After reading Robert Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad Poor Dad I was very keen to start my own small business. Despite having spent my life working for a pay check I decide to become rich I would need to start my own small business that I could run part time. To this end I brought a sited soft drink vending machine for $4500.

Although I'm not that mechanically minded and knew nothing about vending machine, I still went in feet first. I plugged the sellers for all the information possible and he promised to forward on to me on an instruction manual (he never did!). Despite that lack of experience I found that vending machines are fairly simple. They are a giant fridge that hold drinks. The most complicated part is the computer vending mechanism that recognizes what change is being put through and confirms that its money and not metal rings or the like being feed through.

Everything was going fine and I fortnightly restocked the machine. It was pulling in about $70 a week, which meant it would take two years to get back my ROI (return on investment). On top of that were petrol costs, time restocking the machine and counting the money and bagging it for the bank. Everything was going fine as the machine was sited in a boatyard warehouse. Hot young men with no air conditioning dying for a cold drink.

However a few months later disaster. The boat builder owner - who was never the most friendly guy and seemed to just tolerate me locked the gates. I wanted to get into my machine and he said come back in a couple of days. I came back and the company was GONE! I was afraid my machine might have gone walkabout as well as its near impossible to get insurance for a vending machine.

I eventually contacted the warehouse owner and he was kind enough to let me in. My vending machine was there, but no customers and the owner wasn't interested in being burnt again over rental so was selling up and didn't know how long it would be before a new business would be there.

I had to move the machine to a new site - which earn practically nothing. The cost of shifting the machine was expensive. I found suddenly the vending machine world was very competitive and I didn't have the time or nature to sell. Eventually I sold the machine for $3500 and although I didn't earn any money I certainly learned a lot of lessons.

My next business would need:-

No traveling
Not relying on other business owners
No sourcing product constantly
Have a known rate of return
Be larger than just my local market
Cost less money to set up
Have a bigger income potential.

I found that business on the internet.