fund for something like this? Mike (22:51.48) We haven't put together a fun, we're definitely buying routes is definitely becoming more and more intriguing. And I know there's some PE players starting to get into the vending game, but it's something we've been definitely considering and on our radar of do we want to. Seth Bradley, Esq. (22:58.541) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:10.231) Gotcha. Cool. I mean, you brought in money partners for some of those routes yet, or is that still something you're exploring too? Mike (23:18.168) No, I think it's just something we're thinking about. mean, what do you recommend? Seth Bradley, Esq. (23:21.089) Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'd recommend I mean, it depends, right? Like I'm I'm scared to turn you by trade, but I don't like to say you should always raise capital no matter what. Right. Like you've been able to scale your business as you have and grown it to where it is without bringing outside capital. It sounds which is great because you own 100 percent or with whatever business partners you might have. You know, when you start raising capital, you're giving a large chunk of that piece away, not necessarily your whole company. But if you're buying you know, a set of routes or that sort of thing. You you're gonna give a big piece away to those past investors if you're starting a fund or even if it's up. Even a single asset syndication here for one of these, you know, these routes, you could put it together that way. You know, it's just something to consider. But a lot of times when people are looking to scale fast, right, if they wanna grow exponentially, you've gotta use other people's money to get there or hit the lottery. Mike (24:08.294) Mm. Mike (24:15.856) Absolutely, no, agree. That's spot-on and I actually before you know the Silicon Valley company That I was part of we had a we went through probably series a B C D C ground Let's just say we weren't very fiscally responsible. So I come from the, you know, it's like the ex-girlfriend example. I don't want to just start taking everyone's money. Seth Bradley, Esq. (24:42.413) Yeah, yeah, that tends to happen with some startups, right? Like before you get funding, you're super frugal because it's your money and every single dollar counts. And you're like, I don't want to pay, you if it's software, you don't want to pay the software engineers. I'm going to out, you know, put it, you know, hire Indian engineers, that sort of thing. And then once you get a few million bucks that you raised in that seed round, then it just goes and you're like, whoa, wait a minute, let's hire 20 people. You know, it's you got to be careful about that. Mike (25:05.606) Yeah Yeah, yeah, that's a great, great take on it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:11.245) Yeah, it's, yeah. It's a question I love to ask and I think it's about time for that. So, in a parallel universe, tell me about a different version of you. So a different but likely version, right? Like, for example, for me, I went to med school for a year and a half and then I dropped out and I ended up becoming an attorney. So that was like a big turning point, right? So I could have easily at some point just said screw it and became a doctor and that would have been a totally different route than I'm going down right now. What's an example of something like that for you? Mike (25:42.524) Wait, are you being serious about that? I took the MCAT too. I got into med school and then I, yeah, I was pretty mad in school. And then the more I learned about exercise science, I was like, organic chemistry is not fun. Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:44.321) Yeah, totally. yeah? There you go. Seth Bradley, Esq. (25:57.39) It is not fun. I did not love that. I majored in exercise physiology and then I ended up switching to biology because it was just a little bit of an easier route to get my degree and go into med school and I went for a year and a half and then I dropped out because I absolutely hated it. I knew I didn't want to do it. I was just more attracted to business and that sort of thing. Mike (26:16.346) Yeah, that's crazy. That's awesome. parallel universe. I, that's a really good question. I don't know. I, kinda, I have two kids under three and the other side of me wishes I would have traveled more. you know, I mean, we'll get there hopefully when they get out of high school and someday. But right now I just think there's so many different cultural things and ways to skin the cat. And it's just fascinating to learn some of those things. Mike (26:55.352) yourself in those cultures. go to different cultures and really like understand how they did things for a time, a period of time to really just learn their thinking. Seth Bradley, Esq. (27:07.777) Yeah, I love that man. I had a similar experience of what you're describing. I didn't travel abroad really other than like, you know, Canada and Mexico until I studied abroad in Barcelona during law school and I got to stay there for a couple of months. So you actually had some time. It wasn't like you're just visiting for a week or a weekend or anything like that. You got to kind of live there right for a couple of months and it just totally changed my, you know, my outlook on life and just the way that you see things like I feel like we're in the US and we just think Mike (27:19.627) Seth Bradley, Esq. (27:37.76) US is number one and there's only one way to do things the way that we do things that kind of attitude. And then when you go to Western Europe and you see that culture and you drive or get on a train, it's like an hour away and you're in a totally different culture and they're doing it a certain way as well and it's working. You just see that other people are doing things differently and still being successful at it, still having a thriving culture and it's just awesome to see. Mike (28:03.312) Yeah, absolutely. Seth Bradley, Esq. (28:06.251) Yeah. Tell me about some major influences in your life. What turned you or got you into that, the vending business? It's not one of those typical things. mean, I know you're in the education business, so you're kind of really spreading the word about this type of business. But I would say when you started, there might not have been a mastermind or educational courses around this. mean, how did you kind of get drawn into that? Were there any particular people or influences that brought you in? Mike (28:29.308) you Mike (28:36.188) Yeah. So the, biggest influence for me to get into vending, uh, wasn't actually a person. It was actually, was, um, I had landed, I was coming back from the Pentagon from a trip back to the Bay for the startup we were talking about. And I was in the Denver airport and 11 PM, you know, our flight was delayed. And then they're like, Hey, you have to stay in the airport tonight. The pilot went over their hours for the day, blah, blah, blah. So I went to a vending machine and I remember buying a bottle of water. I think it costs like at the time three bucks or something. I knew that bottle of water cost 20 cents at Costco. And I was like, there is someone that's at home with their kids right now making money off me and they're not even at this mission. Like the machine is doing the work. So I had like an aha moment of like, what are my true priorities in life? And like, why am I chasing this cutthroat startup from. Palo Alto and trying to make it when reality was my priorities are freedom to spend more time with my family. So that's really kind of what led me into this path of starting a vending machine side hustle to keep our lifestyle as we had kids. We wanted to have a nanny and we wanted to be able to still go on dates and things like that as a couple with my wife. So that's really kind of my family and just like... having the freedom to do things. Like that's what I'm really passionate about. Seth Bradley, Esq. (29:59.084) Yeah. Yeah. I mean, building on that, and you may have already answered that, but what does success look like for you? Mike (30:01.766) next Mike (30:06.268) an empty calendar. Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:08.621) Good luck with that. Good luck with that. Mike (30:11.516) Oh man, I was gonna say, how do we crack that code? No, yeah. No, but I think success to me is doing things like picking up my daughter at three and even being able to say no to the things that aren't gonna get you to where you need, like the discipline piece of this too. Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:15.708) man. Seth Bradley, Esq. (30:33.995) Yeah, yeah, mean, you know, for me, it's kind of similar, right? It's not going to be able to empty that calendar. Not yet, at least maybe here in the future. But for now, it's pretty filled. But it is it's flexible, right? Like us as entrepreneurs, you know, we probably work more than we ever worked when we were in our W-2s. But at the same time, it's you know, we're working in our own business for ourselves, for our families. And we have the Flexibility, a lot of people will say the freedom, right? But we have the flexibility to move things around. And if you want to pick your kids up at school at three, or you do want to take a weekend off, or something comes up in your schedule, you have the flexibility to do that. Whereas if you're kind of slaving away at the nine to five, you can't really do it. Mike (31:04.486) Yeah. Yeah. Mike (31:20.198) Yeah, that's spot on. mean, I just wrote that down, but flexibility is, cause you're right. When you started becoming an entrepreneur, this is what I tell people all the time when they want to get a venting around is like running your own business. You are going to work harder than you do for your boss currently at your W-2. Like you have to do payroll. You have to do, like you gotta like make sure there's money to actually do pay, you know, like all those things that you just don't even think about when you have a W-2. It's like, today's Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:39.543) Yeah Mike (31:48.89) You know, this Friday I get paid. Well, when you run a business, mean, that money's got to come from somewhere. Seth Bradley, Esq. (31:51.905) Yeah Right, yeah, 100%, man, 100%. All right, Mike, we're gonna wrap it up. Thanks so much for coming on the show. Tell the listeners where they can find out more about you. Mike (32:05.286) Yeah, so thanks for having me. This has been great. I have free content all over the place. can find me on the classic Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, but I also have vendingpreneurs.com is where we help people that are more interested in actually the vending stuff. But I've been really trying to double down on YouTube lately because there's just a lot of content and you can't get it off a one minute reel. Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:32.417) Love it, man. All right, Mike, appreciate it. Thanks for coming on the show. Mike (32:35.91) Thanks for having me. Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:37.227) Hi brother. Alright man, got a couple more questions for you. We do like a quick, kind of do the full podcast episode and then I'll just do kind of a quick episode that'll follow up on a Monday and then another one on a Friday. Cool. Mike (32:55.814) See you. Seth Bradley, Esq. (32:59.693) We out here. Welcome to Million Dollar Mondays, how to make, keep, and scale a million dollars. Mike is a super successful entrepreneur in the vending machine business and beyond. Tell us, how did you make your first million dollars? Mike (33:20.922) Yeah, Seth. It was probably actually through real estate and just getting a little bit kind of lucky with timing with COVID and short-term rentals and some of that. But yeah, that's probably how I got the first million. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:25.229) Mm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:37.079) Gotcha, cool. Yeah, real estate usually plays a role in the everybody's strategy down the line, whether they're in that primary business or not, whether they start out there or they end up there, real estate usually plays a part. How'd you make your last million? Mike (33:53.956) Yeah, that's a good question because it's completely different than real estate, but it's actually been vending machines. So that's been kind of fun. just, you you talk about product market fit whenever you're an entrepreneur with a business. And that was just kind of the perfect storm right now of traditional vending really kind of being outdated. And we found a product market fit with it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (33:57.57) Right. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:16.215) Gotcha. Cool. that was from, was this maybe mostly attributed to kind of buying those routes, those larger routes? Mike (34:23.32) Exactly. Yeah. Buying old school routes and really kind of flipping them like a house with modern micro markets charging, with different products and what would fit in a vending machine, like more of the unorthodox, you know, toilet paper and tide pods and things that wouldn't fit in a traditional vending machine. I mean, we'll sell $35 bottles of shampoo in these micro markets. So just kind of, go and add it in a different way. Seth Bradley, Esq. (34:49.857) Yeah, and then with the aging population, there's gotta be more and more of these things popping up. So there should be more opportunity for people to get involved or for people like yourself to just snag everything, right? Mike (35:01.102) Yeah, I think there's no chance I could snag everything, not even just in this town alone that I'm currently in. I mean, machines are getting cheaper, the technology is getting way better with AI. And nowadays, it's not what fits in a vending machine motor. It's okay, what's shelf space? if it's a bottle of shampoo or a glass Coke, it doesn't matter because it's not just getting thrown down the chute of a traditional machine. Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:05.387) Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (35:27.521) Makes sense, makes sense. Last, how are you planning on making your next million dollars? Mike (35:34.3) I think probably with AI, we're doing a lot of interesting stuff with helping people scale their, their vending routes. that is applicable to any, small business. And so I'm really intrigued. Just every time I go down a rabbit hole with some new AI tool, I feel like there's another better one that just came right behind it. So I just think it's kind of that time where you can really get ahead by just learning. Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:06.209) Yeah, totally makes sense. mean people that are not paying attention to AI whether it's simply using chat GPT instead of Google search are getting left behind quickly because it's just advancing so fast. I can't even imagine what this world's gonna look like five years from now the way that things are moving. Mike (36:23.132) It's crazy. Three years ago when I was working for a tech company selling software into the government, I would have to work with three secretaries to schedule a meeting with the general to sell their software. Now my EA is literally an AI bot and everyone that's scheduling time on my calendar, they don't even know they're talking to a non-human, which is pretty Seth Bradley, Esq. (36:43.479) Yeah, 100%. We're gonna, I predicted within five years, everybody's gonna have a humanoid robot in their home with AI instilled and they're gonna be doing physical things for us at our homes. Yeah. Yep. Yep. 100%. Awesome, All right, moving on to the next one. Mike (36:50.181) Yeah! Mike (36:57.917) I hope so. I hope they can go to Costco get all our groceries do our do our laundry The dishes Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:11.501) You're clearly in the top 1 % of what you do, Mike. What is it about you that separates you from the rest of the field? Mike (37:19.056) Ooh, that's a good question, Seth. I think it's just discipline, know, discipline and focus. One of the hardest things is being able to say no with the things that don't align. And when I was growing up, I had a quote that has really stuck with me. That's like, it's better to be respected than liked. And I think that really resonates. Like naturally as a human, you want to be liked and help people, but the 1 % are really good at saying no. Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:47.649) Yeah, I love that man. That's a great answer. Kind of building on that, what do you think the number one attribute is that makes a successful entrepreneur? Mike (37:57.468) probably focus. Yeah. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (37:59.212) Yeah, focus. Yep. The one thing, right? The one thing. Mike (38:04.186) Yep. That's why you come back to like the most successful entrepreneurs. They always niche down and they niche down because they just, got hyper-focused. Like this is kind of why for me, you know, I started this passive Mr. Passive on social media before I even got into Vendi. Well, now everyone's like, well, how passive is Vendi? And well, it's like, what's really interesting is I was posting all these different, what I thought passive income streams in the time, but everyone, 95 % of the questions I got about Airbnbs are all my different investments was about bending. So I just niche down on, on bending and I just looked back on that and I was like, it really forced me to focus. Seth Bradley, Esq. (38:43.263) Awesome, awesome. What's one thing someone could do today to get 1 % closer to success in the vending machine business if they are really interested in learning more? Mike (38:53.892) tap into your connections and find a location that has high foot traffic, whether that's a friend that works at an urgent care, a sister that lives at an apartment. You know, you take your kid to that gymnastics studio that has a ton of foot traffic between 4 PM and 8 PM. Like all those locations are prime locations to put one of these modern smart machines in. so, tapping into your connections, well, you know, Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:24.567) Love that man. Awesome. All right, Mike, I appreciate it, brother. We'll to meet in person sometime, Mike (39:30.574) I would love to. Where are you based, Seth? Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:31.789) I'm in San Diego, where you at? Mike (39:34.78) I am in Eugene. Yeah, Oregon. I'll come down your way though. Seth Bradley, Esq. (39:37.39) Cool We're planning on doing yeah, we're planning on doing so me and my wife we have a Sprinter van and Last May we did we did going back to the flexibility piece, right? We did 32 days in the van up through Wyoming Montana and then into like Into Canada and they're like Banff and Jasper and all the way up to Jasper and then we circled back on the west coast Through Vancouver and then down back to San Diego Yeah Mike (40:05.52) What? Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:06.829) Pretty wild, pretty awesome. And the reason I brought that up is this year we're gonna do shorter trip. We're probably gonna do two, maybe three weeks at the most, but we're gonna do kind of the Pacific Northwest. So Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver and all those parks and stuff up there. Mike (40:17.254) Yeah. Mike (40:21.744) Yeah, you definitely have a, have you been to Bend before? Bend is like my, that whole area, Central Oregon is, and even Idaho, like all those kind of, yeah. That's awesome. Please let me know when you're up this way. I mean, I'll come meet you wherever. That'd be amazing. Absolutely. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:24.641) Yeah, yeah I have. Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:38.861) Sure man grab a coffee or beer. I appreciate it. Yeah, let's do it. Yeah all right brother great to meet you and I will send the information on when this is gonna get released and give you you materials and all that stuff so we can collaborate on social media Mike (40:51.964) Okay. Okay. Yeah. Is a lot of your audience, like passive investors? Seth Bradley, Esq. (40:58.593) So most of that, so now I'm rebranding. I rebranded because I'm gonna be speaking more towards like active entrepreneurs, Active entrepreneurs, people raising capital, that sort of thing. Whereas before it was based on passive investors and people really focused on attorneys. So I'm an attorney and I was raising capital from attorneys for my real estate deals. Now I'm really more into selling shovels. I'm scaling my law firm. I'm chief legal officer for Tribest, which is, we've got a fund to fund. Mike (41:20.262) Mm-hmm. Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:28.085) legal product there as well. So we're really trying to bring in active, active entrepreneurs and people raising capital. Mike (41:29.777) Yeah. Mike (41:36.572) Okay, because I got that, I was just thinking through when we talking about that oil development project, that could be a good, the guy that runs that fund could be a good interview for you. Just thinking through your audience, because he's always looking for investors into his fund and like these oil lubs are just crushing it. Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:49.901) Cool. Yeah. Seth Bradley, Esq. (41:58.464) Yeah, cool. Who is it? Just, I don't know if I know him or not. Mike (42:02.183) Um, Robert Durkey, he's out of Florida. has, his problem is he's sitting on a gold mine that has no, like he's old school, doesn't know social media, any of that. So that's why I think he'd be perfect for you. Cause I think you could help him and he could definitely help you with some kickback. Yeah. So cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we meet soon. Okay. See you Seth. Bye. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:05.645) I don't think I know. I don't think I know. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:13.889) Yeah. Gotcha. Seth Bradley, Esq. (42:20.705) Cool, okay, sounds good man. Yeah, I appreciate the introduction. Yeah, all right brother. Talk soon. See ya. Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Mike Hoffman's Links: https://www.instagram.com/mikehoffmannofficial/ https://x.com/mrpassive_?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedhoffmann/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.passive
VOTE IN THE POLL: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bracket-show-2-134859352?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link All Of The Garbage Left Behind In The Dome From Hurricane Katrina VS Vending Machine parts [non-working] from the Hamlet chicken processing plant fire
Got a question? Let us know!What do slow jams, blowout diapers, and Psalm 40 have in common? More than you'd think.This week on Made For Mondays, we talk about what it means to wait well—even when life feels out of control. From Tyler's unexpected peace at 30,000 feet to David's raw honesty in the Psalms, we unpack how remembering, reflecting, and responding can shift your perspective in the middle of the mess.We also dig into spiritual vending machines, mixtapes, and what happens when God says “no”… or nothing at all. Whether you're waiting on answers or just trying not to hit refresh again, this one's for you.Big Idea: Maybe it's not just you waiting on God—maybe Jesus has been waiting on you.
In this episode: We took our first dive into the Summer 2025 Anime season and came back very pleased with several of the premieres! James took a look into the Shonen offerings for the season while Jordan watched all of Reborn as a Vending Machine, amongst other things! There's also some Fate Grand Order and Monster Hunter shop talk. Come chill and let us know what you're watching!Welcome to the Anime Savants Podcast! Your destination for deep dives, hot takes, and expert analysis on all things anime! Whether you're a seasoned otaku or a curious newcomer, we've got you covered with discussions on the latest episodes, hidden gems, classic series, and everything in between. Tune in for your fix of anime news, reviews, and fan theories!
Jenny Armbruster, Executive Director of the non-profit, Prevent Ed, joins Chris and Amy as more locations in the St Louis region are receiving Narcan/Naloxone 'vending machines' to treat opioid overdoses.
Chris and Amy discuss the end of last night's All-Star game and possibility of robot umpires; more Narcan is available for opioid overdoses; regional arts groups receive grants; Did you see this?
