Before the start up of a new venture all of us think about work ahead: how much spare time there will be, what routine of work will be, whether I will travel a lot, with whom I will communicate and establish business relations and so on. Our story is about a routine work of a vending operator – the owner of the network (the manager) and service personnel all in one; about working days and difficulties to be confronted with.

A workday may begin both at 7 a.m. and at noon – it is exclusively your personal business. But frequently it is related with the start of work of the sales outlets, partners, banking establishments, etc. The main thing is that the vending operator is not strictly limited in time.

As a rule, after the location of the vendors the whole work comes to network maintenance. We drive the locations round on forethought-out route. A truck is loaded with merchandise boxes, necessary spare parts, instruments, pile of papers. From location to location we refill the vending machines with products, collect money, put an appearance of a vendor in order, make repairs, replace worn out parts, listen to complains and requests of the point of sales’ employees and so on.

In the course of working day, it should be remembered that it is not limited in time, there may be urgent (unplanned) summons: breakage or clog of the vendor or payment mechanisms; the vendor “cheated” a buyer; the filler is finished; please bring (drive away) the vending machine, etc. At that, the broader the vending route is the more current matters and minor problems to be solved in proper time.

The working day doesn’t end with vendors’ servicing. After arrival home, at office or warehouse we have to keep tabs on sales, to make up filler for the next day, draw a plan of vending network maintenance.

In addition to vending network activity during workweek it is very likely that you have to receive filler from the supplier and locate new vendors. Taking into account the growth of the network, the receipt of goods from the suppliers may become weekly. The operator will have to carry on negotiations with management of a new trade outlet, to go to tax administration, to bank to make payments and so on.

In spite of tight work schedule it is always possible to find time to solve personal problems, to alter working schedule, to do some work for several days ahead, thereby getting some days off or time for the search of new ideas, new directions of work.

Depending on the number of the serviced vending machines the working day will be organized and time consumption will be estimated. Thus, servicing of the network of several vendors can be combined with another job, but on network development all working time of the vending operator will be dedicated to single job.

One of the everyday purposes of the vending operator is the most efficient use of private working time. In process of work continual innovation, new ideas realization, search for new partners and forms of activities are going on. The vending operator will have to take decisions, to solve current problems, to carry on negotiations, especially if he/she directs efforts to steady development, trading network expansion.

However the work will yield the results. The first benefit can be reaped as early as on the next day after the effective decision, e.g., after good vendor location. And the vending operator draws salary not twice a month or monthly, but every day if he/she likes. The broader the vending net is, the more frequently you have to collect money.

Let’s sum up. You are not the right man/woman for vending business if:

- you are not sociable, not mobile;

- you are not able to take decisions on your own;

- you are not ready for steady development, competition, intercommunion with the state authorities;

- you are not able to be an exacting boss, first of all boss for yourself.

However, if each of these items represent the facts you may become a co-founder or a vending network manager having service personnel engaged; or you can turn over the part of work to your business partner.

Vending business is an ideal job for those who value freedom, make their own working schedule and plan their own development, like innovation and ideas.