April 2023 - 49

Despite having almost no industry
knowledge, Lou jumped on the
opportunity.
" I said, what the heck? I don't even
understand OCS; I don't understand
vending. So what? Let's see what
happens. " Lou bought out the operator's
handful of customers and then found
himself swimming solo in the deep end
of his new venture.
" The previous owner worked
with me for about three weeks and
said, 'You're on your own.' And I
said, 'Well, how do you find new
customers? How do you do this?' " So,
Lou bought a box truck, rented
a storage unit and got to work.
Aside from building his business
with a handful of referrals, Lou spent
the bulk of his time making cold calls.
He was a one-man show, driving his
box truck, making deliveries, and
meeting with potential customers.
" I would run the route. If I had an
appointment, I'd have my dress clothes
with me, " he reminisced. " I'd stop
somewhere, change clothes and go to
the appointment. "
After four months, Lou hired
his first employee, who handled the
bookkeeping so the fledgling operator
could focus on sales, while both
continued to run their respective routes.
Lou credits much of Executive
Refreshments' success to slow, steady
growth. The company never leveraged
credit or went into debt and, to this
day, has remained debt-free. " I must
have some angels watching out for me,
but the growth was at a level where
I could afford to pay for things as I
went, " Lou commented.
Delivery driver Isiah restocks an
Executive Refreshments micro market.
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2304AUTM_Tech 2 Success.indd 1
3/22/23 1:46 PM
April 2023 * VendingMarketWatch.com 49

http://www.tech2success.com http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com

April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023

Editor’s Note
Industry News
How to succeed at NAMA 2023
2023 LEADERS OF THE PACK
Going the extra mile
Is pantry service still your golden goose?
YES, WE CAN!
Social Hubs
April 2023 - PCOV1
April 2023 - PCOV2
April 2023 - 1
April 2023 - 2
April 2023 - 3
April 2023 - 4
April 2023 - 5
April 2023 - Editor’s Note
April 2023 - 7
April 2023 - Industry News
April 2023 - 9
April 2023 - How to succeed at NAMA 2023
April 2023 - 11
April 2023 - 12
April 2023 - 13
April 2023 - 14
April 2023 - 15
April 2023 - 2023 LEADERS OF THE PACK
April 2023 - 17
April 2023 - 18
April 2023 - 19
April 2023 - 20
April 2023 - 21
April 2023 - 22
April 2023 - 23
April 2023 - 24
April 2023 - 25
April 2023 - Going the extra mile
April 2023 - 27
April 2023 - 28
April 2023 - 29
April 2023 - 30
April 2023 - 31
April 2023 - 32
April 2023 - 33
April 2023 - Is pantry service still your golden goose?
April 2023 - 35
April 2023 - 36
April 2023 - 37
April 2023 - 38
April 2023 - 39
April 2023 - 40
April 2023 - 41
April 2023 - 42
April 2023 - 43
April 2023 - 44
April 2023 - 45
April 2023 - 46
April 2023 - 47
April 2023 - YES, WE CAN!
April 2023 - 49
April 2023 - 50
April 2023 - 51
April 2023 - 52
April 2023 - 53
April 2023 - 54
April 2023 - 55
April 2023 - 56
April 2023 - 57
April 2023 - Social Hubs
April 2023 - 59
April 2023 - 60
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