It's the tax-free weekend in Mississippi. What that means for families trying to save while making back to school purchases.Then, the first Naloxone vending machine in Mississippi is now open. Health officials say it will be a positive tool in curbing overdose deaths.Plus, community organizers say Black Women in Mississippi still get paid a fraction of their white male counterparts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
O calor está chegando, e com ele uma nova leva de animes que promete agitar nossas watchlists!No episódio #293 do Animes Overdrive, Pedro Lobato, PH Mota, Gabi Tozati e Luis Hunzecher se reúnem para comentar suas expectativas para a temporada de verão 2025 dos animes.Neste episódio, falamos sobre os títulos mais aguardados da nova temporada, aquelas apostas que podem surpreender, continuações que prometem entregar tudo, e claro, algumas bizarrices que já viraram tradição nas estreias sazonais. Uma conversa animada e cheia de palpites sobre o que pode ser sucesso, flop ou queridinho inesperado dos próximos meses.Além disso, nesse episódio fazemos um bloco falando do que assistimos ou deixamos de assistir na última temporada. Então não deixa de comentar o que você achou dessa novidade no podcast!
Your Political Beats hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) get the opportunity to spend a little more time with singer/songwriter/bandleader/advocate/professor David Lowery (@DavidCLowery)Now-frequent (two times is frequent, right?) Political Beats guest David Lowery returns to the show to talk about his magnificent new solo record Fathers, Sons and Brothers.For those unaware, David is the founder of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker as well as a long-time advocate for artists' rights. He also serves as Senior Lecturer in Music Business at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. David previously joined us for more than three hours to discuss the music created by both of his bands -- the original version is here and the remastered version (higher audio quality and additional song clips) is right here -- so we don't spend time at all reviewing that content. The new album is good enough that it deserves its own place in the sun.As David himself describes Fathers, Sons and Brothers, "In lieu of an uninteresting written autobiography I've made this record. I do this not so much to tell my own story but to pay tribute to my mother, father, sisters, extended family, friends, and those who have shared their lives with me." It tells the story of his life, career, and loved ones. The songs are deeply affecting and carry a somewhat unexpected emotional heft. The closing kick -- "Vending Machine," '"Fathers, Sons, and Brothers," "Yonder Distant Shore," "Darken Your Door," "Giving Tree Father" -- is just one gut punch after another when you realize the stories being told. It's all just further evidence that Lowery is peerless among his generation's songwriters and deserves even more acclaim than he has received.During this conversation, we spend time trying to define the sound of the new record (we suggest an extension of Gram Parsons's "Cosmic American Music" idea), the backstories behind a few of the songs, how the album's narrative took shape and propels the record forward, and where he finds his joy these days in performing live music. There's even a question about religion buried in here.If you love CVB, you'll love this album. If you love Cracker, you'll love this album. If you love Political Beats, well, we're pretty sure you'll love this album. Many of the songs are cinematic in their scope; you literally can picture these scenes playing out in your mind. These tracks are elevated by spending time with the lyric sheet and appreciating the nuances and care taken in the storytelling. Be sure to check out David and Cracker (full band and solo dates) live through the rest of the summer. He indicated a more extensive slate of dates supporting Fathers, Sons and Brothers could be on the way this fall. If you're out and about, you might see Scot at any Detroit-area show and Jeff at any Chicago-area shows. These songs certainly deserve to be seen live.
In this chilling episode of Supernatural Japan, we delve into the infamous Paraquat Murders (パラコート連続毒殺事件), a shocking true crime case from 1980s Japan that left the nation gripped by fear. Known as the "Vending Machine Murders," these unsolved poisonings involved bottles of tainted beverages left near vending machines across the country, resulting in multiple mysterious deaths. We explore the details of the case, the cultural panic it sparked, and how it evolved into a lasting urban legend that continues to haunt Japan's collective memory. Tune in for a disturbing blend of true crime and the eerie unknown.Follow the podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supernaturaljapanBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/madformaple.bsky.socialX: https://x.com/MadForMapleFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/supernaturaljapanEmail: supernaturaljapan@gmail.comSupport the podcast (Help fund the creation of new episodes): https://buymeacoffee.com/busankevinYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BusanKevinNEW podcast companion blogs! https://justjapanstuff.com/Support the show
Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Meta's reported $100 million offers to AI engineers 2) If those reports are false, who planted the rumor? 3) Why talent might be all that matters in AI right now 4) Will Meta's bet work? 5) Anthropic's project vend 6) If AI can't stock a fridge, will it take your job? 7) Claudius' identity crisis 8) ChatGPT's hilarious Wealthfront hallucination 9) The Legend of Soham 10) Happy July 4th! --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here's 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com
Are racoons bastards? Is everything better with murder? Does DocKev yearn for the smell of a pink-haired girl? Find out these answers and more as we go through all the anime of the Summer 2025 season.This episode's members: DocKev, Gugsy, Marquan, Raitzeno and Requiem, with Marquan handling the editing duties.The AniTAY Podcast is a bi-weekly podcast brought to you every other Wednesday. It is available on all your favorite podcast services! If you like us, be sure to subscribe to your favorite service and give us 5 stars! Your support is much appreciated and will help us grow and continue to provide this style of content.Intro: 0:00 - 1:30Housekeeping: 1:31-3:009: 4:30 - 6:32A Couple of Coockus Season 2: 6:35-7:55Busamen Gachi Fighter: 8:42-10:51Call of the Night: 11:00-13:42City the Animation: 14:05-16:47Clevatess: 16:55-20:41Dandadan Season 2: 20:49-22:02The Earthbound Mole: 22:10-26:28Fermat no Ryouri: 27:03-30:10See You Tomorrow At The Food Court: 30:12-32:16Cultural Exchange With a Game Centre Girl: 32:42-36:26Gachiakuta: 36:35-38:50Grand Blue Season 2: 38:58-40:50Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube: 40:57-44:05Chuhai Lips: 44:12-47:38Hotel Inhumans: 47:44-49:33I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Season 2: 49:37-51:08Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: 51:15-55:30Reborn as a Vending Machine & Kaiju No 8 Season 2: 56:20-57:27Kamitsubaki City Under Production: 57:32-58:58Let's Go Karaoke!: 59:00- 1:00:56Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter: 1:01:05-1:04:29Detectives These Days Are Crazy!: 1:04:32-1:06:40Dealing with Mikadono Sisters Is a Breeze: 1:06:45-1:09:45Captivated, By You: 1:09:47-1:11:31My Dress Up Darling Season 2: 1:11:36-1:12:06Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show: 1:12:39-1:13:46 Panty & Stocking Season 2: 1:13:52-1:15:30Nukitashi: 1:15:36-1:21:13Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse: 1:21:20-1:23:50Osomatsu-san 4th Season: 1:23:53-1:24:16Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus: 1:24:29-1:26:14Ruri Rocks: 1:26: 30-1:28:26Sakamoto Days Part 2: 1:28:30-1:29:23Secrets of the Silent Witch: 1:29:24-1:31:00Solo Camping for Two: 1:31:05-1:33:09The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity: 1:33:10-1:37:48 The Summer Hikaru Died: 1:37:55-1:39:43The Water Magician: 1:39:49-1:42:06 There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless...: 1:42:19-1:45:28Tougen Anki: 1:45:31-1:47:10Welcome to the Outcast's Restaurant!: 1:47:19-1:49:10 New Saga: 1:49:45-1:50:58Turkey! Time to Strike: 1:51:04-1:52:10Watari-kun's ****** Is about to Collapse: 1:52:24-1:54:45With You and the Rain: 1:54:55-1:56:12Betrothed to My Sister's Ex: 1:56:18-1:57:37Round up of OVAs, ONAs, & movies: 1:57:38-2:01:10What show(s) we're looking forward to the most: 2:01:15-endMissed the previous episode of the AniTAY Podcast? Check it out here:https://medium.com/anitay-official/anitay-podcast-s10-e10-gaslight-gate-keep-girl-boss-d593918cd566
VOTE IN THE POLL: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bracket-show-4-132101929?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link All the items in Dahmer's apartment VS Vending Machine parts [non-working] from the Hamlet chicken processing plant fire
#10MinuteswithJesus ** Put yourself in the presence of God. Try talking to Him. ** 10 minutes are 10 minutes. Even if you can get distracted, reach the end. ** Be constant. The Holy Spirit acts "on low heat" and requires perseverance. 10-Minute audio to help you pray. Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and the Lord, inviting you to share your intimacy with God. Find your moment, consider you are in His presence and click play.
