 Elementary
school teacher and single father Jeff Jeff C. wasn't
looking for a way to get rich. He just wanted to supplement
his income from teaching so he could support his children.
Now, Jeff works out of his home and earns a six-figure
income.
Living on the coast of South Carolina, there weren't
many opportunities for supplemental or part-time work,
according to Jeff. After relocating to a different part
of the state, Jeff spotted the ad that changed his life.
While leafing through a magazine he came across a small
black and white ad for U-Spin vending machines. U-Spins
offer individuals the opportunity to work as independent
bulk candy vending machine operators.
Attracted to the design of the machines, Jeff contacted
the company. "I had a feeling that they were
a good company, forthright, honest. I invested in
10 machines and it worked very well for me,"
he explains. Within a month and a half, Jeff purchased
another seven machines, and he now has just over 200.
"The rest, I guess, is a history of success.
I had gotten in to generate some extra income and
it turned out to be a full-time business," Jeff
adds.
It didn't take long for Jeff to realize that he
may have found a new career. Within a couple of weeks
he saw the potential of the business. "I enjoyed
teaching, but I was ready to do something else. So
within eight months I had stopped teaching and had
started doing this full-time," he says.
For Jeff, who calls himself conservative by nature,
the biggest challenge in starting his own home-based
business was self-confidence. "I think many people
are [lacking confidence] when it comes to finances.
Regardless of our occupation, we get very comfortable
with and dependent on our salary...and we probably
have a lot of creative ideas that we never really
pursue because we're a little bit afraid to take that
first step and to put ourselves at any kind of risk.
That was probably my chief obstacle," he says.
The beauty of the machines, according to Jeff, is
that from day one they produce income.
Jeff quickly gained confidence in his business.
He explains that once the machine is sold, it produces
income indefinitely. "You place your first 10
machines and that income is there month after month.
I gained the confidence to invest in more machines,"
he says. As Jeff's confidence grew, it was a simple
decision for him to expand his business.
U-Spin offers two types of vending machines - one
with four selections and one with eight. Jeff estimates
that his four-selection machines bring in about $50
a month, and the eight-selection machines make approximately
$100 a month. "I actually have some machines
that do over $300 a month," he adds.
Jeff was pleased with the support provided to him
by the manufacture. According to Jeff, they provide
vendors with an owner's manual which contains information
on where to position machines and things to consider
when placing them. "You can literally call them
at any time and talk to any number of experts who
will answer whatever questions you have. Their representatives
are incredibly honest," he says. Many of the
representatives have had vending routes themselves
and know the details of the business and are very
willing to answer your questions. "I felt like
I had a support network," he adds.
The transition from teaching to working at home
was easy for Jeff. With only 10 machines in the beginning,
he simply kept the extra candy in a room in his house.
As his business grew, he eventually added a temperature
controlled storage room onto his house for his candy
supplies. Jeff says, "Since that was done, it's
been very pleasant. It's nice to be able to use your
home as your office, and it's worked quite well."
Jeff remarried a year ago and now he and his wife
Barbara live in a suburb of Greenville, SC, with their
blended family of seven children. He and Barbara are
anticipating an income of $120,000 for this year.
The salary has not changed Jeff. Even though Jeff
is experiencing success with the business, he says
he is still conservative. But he admits to putting
some new additions on his house and buying two new
vehicles, as well as providing two of his daughters
with braces.
"We're able to live off of one income - mine.
With a family this large, to me that's quite an accomplishment,"
Jeff states.
He enjoys the feeling of financial freedom that
he is experiencing through his vending machine business.
After living with a tight budget, he is pleased with
where his income is now. At this point, Jeff says
that thanks to his income, if an emergency arises
it isn't so overwhelming. "There's just a lot
more disposable income. We haven't become overly materialistic
or anything. We're able to do things that before we
would have had to either save for a long time or just
forgo," he adds.
Vacation time is also an added benefit. The entire
family is heading to Sanibel Island, FL, this summer.
"It is the shell capital of the world,"
says Jeff.
He also credits his business for giving him more
freedom to be creative. He's now using his extra income
to develop a line of gourmet gumballs. "That's
something that I never would have thought of before
and never would have had the money to invest to make
something like that possible," he states.
Jeff is delighted with independence he now has,
and appreciates the flexibility it brings into his
life. He admits that he loved to teach, but "I
had a moderate salary that I knew would grow by a
moderate percentage every year," he points out.
"And as a single dad at the time, budgeting was
extremely important because I knew what I was going
to have every month and what I'd have to work from
every month."
According to Jeff, owning his own business has provided
him with the opportunity and finances to do what he
does best - be a father. "The role in my life
that I take the most pride in is being a father, and
I feel like this business opportunity has enhanced
that beyond anything I ever thought possible,"
he shares.
Jeff has tripled the income he made as a teacher,
while substantially reducing the number of hours he
works a week. He's gone from working 40 to 50 hours
a week as a teacher to working about 25 hours a week
with this vending business.
As for others who are looking into starting their
own home-based business, Jeff advises them to look
at their environment and the people who are already
successful. "Many of the people that you see
who are being very financially successful have done
that themselves or to follow an idea that they had
to fruition through the marketing process," he
says.
This former teacher has learned, "There are
so many different things that a person can do, and
so many ways to be successful. If you bring the same
work ethic and energy to working at home that you
do working for another company, but your financial
rewards will multiply as well."
-Home Business Connection - January 2001 - Article
written by Carla A. Cipriano
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