
We Lost 40% of Our Revenue in One Phone Call (Stocked Vending Co. Road to $1M)
Three years ago we bought a small vending route for $230K. That was way too much for a business doing under $120K a year. Then we ran it badly for a year. Then one phone call took away the market that made up 40% of our revenue, and we gave serious thought to selling. We went all in instead. We ripped out every vending machine and rebuilt around micro markets, AI coolers, and coffee service. Last month we did $83,600, our first $1M run rate. In this episode: What really happens when you buy a “passive” small business Why we were throwing out hundreds of dollars of expired product every week The numbers that convinced us not to sell How switching to AI coolers doubled our average transaction Competing with the private equity firms buying up the vending market Chapters: 0:00 – “You’ve got three days to get out” 2:00 – Buying a vending route after leaving my W-2 4:00 – “It’s just snacks”: the rough first year 6:00 – Our first micro market 7:00 – Sell it or bet on it 8:30 – Going all in on AI coolers 10:00 – Custom sourcing, coffee, and the $1M run rate 12:00 – Lessons + what’s next Read the full write-up on Substack: https://bit.ly/40SOav8 If you know anyone in Salt Lake City or Utah County with a breakroom that needs help, send us a note: www.stockedvendingco.com/contact