These days, you can get pretty much anything you want out of a vending machine, but they're also playing an important role in Boston's public health efforts. North End Waterfront Health is using these machines to provide basic necessities and harm-reduction supplies to people who are unhoused, low on cash, or navigating substance use. David Perry, Director of Substance Use Disorder Services, and Nadya Zaltsman, a recovery coach at NEW Health, are on the show this week to talk about the importance of low-barrier, judgment-free options to help people in need.
Which side hustle episodes did listeners and viewers love the most this past year? In this 3-year celebration of Side Hustle Hero, host Joan Posivy reveals the top 9 most loved episodes - as chosen by audience downloads, watch time, comments, feedback, and heaps of analytics across all major podcast apps and YouTube. One episode took the #1 spot on both platforms (hint: AI vending machines), but after that, listener and viewer favorites went in very different directions. This recap features top episodes on everything from: Starting a sound bath business Becoming an Amazon Influencer Making faceless viral videos Hosting profitable craft workshops Mystery shopping for real income Renting out luxury restroom trailers … and more. Discover what made these episodes stand out, and which one you might've missed that could inspire your next move. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/151 Connect with Joan: Instagram Facebook About Joan Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
It's time for Smackdown Bianca looks like her nipples are showing Gotta rock it back and forth until it falls over R Truth's last match Chelsea and her broken nose The Wyatts Attack Garzas with a rare win Miz and Mello about to break up Priest is onto the next Fatu screwed Logan vs Cena soon? Subscribe on patreon.com/LingusMafia for ad-free and video versions of the show, exclusive PPV/PLE reviews and bonus shows including every Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Saturday Night's Main Event ever. Get access to over 10 years of podcasts! Stay connected: All our social media (@LingusMafia) links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/lingusmafia We have merch! Shirts, hoodies, stickers and more: lingusmafiashop.printify.me/ Drop us an email with comments or questions: lingusmafia@gmail.com
Denver is looking for ways to make Downtown Safer. Open until 4 and Narcan Vending Machines might be the trick
In this episode of The Deal Scout, host Susan Reilly welcomes a longtime friend and seasoned real estate professional, Fred Beasley. With deep roots in Central Florida, Fred shares his journey from managing vending machines at 13 to becoming a highly respected commercial real estate broker and investor.Fred brings decades of experience in both corporate and independent real estate investing, including tenures at CBRE, Trammell Crow Company, and boutique development firms. He unpacks the lessons he learned from his ambitious, business-savvy mother and how early exposure to sales and operations shaped his investment mindset.Tune in for a deep dive into Central Florida's dynamic real estate landscape—specifically the growth corridor between Orlando and Tampa. Fred outlines the evolving nature of these two powerhouse metros and the explosive development happening in Polk County, their connective tissue. He explains why investors are betting big on the region, how limited land supply and rising rental rates are driving values sky-high, and why Polk County has become a strategic hotspot for both residential and industrial development.Fred also opens up about the shift from hands-on ownership to limited partnership investing, the pressures facing independent investors, and why he believes small-bay industrial developments may still hold untapped potential. With real-world insights, regional forecasts, and tactical advice, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in Florida real estate, value-add strategies, or understanding the broader forces reshaping commercial markets today.Whether you're a seasoned investor or curious about where Florida's booming real estate market is headed, this conversation offers actionable takeaways and an insider's perspective on building wealth through real estate in America's fastest-growing regions.Reach out to connect with Fred or to be a guest on the show to SusanNext Steps Share your thoughts with a review - https://www.thedealscout.com/reviews/ Let's connect on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-reilly-64150722a/ Subscribe and Watch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBQN_Y3nhDGClfMxCSBDjOg Disclaimer: The content shared on this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as financial, legal, or tax advice. The views and opinions expressed are those of the host, Susan Reilly, and any guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency or organization. Susan Reilly is a licensed real estate broker, but this podcast is not a substitute for professional advice. We strongly recommend that you consult with a qualified financial advisor, legal counsel, and tax professional before making any financial decisions or taking any actions based on the information provided in this podcast.
