The long cherished notion of getting a job that would provide both long term
security and benefits is close to disappearing in the American workplace. It is no
surprise that more people today want to do "their own thing". Vending is one of
the final frontiers. Since you are considering starting a business, you belong to a large
and growing group of people frustrated with their present jobs. The word entrepreneur is a
French word meaning 'enterpriser'. It is best described as a person who sees an
opportunity in the marketplace and decides to take advantage of it. He or she gathers the
material and markets this vending service to fill a need of the customers. 
The forty hour work week became the standard in this country during the 1930's. It
is interesting when we observe that entrepreneurs work an average of sixty hours per week
and still report to be happier than the average employee working 1/3 fewer hours. How can
this be true? People are happier in their work if they have control over what they do.
Happy people are also healthier people, and there is no better time than now to start a
change in your life and put yourself in control of your own destiny.
"The
Vending industry has seen an extreme amount of growth over the last few years
Bulk Candy Vending, Gumballs, Capsules, Soda
Vending, Snack Vending, Office Coffee Service or Coffee Vending Machines, Small Combo
Machines, Concession stands, Crane Game Machines, Deli Vending, DVD Vending, Family Fun
Centers, Food vending, Full Line Vending, Healthy Vending, Honor Snack Boxes, Hot Dog
carts, Coin Op Laundry, Personal Products, Phone Card Dispensers, Slots, Stickers,
Tattoos, Toys, Video Games, Specialty Vending Mobile Carts, Bottled Water Vending,
Amusement Entertainment Machines, Arcades, Coin op Car Washes, ATM machines ...and the
list goes on!
First, step back. Decide what your goals are and how
freelancing will help you achieve them, says Pamela Slim, author of the Escape
From Cubicle Nation blog and a forthcoming book of the same name. "It's
obviously very easy at the point of being laid off to really come from a
position of fear and desperation," she says. Thinking about long-term goals from
the start will keep you grounded and help you determine how to proceed. Once
you're clear on your goals, Slim says, you should ask: "What are the specific
skills, knowledge, money, resources, information, and contacts [you] need to
bring that picture to life?"
Health Care
There are plenty of
nuts-and-bolts concerns that can overwhelm first-time freelancers, especially
those who suddenly lost steady jobs. Chief among them is health care. The health
insurance system does not accommodate independent workers well. If you can't get
coverage through a spouse's plan, you can continue your old employer's plan at
your own expense under COBRA. You may also be eligible for group health
insurance through a group like New York-based Freelancers Union, which launched a
health insurance company last year offering plans in 31
states.
Freelancers Union's executive director, Sara Horowitz, suggests
checking with local chambers of commerce to see if they offer plans for sole
proprietors. She also points self-employed workers to local health insurance
information on a site run by the Actors' Fund called Access to Health Insurance/Resources for Care. Whatever
option freelancers choose, Horowitz says they should avoid going uninsured for
even a month, even if they buy high-deductible plans. "So many states have
preexisting-condition clauses. If you go and buy the most catastrophic plan, you
will not have a break in coverage -- and if you get another plan it will all be
counted," she says.
Another hurdle for any new freelancer is how to land
your first gig. Slim suggests looking to former employers, even if you have been
downsized. "Many times, strangely, the same companies that lay people off do
hire them back on a contract basis," she says. You can use that first client to
show others that you're capable of delivering value as an independent
contractor.
Network Full-Time
In addition to maintaining ties
to your old company, you should prepare to make networking a full-time job. But
realize that the people who can help you succeed may be different from the
contacts that helped in the corporate world. "Freelancers, it's kind of an
underground culture, and once you tap into it, people know everything about
where to go for what," Horowitz says.
One of the most important referrals
you can get is for a good accountant. Knowing what to write off as business
expenses can save enough on your tax bill to make hiring an accountant worth it,
Horowitz says. Still, be prepared to write hefty checks to the IRS. Since your
employer isn't withholding taxes anymore, you'll need to pay estimated taxes
four times a year. You're also on the hook for the employer's contribution to
Social Security now. Horowitz says freelancers should set money to pay taxes
aside in a separate bank account. "Nobody ever puts away enough," she says.
"That's the biggest way that people get themselves in a hole."
Besides
paying taxes, finding health care, and landing clients, self-employed workers
face another big challenge: motivation. It's easy to procrastinate when there's
no boss looking over your shoulder. Slim suggests freelancers establish a
schedule and put themselves in environments where they know they'll do their
best work, whether that's having a clean home office, going to a co-working
event, or plugging in at the local coffee shop. Regardless, she says, the newly
self-employed have a powerful incentive to deliver, particularly in a tough
economy: "There's nothing more motivating than knowing that if you do not
complete your work you will not get paid."
Flip through this slide show for a 20-step checklist
for recently laid-off workers considering going into business for
themselves.
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Consider that Vending Machines can operate anywhere at any time!
24–7 (24 days hours a day, 7 days a week)
Consider that EACH DAY MILLIONS of coins are poured through coin operated VENDING MACHINES.
Vending is a recession proof business! Vending covers a wide spectrum of business opportunities.
Including; candy, gumball, atms, food, snacks, soda, coffee, healthy vending, juices, water, music, games, arcades
and much more! Each type of vending has it's own fantastic business advantages. Automatic
merchandising is one of today’s fastest growing industries. Fast, Easy and Economical. Vending Statistics.
Find the best location with great people traffic, place a vending machine that vends products that they want.
Every day 7 out of 10 people will place coins or dollars in Automatic Vending
Business Machines.
The amount of money could range from twenty five cents to twenty
dollars "per vend" depending on the types of vending machines you own and operate!
This fantastic potential for your new vending business is right at your fingertips, read on...
