The sales were real. So was the work.
I started Imperial Vitality in July 2024 with no business experience. I had followed vending content that made the work look much simpler than it turned out to be. The things I needed to understand were the costs, the time, and what would actually be left after paying everyone.
The reality included multiple routes, a warehouse in my living room, a card reader that kept freezing, and a cooler in Southern Pines that wouldn't hold temperature in August. There was always something to order, pack, fix, or drive across town for.
The gap I saw was on and around post. People who lifted and read food labels were walking past machines full of Cheetos and Mountain Dew. I stocked ours with Barebells, Built Bars, protein shakes, electrolytes, and Clean Eatz frozen meals.
The first machines went into gyms in Southern Pines. I priced items wrong, stocked them wrong, and forgot the Apple Pay decal. Each install gave me something to fix before the next one.
We grew to 13 locations and more than $250K in annual sales. Four hired drivers helped us fit the routes around family life and my Army job. Paying for that help left thin margins. Sales and money left for the owner are two very different numbers.
I sold at eighteen months for six figures. The buyer got organized financials, documented procedures, and a team that knew the route. For me, the financial wins were the inventory rewards points and the exit. I wrote the guides so you can see the decisions behind that result.