In this episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Mike Hoffmann of Vendingpreneurs shares his journey from a traditional W-2 job to building a successful vending machine business. He reveals how he scaled his operation to over 100 machines. Mike then goes into the nuts and bolts of finding profitable locations, selecting the right machines, and managing inventory. Whether you're looking for a side hustle or a full-time business, he offers valuable insights into the world of vending and passive income. ** Podcast Sponsor - Jolly SEO (link: https://jollyseo.com/free-haro-guide/) Ready to join a niche publishing mastermind, and hear from industry experts each week? Join the Niche Pursuits Community here: https://community.nichepursuits.com Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative
#412 Building a lucrative income stream through vending machines is the discussion for today's podcast. Mike Hoffman from mrpassive.com shares how he transitioned from a career in sports science and real estate to managing 25 vending machines that yield significant monthly profits. The conversation covers the initial investment, operational strategies, and the high profitability of vending machines compared to stocks and real estate. Mike also emphasizes the growing potential of the vending industry, especially with technology advancements and market saturation ripe for disruption. Listeners can learn about the ease of starting and scaling a vending machine business, hiring strategies, and the long-term financial benefits and equity-building potential of this venture. (Original Air Date - 6/5/24) What we discuss with Mike: + Meet Mike Hoffman: From Sports to Vending Machines + The Journey to Vending Machine Success + Why Vending Machines Over Real Estate? + Earning Potential and Location Strategy + Getting Started with Vending Machines + Stocking and Managing Your Vending Machines + Hiring and Scaling Your Vending Business + The Importance of Technology in Vending + Disrupting the Vending Industry + Buying and Valuing Vending Routes + Expanding Vending Operations + Vending in Hotels and Remote Management + Time Commitment and Profitability + Challenges and Liabilities in Vending + Future of the Vending Industry + Final Thoughts and Advice Thank you, Mike! A BIG thank you to Mike for sponsoring today's episode and for sharing so much value! To learn more about starting your own vending machine business, go to Mr.Passive.com. And to connect with Mike check him out on Instagram and Youtube. For more information go to MillionaireUniversity.com To get access to our FREE Business Training course go to MillionaireUniversity.com/training. And follow us on: Instagram Facebook Tik Tok Youtube Twitter To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/millionaire. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Imagine driving over 1,000 miles each week for work, surviving on nothing but gas station snacks and fast food from whatever drive-thru happened to be nearby. For traveling salesman Luke Saunders, that was often his reality. But rather than accept it as his new normal, he saw an opportunity: What if healthy food could be just as quick, affordable, and accessible as grabbing a bag of M&Ms from a vending machine? After months of planning and plenty of trial and error, that idea became Farmer's Fridge. Today, Luke shares the challenges he faced figuring out how to store fresh salads, parfaits, and sandwiches in refrigerated vending machines—and why it was all worth it now that Farmer's Fridge is in over 2,000 locations nationwide, including major airports, hospitals, and universities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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In today's episode, we are happy to share an interesting and unique project from the Sonoma County Department of Health Services Public Health Division. It's a rollout of new vending machines. But you can't get a Kit Kat or a bag of Doritos from these vending machines. Instead, they contain important health supplies. Joining us to talk about this initiative are Ryan DeHart, public health preparedness section manager, and Alyssa Hamilton, public health analyst.
For more of my latest content, subscribe to my YouTube channel, Dark Asia with Megan and join our awesome community. Your support means everything, and I can't wait to share more Asian cases with you! On Other Platforms: • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@darkasiawithmegan • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkasiawithmegan • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkasiameganlee
Today we talked to Rico aka "Rico Rixo". Rico is a young hustler. He was selling snacks at school and making $100+ a day. He had people working for him and even look-outs. Now he does media, has vending machines and more importantly a great head on his shoulders. It was a pleasure to see someone as young as him with such an amazing outlook on life. Please support Rico and let us know what you think of his grind! Guest: @Rico_Rixo Host: @Frank_Downstar Supported by: @Downstar @Downstar_Skate Downstarinc.com HyperURL.co/Downstar @DowntimeWithDownstar
S2E103 - Chasing Vending MachinesWith their first mission with Domino in tow underway, the Crew head to Gas Station 69 in the south of Night City. Vivi recognises the teller at an all too familiar location, Jeb gets a bee in his bonnet about people treating everyone fairly. And Retro? He hitches a ride... Will they find what they need?Can Jeb keep hold his trigger finger?What HAS Vivi created?Only the dice will tell.More info can be found here: linktr.ee/NoLatencyCheck out out Patreon! Patreon.com/nolatencyEven more information and MERCH is on our website!www.nolatencypodcast.comBlueSky & Twitter: @nolatencypodInstagram: @nolatencypodFind @SkullorJade,@Miss_Magitek and@Binary_Dragon, @retrodatv on twitch, for live D&D and more.#cyberpunkred #actualplay #ttrpg #radioplay #scifi #cyberpunk #drama #comedy
Vending machines consistently appear on "top 10 side hustle" lists for good reason - they can generate passive income while requiring minimal day-to-day involvement. In this exciting episode, we explore the untapped opportunities in this business, from building a profitable enterprise to helping other businesses make more sales and grow faster.Today's guest, Scott Brown, owns Snax Depot, a thriving vending machine business that uses AI to optimize inventory and maximize profits. Scott reveals what it's really like to run a vending machine business and shares insights to help you start and succeed. He breaks down how his game-changing profit-sharing model and hands-off management approach create win-win partnerships with location owners, allowing them to generate more income.Whether considering a side hustle or looking to add passive income to your existing business, this episode delivers practical insights you won't want to miss.In today's episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, we cover: The reality of running a vending machine business and why it's simpler than most people think.How advanced analytics and predictive technology eliminate common vending machine frustrations like product hangups and inventory stockouts.How to generate substantial passive income without any additional effort simply by hosting a smart vending machine.And so much more!If you're interested in vending machines for your business location or as a business opportunity, check out Snax Depot. Their AI-powered machines provide a hands-off experience for location owners while maximizing profits. Visit www.snax-depot.com or call 781-269-1169 to learn more.To be a guest on our next podcast, contact us today!Do you have a brand that you'd like to launch or grow? Do you want help from a partner that has successfully launched hundreds of brands totaling over $2 billion in revenues? Visit HarvestGrowth.com and set up a free consultation with us today!
A Nashville convenience store installs a naloxone vending machine. Aldi plans to open more than 200 stores in 2025. And Walmart announces plans to remodel more than 650 stores in 47 states.
