A woman who set up her own unique small business has opened up on how it quickly became an excellent source of income.

Chloe Concetta took to TikTok to encourage others to do the same after her enterprise led her to establish a vending machine business. “First things first, you need to research,” she explained as she recorded footage of herself stocking a machine with confectionary.

She continued: “I watched multiple videos and researched for a year before asking myself, ‘What kind of business do I want to have? What do I want to sell in my vending machines? And where do I want to have them?'”

With her ideas in mind, Chloe then set out to learn where to buy her first machine and stock from, the size of the machine, delivery costs and whether to invest in a contactless payment system.

“It’s all doable with £1,500 to £2,000,” she explained. “But I started with £4,000 as I bought two machines for my location.” Chloe added that she did indeed opt for a card reader on those machines, a decision she has hailed as it has thus far proven the most common payment method.

Arguably the most important aspect of the business, however, is the location of your machines, something Chloe described as “very hard to obtain.” She continued: “If you don’t have a location, you don’t have a business. My biggest tips are to start with people you know and go with independent business’ [premises] over chains’.”

Chloe reiterated in her clip that location is key as she declared, “location over machine” before pointing out you should always liaise with the owner of your machines’ location to identify their needs in order to determine what products are likely to sell well.

She closed by revealing she purchased her machines from eBay and Facebook Marketplace, warning: “Be sure the seller has good reviews, can offer you warranty in case something goes wrong and that they can ship the machines on pallets to you.

“The last thing for you to do is actually start earning money. Get it in the location and get some stock in it. I used Costco, Bookers and Bestways.”

Feeling inspired, one TikTok user penned in response: “Places like Universities and bus/train stations for vending machines gotta be like goldmines.” Intrigued, a second person replied: “Where are your machines located? Do you know how hard is it to get it placed in a school/university premises?”

Chloe explained: “They’re already in catering contracts, go for independent businesses.” She also revealed that after two months she had earned more than what she had shelled out for her machines.

A third hailed her content: “This was super helpful, thank you! Especially the location first and machine seconnd point! Thank you.”

Before you start making money from your vending machine, you will need a business license. You can do so by approaching your local council, but be warned that each council will have its own rules and guidelines for setting up shop.

According to Park Insurance, you may also need further licenses before you begin selling products. “In most cases, you will need a peddler’s certificate and a street trading licence,” their website states. “You will need to pay a fee for the licence both initially and then annually, so make sure you factor these costs into your business plan.

“If you plan to install a vending machine inside a store, business centre, office block or shopping centre, you must also approach the landlord. You may also have to add ground rent or a percentage of the profits to your costs. It’s highly unlikely that they’ll let you install a machine for free!”

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