Thanks for the comments. I'm hoping that I can get more feedback from fellow members so that I can continue to improve the book for vendors.

Hey there Justintol,
You're post made me laugh. I liked your honest assessment of your experience level. Jack squat is a good term. lol

Right now I'm working on an ebook that I intend to give away at to charge to help people just like you find their own locations. I'm hoping to have it ready by mid June or the end of June at the very latest. If you remind me in a couple of weeks. I'll send you a copy but for now I'd say that you got the general idea. Sure, go in and ask them if they would like a machine but go in prepared. I'll cover all that in the ebook. In the meantime, do a search of this site for posts related to locations. There are quite a few of them and a lot will talk about what to do to secure a location including what to say. There are some really great people on this forum and you're sure to get a lot of information when you search the past posts.

As for where do you get your supplies, if there is a Sam's or Costco (I don't really know that place but I've seen it mentioned) where you are then that's probably you're best bet. You should start looking over their choice of products and stuff like that so that you can see what they charge and what you'll need to sell them at to get a good profit. You've got a lot of work to do to improve your jack squat status. lol

Michael,
Keep us posted. I think you have the right idea about taking it slowly.

I'd agree with Scott. Check the books carefully and look over the locations. If they don't keep good records, stay clear. Besides not mentioning a price, I also wonder why "health" has kept them from re-locating machines but apparently didn't get in the way of buying and possibly running Midas shops. I see "health" as a reason for selling vending routes creep up in a lot of advertisements. Guess it's my suspicious mind but it does send up a red flag for me. Just my 2-cents.

Joe t - it looks to me like you've been going about this in the right way. You certainly have done your homework. Don't let "analysis paralysis" get in your way. Obviously, you want to try to minimize your risk but that concept applies to starting and running any business not just vending. I'm sure you know that there's always going to be a risk. You're not going to be able to eliminate it. In some ways that's what makes running your own business so exciting. It's how you prepare for those inevitable risks that's going to help you succeed or not.

So, you're at a deciding point now. Do you "jump in" based on what you've learned so far or do you proceed in another direction? I don't want to take away from the suggestion that you work for a vendor for awhile to see if vending really is for you. It's a good suggestion and should you decide to do that then you might be able to pick up on what kinds of problems to expect and how they are handled. Having a plan of action to fall back on is a great comfort and can keep problems from turning into crises. For example, did you know that rapid growth in a business can be just as disastrous for a business as no growth if not planned for?

If you should decide to go into vending or any business, realize that there are going to be problems. Try to anticipate what problems you might have to face, minimize them when you can and plan how to deal with them when you can't. Start out conservatively. Risks are part of any business adventure and as the owner/operator of the business, unlike working for someone else, the risks are yours to juggle. If you've got your juggling act together, it can be a very exciting thing but it's not for everyone and maybe that's what's got you stumped.