Carts of Cash – My Story

Dedication
To Jean for always believing in me,
and to the Littles for always inspiring me.
And to Mom a.k.a. “The Hot Dog Lady”
for all your help.

My Story
I worked in an auto parts factory in my previous life.  My shift started at five o’clock in the morning and it was still dark outside when I left for work.  There was a guy there named John who would often talk about how great it would be if he had his own business and could keep his own schedule.  He talked about how he would water his garden every morning in the summer sunshine.  I still think about John and his dream every now and then.  It’s been many years since I last saw him.  He’s still there.  I’m free.

I don’t make a very good employee.  It’s not that I can’t do the job, in fact I always did my job quite well.  I like to work and I enjoy performing difficult tasks and seeing results.  My problem has always been being told when I have to be there, when I can go home, when I can eat lunch, when I can take a vacation, how long I can be on vacation, even when I could use the restroom!  These things were almost impossible for me to tolerate and became the source of endless conflict between my supervisors and me.  I felt like an indentured servant.

Feeling confined and trapped was bad enough but the number one problem that I had with being an employee was this simple fact:  In order for the company to make a profit, they must pay you less money than you are worth.  I knew I was generating more money for the owner than I was being paid.  A lot more!  Now don’t misunderstand me, profit is not a dirty word.  Businesses cannot survive without it (your new hot dog business included).  In fact, the American capitalist system has given us one of the highest standards of living in the world.  I simply wanted to keep more of the money that I was producing.
Things got so bad at the auto parts factory that I decided to make a change. I applied for a job at a company that made automated packaging machines.  It was a sideways move, but a move all the same.

I wanted to have my own business and swore that I would make it happen.  While waiting to hear if I got the automation job, I decided to take a trip to the shore for a few days.  I was depressed at the thought of going back to a dead end job and wanted to get away by myself to think about all that had happened.  On the day before I was to return home, I stopped to get a hot dog from a street vendor who had a nice little cart on a corner across from the park.  Maybe I was just really hungry, but this was the best hot dog I’d ever eaten.  As I was ordering a second dog, a light bulb suddenly went on in my head.  I remembered reading somewhere that one way to be successful is to find someone else who is successful and just do what they do.  “Hey,” I thought.  “I could do this!”
I struck up a conversation with the cart owner (I’ll call him Joe – he asked that I not use his real name) and, after assuring him that I was from out of town and therefore not potential competition, I asked him how much he makes selling hot dogs.  “Last year I made just under $80,000 and I shut down the cart from November to March.”  Eighty grand a year with four months vacation!  After I picked my jaw up off the sidewalk, I told him my story and asked him what I would need to do to get started.

He handed me a card with his phone number and said, “I got my start when I bought this cart from an old timer who was retiring.  He was there for me whenever I had questions and I really appreciated it.  If you decide you really want to do this, just give me a call whenever you get stuck and need some answers.  I’ll help you out, but you’ve gotta be serious about this.  I don’t want to waste my time if you’re just daydreaming.”

As I was walking back to my hotel room with thoughts of hot dog profits dancing in my head, my cell phone rang.  It was the HR person at the automation company offering me the job.  I told them they were too late.  I was starting my own hot dog business and they could take their job offer and …(Just kidding – that would have made a great story but that’s not what really happened.  I realized that it would take me a while to research this hot dog thing and I might as well make some money in the meantime.  I took the job, but I didn’t have to work there for very long.)

The spark was ignited once again and this time I vowed to learn all that I could about the business before I hung out my shingle.

I’m now working full time in the hot dog vending business and I’m living my dream.  I realize what a great opportunity I have.  What is your dream life?  Do you want to do this full time and make a really good income?  Are you a student looking to earn extra money or fund a college education while learning about business first hand?  Maybe you are a retiree looking to supplement your fixed income.  Perhaps you are disabled and need a way to make money in your current situation.  You can work part time or full time.  Stay small or grow and hire employees.  You’re the boss, you decide.

It took me a lot of hard work, study, and sacrifice to gain the knowledge and business skills necessary to succeed in this business and to live my dream.  I scoured the internet and bought a couple of basically worthless ebooks.  I quickly realized that there was nothing but junk out there as far as hot dog cart information was concerned. If it were not for the advice of Joe, it would have been very difficult and I would have wasted a lot of time, money, and customers.
Some of you may ask, “If you’re making so much money selling hot dogs, then why are you writing this book?”  The answer is simple.  To help others that are in less than perfect situations find a way to be successful, to “pay forward” the favor that the old timer gave Joe, and that Joe gave me, and to be honest, to make some more money.  Fair enough?

So, with the information you now own, you are on the fast track to starting your own business.  You can be making money in as little as a month.  I have developed this comprehensive training system to provide you with all of the knowledge necessary to successfully operate your own hot dog vending business in easy to understand steps so that you can start living your dream now.  You don’t need to wait another day.

You Can Do It!
At this point you may be asking yourself, “Can I do this?  Do I have what it takes to run my own business?”  Let’s discuss the requirements, and you will see that the answer is surely YES!

First, I have no doubt that every single person reading this can cook a hot dog, am I right?  Let’s face it, this isn’t rocket science.  But what you need to learn is how to do it better, faster, and in a clean and safe way.  I’ll show you how to create a professional quality product that turns customers into raving fanatics who will tell everyone they know about your delicious dogs.

The business skills require nothing more complex than addition, and subtraction.  A simple calculator will do.  If you want to use a computer, software is available that simplifies the process and saves some time, but it’s not necessary.  Most hot dog cart owners just keep their receipts in a file and give them to a bookkeeper or accountant.  Or, you can keep your own books on a paper ledger or computer, and use the services of an accountant at tax time.
Advertising and marketing is almost as much fun as running the cart.  You can get really creative designing your marketing pieces.  Business cards, menus, and punch cards are simple to make with many of the low cost computer graphic programs available today, or just visit your local printer for suggestions or referrals to local graphic artists, many of whom run their own home based business and will understand your needs.  One of the great things about this business is repeat customers.  If you make a good hot dog and serve it fast, they keep coming back.  Repeat business and word of mouth means that eventually you won’t have to worry about marketing at all.

This discussion would not be complete without addressing the one topic that strikes fear into the heart of anyone contemplating a business startup – risk (as if you have any guarantees working for someone else these days).  We’ve all heard the stories of entrepreneurs who lost everything when their business tanked.  I’ve got good news – hot dog vending is a low risk proposition.  You can start it as a side business on evenings and weekends and keep your day job until you get comfortable.  Your investment will fall into two categories: equipment (the cart, pans, tongs, etc.),  and non-tangible items such as licenses, permits, and insurance.   I’ll tell you how to turn the equipment into a low or no risk proposition later in this book.  In fact, I’ll show you a method to make money on your equipment if you decide to get out of the business for whatever reason.  Your total risk can be as low as a few hundred dollars.

Contrast this with a traditional business startup.  Large initial investments mean a large bank loan secured by collateral such as your house or other valuable personal assets.  Default on the loan…lose your home.  Want to start a McDonalds franchise?  No problem.  Just come up with at least $75,000 in non-borrowed personal resources, plus an up front fee of $45,000 to McDonalds.  Typical opening costs are between $413,000 and $672,000. Of this, at least 40% must be financed from non-borrowed personal resources. You must also pay a monthly fee of 4% of your turnover, and rent of at least 8.5% of your turnover.  A hot dog cart is sounding better and better, right?

At this point you know what you want to do and are ready to get going.  Let’s see what’s involved.

Previous Page     Next Page