A Laundromat Is a Lease With Washing Machines Attached
Starting a laundromat is three bets at once: the lease, the machines and the neighborhood. The honest math, and my rule for deciding if it fits.
A Landlord’s Case for the Lobby Vending Machine (It’s Not About the Commission)
Vacancy was one of the costliest things we faced as landlords. Why a free lobby machine is a retention bet, not an income stream, and what to ask first.
If I Started Vending Again, Would My First Machine Be an AI Smart Cooler?
What a year of traditional vending machines taught me, what an AI smart cooler would and wouldn’t fix, and the one question that decides your first machine.
Ice Cream at 10pm: Why Niche Businesses Pay Better and Break Harder
A $5,399 AI freezer machine is a clean lesson in niche businesses: less competition, better pricing, and a narrower, more fragile path to getting paid.
I Like Bitcoin. I Still Wouldn’t Own a Bitcoin ATM.
Three states banned crypto kiosks in 2026. Why I’d run a cash ATM or host a kiosk instead of owning one, and how I’d get bitcoin exposure separately.
Hotels Taught Me the Difference Between Size and Traffic
A 200-room hotel sounds like a great vending spot. The number that pays you is occupied room nights, and it quietly reshuffles which hotels are worth it.
Follow the Cash: How I’d Pick ATM Locations If I Started Today
The ATM isn’t the business, the spot is. Here’s how I’d map where cash still changes hands, grade venues, and skip the spots that look good but never pay.
Count Every Dollar: Why a Cash Business Needs a Bill Counter (and a Log)
A cash business has no statement except the one you make. The time math on hand counting, which bill counter to buy, and the per-machine log that matters most.
I Priced a Cotton Candy Robot Like an Investment. The Yield Looks Great Until Year Three.
A $6,500 cotton candy robot run through investment math: yield on cost, novelty decay, what can go to zero, and the one number to check before buying.
Cheap Robot or Expensive Robot? What an Extra $10,000 Buys You
A $4,800 import or a $15,000 US-supported cotton candy robot? The downtime math, what the spreadsheet misses, and my rule for paying for peace.
