A charity worker has boosted his earnings by £43,000 a year, thanks to a side hustle. Shabaz Khan decided to create a second source of income after feeling the impact of rising living costs in 2023. The 31-year-old decided to purchase a vending machine after researching the costs and details involved in operating a snack stop.
Khan spent £2,400 on the refurbished vending machine and then a further £400 on stock to launch his new business, SnackZone Vending. Within the first month, the entrepreneur had made £854 in sales and decided to use the revenue to purchase five more vending machines. In just one year, Khan had made more than £10,000 on one machine, and he predicts he'll take £43,000 across all six machines, resulting in £20,000 profit.
Growing the Business
Khan, who lives in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, has revealed that despite this high profit level, he has no desire to leave his full-time job within a charity and plans to reinvest all profits back into his business. He said: "It's like most people nowadays - the cost of living, and it's quite hard to live off just one salary. I absolutely love what I do and wanted to do something on the side, which potentially brought in a bit of additional income."
Mr Khan was inspired to buy a vending machine after seeing a friend's. He added: "I thought this doesn't seem like a difficult job to do." The entrepreneur said that he began his journey in April of last year with one machine. Within the first month, he secured a second location, and this quickly grew to six locations. Now, a year later, he is looking to acquire a few more locations in the coming months.
Learning Curve and Time Commitment
He described the experience as a "very steep learning curve." He added: "I made mistakes - managing stock and understanding what sells best and what doesn't. On average, I probably spend maybe four or five hours a week on this." He fills the machines before work, during lunch and after work, but noted that his full-time job is "still his main focus," adding: "I love what I do."
Khan explained how quickly he began seeing profit after purchasing his first vending machine. He said: "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 in profit (across all the machines), but that would just be reinvested in the business."
Mr Khan is "yet to take any money out of the business." He said: "I just want to grow it as much as I can. We'll wait and see what the future brings."