S2E102 - Another Vending MachineAfter a few stormy nights, Domino is awake. The crew have spent a few weeks waiting for Domino to recover. Today Domino steps into the real world and experiences a few things around the Bar. Vivi, Ioanna, Retro and Jeb all take turns him discover new things. Until Domino has an idea.How will the crew adjust to this new team member?Can Vendell still stand out?What has Vivi created?Only the dice will tell.Episode 100, wow choom. Thank you all for your support, listeners, Patrons, everyone. We're so lucky to have you on our journey in the red.More info can be found here: linktr.ee/NoLatencyCheck out out Patreon! Patreon.com/nolatencyEven more information and MERCH is on our website!www.nolatencypodcast.comBlueSky & Twitter: @nolatencypodInstagram: @nolatencypodFind @SkullorJade,@Miss_Magitek and@Binary_Dragon, @retrodatv on twitch, for live D&D and more.#cyberpunkred #actualplay #ttrpg #radioplay #scifi #cyberpunk #drama #comedy
Jessica Leitch of The Little Red Print Shop joins Carrie to talk about printmaking, community and running a creative small business. From vending machines and pop-ups to linocut workshops and wedding favors, she shares how she's built a joyful, accessible art brand rooted in Birmingham. Mentioned in this episode: The Little Red Print Shop The Little Red Print Shop on Instagram Cala Coffee Little Professor Bookshop Cala Coffee on The Localist Little Professor Bookshop on The Localist The Market at Pepper Place Cahabazaar Studio by the Tracks Local Love Pop-Up Market Houseplant Collective MAKEbhm The Chasm Co. Chasm Craft Club Cahaba Brewing Daily Edition Ladybird Taco Ladybird Taco on The Localist Canvas
This week, one of my best friends Nick joins the show to discuss one side hustle that I'm particulary intrigued by: vending machines. Can this $17K investment make you into a millionaire? Buy Chief Swag Officer mic covers at chiefswagofficer.com with the code CHIEFSWAG10 for a discount off of your first order! Follow Alexa here!
Come hang out with the Rank Kings this week as we draft our favorite vending machine items. Join our Discord, it's free!Join our Patreon, it's not!
News and Updates: The Signal App, what is it and is it safe and secure? Apple is rumored to be adding a camera to the next generation of Apple watches EV maker BYD sales are soaring, but in China, for now! Could tariffs change that? Coca-Cola has a new vending machine that runs on Hydrogen Fuel Cells
In Exodus 32, we hear the story of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf and how this is a call to remind us to live in faith, even amidst perceived abandonment by God.
March 31, 2025 For more information, visit the Utah Statesman's website: usustatesman.com
Is the recession already here, and, more importantly, are you ready for it? In this urgent and timely episode, Russ and Joey confront the reality of today's economic landscape, from surging inflation and skyrocketing credit card debt to market instability and job uncertainty.They reveal the brutal truth behind traditional savings and retirement plans and why passive income and financial control matter now more than ever. With real-life examples and practical next steps, this conversation will help you evaluate your position and take action.Top three things you will learn: -Why financial freedom requires liquidity-How to recession-proof your life-Repositioning your assets to protect and grow your wealthFebruary 2025 Income At-A-Glance: -Gross Income for February: $54,804.00-Total Expenses for February: $19,641.52-Total Net Profit for February: $35,162.48-Difference b/t January & February: $6,704.37-% of net profit to overall gross revenue: 64%For Accredited Investors Who Want to Invest With Us:-Email: info@wealthwithoutwallstreet.com (Reply: Accredited)The Self Storage Investing Podcast:-https://selfstorageinvesting.com/our-podcasts/Turn Active Income Into Passive Income:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/piosBook Your Free Passive Income Game Plan Session:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/freecallJoin the Inner Circle Live Waitlist:-https://www.wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/liveIBC Webinar:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/ibcWealth Without Wall Street New Book:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/newbookAccess our Free Financial Scorecard:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/scorecardHow to Start a Vending Machine Business, Cost, Tips, How Much You Make with Michael Hoffmann: -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Xwu2tHhwIBuild Passive Income with Vending Machines:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/vendingExplore the World's Largest Car Sharing Marketplace:-https://turo.com/Learn How to Invest in Real Estate with The Land Geek:-https://thelandgeek.com/Join the Wealth Without Wall Street Community: -https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/communityTake the Financial Freedom Analyzer:-
In this episode of The Hydrogen Podcast, we dive into three powerful stories shaping the global hydrogen economy:
Use Acorns and save and invest your money: go to https://www.acorns.com/official or download the app for free Get an extra 4 months of ExpressVPN for free: go to https://www.expressvpn.com/official Get additional episodes and bonus content with early access: go to https://www.OFFICIAL.men Three close man friends gather around to talk about being reborn as vending machines. This is the Official Podcast. Every Sunday. Links Below. THE OFFICIAL NETWORK CHANNEL (SUBSCRIBE NOW): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcHYe-Qw7qUN5gFWMdj9nNw Episode 431: Recorded 19/03/25 --- Get additional episodes and bonus content with early access: go to https://www.OFFICIAL.men or https://www.PATREON.com/THEOFFICIALPODCAST --- Audio Platforms (Spotify, Apple, Amazon & Castbox): https://linktr.ee/theofficialpodcast Other Shows: https://linktr.ee/theofficialnetwork --- Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:58 Why Can't You Sue Restaurants for Giving You Food Poisoning? 15:05 Haggling 17:04 SiriusXM 22:37 Being a Walking Advertisement for Hentai 41:51 Ecchi - Prison School (Andrew's Things We Like) 1:02:29 The Vending Machine Anime (Kaya's Things We Like) 1:07:07 Finding Jackson an Anime to Watch 1:16:18 Wrap --- Hosts: Jackson: https://twitter.com/zealotonpc Andrew: https://twitter.com/huggbeestv Kaya: https://twitter.com/kayaorsan --- Additional Links: Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcHYe-Qw7qUN5gFWMdj9nNw SubReddit: https://reddit.com/r/theofficialpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theofficialpodcast Intro by: https://www.youtube.com/c/Derpmii Music by: https://soundcloud.com/inst1nctive & https://linktr.ee/zayaLT Art by: https://www.instagram.com/nook_eilyk/ & https://www.instagram.com/vaux.z Edited by: https://linktr.ee/zayaLT Designer: http://www.jr-design-co.com/ Produced by Jackson Clarke for The Official Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Woman Behind The Transportation Announcements LauRen's Kids Are Doing Swim Team War of the Roses Should She? 3 in the QC The Vending Machine Over Charged Maney What Movies […] The post The Day We Were Over Charged By The Vending Machine appeared first on Kiss 95.1.
