A charity worker who was concerned about the rising cost of living has turned a side venture into a significant income boost. Shabaz Khan, 31, from Kilmarnock, launched his own vending machine business, SnackZone Vending, and claims it is increasing his earnings by £43,000 annually.
From Idea to Income
In 2023, Shabaz began exploring ways to supplement his income as everyday costs rose. He spent eight months researching the vending machine industry, including the expenses and preparation required. In April last year, he purchased his first refurbished vending machine for £2,400 and spent an additional £400 on stock to start his business.
During the first month, Shabaz generated £854 in sales, which he used to buy five more machines. In the first year, he estimated achieving over £10,000 in revenue from just one machine. Now, with six machines, he anticipates taking approximately £43,000 in revenue, yielding £20,000 profit.
No Plans to Quit Day Job
Despite the substantial profit margins, Shabaz has no intentions of leaving his full-time charity role. He plans to reinvest all earnings back into the business. “It’s like most people nowadays – the cost of living and it’s quite hard to live off just one salary. The price of everything is just going up,” he said. “I wanted to build something that not only would bring in an additional income but also the challenge of building something different. I absolutely love what I do and wanted to do something on the side, which potentially brought in a bit of additional income.”
Shabaz looked into semi-passive income opportunities like laundry mats and car parks before a friend with a vending machine inspired him. He spent eight months researching before securing a spot inside a care home for his first machine. “I thought this doesn’t seem like a difficult job to do,” he added.
Rapid Growth and Learning
Within the first month, Shabaz secured a second location, and soon expanded to six. He plans to add more locations in the coming months. “It was a very steep learning curve, I made mistakes – managing stock and understanding what sells best and what doesn’t,” he admitted. On average, he spends four to five hours per week on the business, filling machines before work, during lunch, and after work. Filling a vending machine takes less than 10 minutes.
Having spent around £3,500 on his first machine, Shabaz recouped his initial investment within 10 months, generating £10,152 in revenue sales during the first year. Now, with a portfolio of six machines, he expects the business to turn over £43,000 in revenue within a year, with approximately £20,000 in profit. “On my first machine, I managed to get my return on my investment within 10 months which for any business is brilliant. I’d expect to make about £20,000 of profit (across all the machines) but that would just be reinvested back into the business,” he said.
Shabaz has yet to take any money out of the business, preferring to grow it as much as possible. “I’ve not necessarily got into business to make a lot of money, I’ve never been driven by money. We’ll wait and see what the future brings,” he concluded.