The Woman Behind The Transportation Announcements LauRen's Kids Are Doing Swim Team War of the Roses Should She? 3 in the QC The Vending Machine Over Charged Maney What Movies Have Big Al Seen?Support the show: https://www.mrlshow.com/
Bhad Bhabie Vs. Alabama Barker: We catch up on the hottest rap beef in the game right now, Bhad Bhabie vs. Travis Barker's daughter Alabama. Who's winning? Guy Pearce Vs. Kevin Spacey: Kevin Spacey tells Guy Pearce to grow up after he discusses some potential harassment while working with him on set. Also a naked lady takes over a Southwest flight. Pokemon Card Craze and Dank Demoss: People are getting heated over these Pokemon card packs. Also Dank Demoss is showing that she can fight into a car, barely. FUCK YOU WATCH THIS!, THE BEAR!, CLUTCH!, A SHOGUN NAMED MARCUS!, AIM!, INSTANT MESSAGE!, AI JEFF!, DONALD TRUMP!, GOTH LATINA!, ELON MUSK!, ASIAN!, JOKES!, BAUHAUS!, DOKKEN!, COCOBUNS!, NANCY!, MEET AND GREET!, COREY IS COCOBUNS!, SKATEBOARD!, DIFFERENT THING THAT SUCKS!, BHAD BHABIE!, ALABAMA BARKER!, TRAVIS BARKER!, MEAN GIRLS!, DISAPPOINTMENT!, DICK ON A SANDWICH WITH SIDE OF BALLS!, WET FREESTYLE!, LADIES RUNNING THE RAP GAME!, SPIT IN MY MOUTH!, DIRTY!, TITS AND ASS!, STAY RELEVANT!, MS WHITMAN!, KEVIN SPACEY!, GUY PEARCE!, HARASSMENT!, STATEMENT!, RESPONSE!, VICTIM!, HARASSMENT!, LEAD ON!, WHIP MY HAIR BACK AND FORTH!, NAKED LADY!, SOUTHWEST!, CRAZY!, AIR TRAVEL!, PUBLIC FREAKOUT!, SHOPLIFTING!, SELF CHECKOUT!, TALLY!, FELONY AMOUNT!, TARGET!, NO FLY LIST!, POKEMON CARDS!, COSTCO!, FIGHTS!, SCALPING!, VENDING MACHINE!, PUBLIC CALL OUT!, HEATED!, FRENZY!, COLLECTIBLES!, HAUL!, FLIPPERS!, DANK DEMOSS!, LYFT!, TOO FAT!, LAWSUIT!, COMMERCIAL!, AUTO BODY!, HORUSZEN!, VIDEO!, FREESTYLE!, ZEN!, INSTAGRAM!, DONATIONS!, GOOD FOR HIM!, ARCH ENEMY!, DIVINE BING BING! You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!
Hour 2 of A&G features... Tariffs: Good or bad idea? How much more will Americans pay after tariffs? Real ID deadline & Dolly Parton's husband passes away You can't reform humanity See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Have you ever wondered what it really takes to build passive income? In this episode, Russ and Joey pull back the curtain on their latest passive income report, breaking down real numbers, wins, and lessons learned from multiple income streams, including a new vending machine business, expanding Turo car rentals, and tough decisions in real estate investing.From teaching their daughters about entrepreneurship to deciding whether to sell a 23-year-old rental property, they cover the good, the bad, and the ugly of real-life investing.If you want to accelerate your financial freedom, you can get valuable insights from today's conversation.Top three things you will learn: -What strategies are working (and what's not)-How to involve family in entrepreneurship and financial education-Selling vs. holding a long-term rental propertyJanuary 2025 Income At-A-Glance: -Gross Income for January: $48,892.83-Total Expenses for January: $20,355.54-Total Net Profit for January: $28,458.11-Difference b/t December & January: ($19,447.86)-% of net profit to overall gross revenue: 58%For Accredited Investors Who Want to Invest With Us:-Email: info@wealthwithoutwallstreet.com (Reply: Accredited)The Art of Passive Income Podcast by The Land Geek:-https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgqpzGRlkzzF9aYUSs96e5GQmL6hRzg6TTurn Active Income Into Passive Income:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/piosFree IBCA or Financial Freedom Discovery Calls:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/freecallJoin the Inner Circle Live Waitlist:-https://www.wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/liveIBC Webinar:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/ibcWealth Without Wall Street New Book:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/newbookAccess our Free Financial Scorecard:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/scorecardHow to Start a Vending Machine Business, Cost, Tips, How Much You Make with Michael Hoffmann: -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Xwu2tHhwIBuild Passive Income with Vending Machines:-https://wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/vendingExplore the World's Largest Car Sharing Marketplace:-https://turo.com/Learn How to Invest in Real Estate with The Land Geek:-https://thelandgeek.com/Join the Wealth Without Wall Street Community: -
Boomer discusses taxes on selling his MVP trophy and the Yankees' beard policy. Jerry's final update includes Bitcoin and Matthew Stafford's potential moves. The Knicks lost, St. John's won, and Rutgers beat USC. The Brewers' first broadcast since Bob Uecker's passing is mentioned. The Moment of the Day features Al and vending machines. Gio is loving the betting website 'Polymarket'.
Poppi & Olipop's rival sodas are the biggest drama in biz… because of $25K vending machines.Texas gets its 2nd new stock exchange in a year… The New York Stock Exchange is goin' South-By-Southwest.Netflix is looking into launching podcasts… because there's nothing hotter than a habit.Plus, Ikea just got into dating… it's “Mattress Matchmaking.”$NFLX $SPOT $NYSEWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream
Renee Colvert joins us to talk about pencil vending machines, Smurfs, the sudden loss of my mom, uncomfortable waiting rooms, Petey's taste for underwear and more! Plus we did a round of Podcast Pals Product Picks. Get yourself some new ARIYNBF merch here: https://alison-rosen-shop.fourthwall.com/ Subscribe to my Substack: http://alisonrosen.substack.com Podcast Palz Product Picks: https://www.amazon.com/shop/alisonrosen/list/2CS1QRYTRP6ER?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfalisonrosen_0K0AJFYP84PF1Z61QW2H Products I Use/Recommend/Love: http://amazon.com/shop/alisonrosen Check us out on Patreon: http://patreon.com/alisonrosen Buy Alison's Fifth Anniversary Edition Book (with new material): Tropical Attire Encouraged (and Other Phrases That Scare Me) https://amzn.to/2JuOqcd You probably need to buy the HGFY ringtone! https://www.alisonrosen.com/store/ Try Amazon Prime Free 30 Day Trial
Who invented Vending Machines? What did the first Vending Machines vend? What crazy things are in Vending Machines? Have you started your FREE TRIAL of Who Smarted?+ for AD FREE listening, an EXTRA episode every week & bonus content? Sign up right in the Apple app, or directly at WhoSmarted.com and find out why more than 1,000 families are LOVING their subscription! Get official Who Smarted? Merch: tee-shirts, mugs, hoodies and more, at Who Smarted?