Good afternoon Steve,
How do you determine if I should be doing this full time or part time? Also, the location of my cart. how to you determine if it is good / bad ?
Thank you,
Jerome K.
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Hi Jerome,
If you already have a job, I recommend starting out part time and working into a full time income if you wish to go that route. It takes the pressure off.
If you don’t have a job then jump in with both feet!
As far as locations go, it takes a while to develop regular customers but you will know within a few weeks if the spot is a producer.
A HUGE advantage is that we have wheels under our restaurants. If one location proves to be a dud, we can move on to a new one. No biggie.
Compare that to a brick and mortar restaurant that must invest tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars into a permanent site. They MUST pick the right location on the first try. And that is not so easy to do!
As you can see, the risk associated with opening a hot dog cart is tiny. The only way you can really fail is if you give up, because there is always another location to try.
If you want to get started, I want to work with you personally. Me and a whole bunch of other nice folks hang out and help newbies at HotDogProfitsPremium.com. We’ll see you over there!
-Steve
Awesome questions I’m finishing up my cart now hopefully to be in business in the next two weeks, would like to know the answer to this myself
Nice! Send me some pics of opening day.
yes having a sounding board for ideas and knowing your not alone is a great advantage. even though I’m really not started yet I have enjoyed this site and side stepped some costly mistakes.
Earl Ward
Glad that you like your Premium Membership Earl. Keep me posted on your progress and let me know how I can help.
I agree with Steve that keeping a job & starting part time takes the pressure off.
It will give you a chance to get your feet wet & learn the biz.
At the same time you still have income & you can decide when you are ready.
We operate seasonal weekends in the summer on a pontoon boat.
It’s about having fun & making some income for us.
We be pretty good at both. We love being on the water & meeting all the boaters.
Always serve a top quality product & find a way to stand out.
Hey Steve !
I got 2 more sleds to mount on trays. When the tray is full,sometimes one will roll off. (dog overboard) Now I can serve them up on the sled. Problem fixed.
1St Mate Jim.
Ahoy Jim! I think you have the dream job, that’s for sure.
Aye matey !! It be the best !!! Arrrgggggg !!
I think how you schedule depends if you want to dabble in this for a little money, or go for steady income. If the weather is in your favor, I say go for it. You’ll know if you need to have another job or not. I would say save a couple months income to carry you through while getting established. If you are a self starter, go for it! If not, don’t kid yourself. Work another job.
Good luck to you!
Jill Babel
Great advice Jill. You get out of it what you put into it. But is sure is fun!
I started slinging in December, 2009 and only worked weekends until June of 2013. That’s when I got lucky, AAFES contacted me and asked if I was interested in setting up my hot dog cart on Ft. Hood during the week for lunch. After realizing that the hospital wasn’t going to give raises for the 3rd year in a row I decided to take the plunge! I’ve been on base ever since and just finished locking down a 2 year contract, becoming a permanent vendor with an awesome location! Hang in there, stay part time until the right situation comes up. Good luck!
You rock hermano!
I do not like the idea of working for someone else and having your own business at the same time. I tried that and I feel so independent that I don’t wanna listen to what people tell me. I would rather be in my own world. Pick one and go for it. That is how I feel. There is no job security as soon as they see you don’t need them they fire you. That is what happened to me. As least if you loose a location you can find another but if you loose a job good luck finding another. I prefer to work for myself all of the time. I feel like if you have a halfway decent location and it is enough than why play both sides of the fence. But if you are not convinced than do both until you feel comfortable. That is just my view tho from a single persons point of view but for a family man with kids and a wife you may want to do both.
It sure is hard to work for someone else after you have tasted the freedom of being your own boss. The money is usually worse too, lol.
My wife Kathy and I are retired and we have alot of money invested in our all stainless steel hot dog stand on wheels. We have had many hurdles to overcome and so we will have to work full time for awhile to pay off our loan and many unexpected expenses to satisfy the NH Health Inspectors city and state. We have also had road blocks from both city and state fire inspectors. With all these problems we are still 2 weeks from opening. I have experience as a vendor because I operated an Ice Cream truck business for 12 years while being disabled. I have had to make modifications to the Hot Dog Stand to accommodate my disability.
Hi Dave,
Keep moving forward. There is always a way around any roadblock. The best advice I ever heard was this, “When the inspector says that something is not up to code, don’t argue. Politely ask him what you can do to fix it.” This lets him know that you are deferring to him as the expert – and they love that.
Started part time and working more and more full time as time goes on.
Nice!
The Road To Success Has Many Obstacles !!! But A Road With No Obstacles Will Lead You Nowhere !!! Think About it !!! Ive Been at This Hot Dog Thing For Many Years !!! My Father and his brothers even my Grandfather have been at it Too !!! We have been calling them “Slingers” Long Before I Met Steve !! Ive Gained alot and Lost alot But im Still Slinging !!! Be Patient Persistant have a Positive Attitude have a Great Way with your People Skills Be Clean and Unique Serve A Great Product !!! If You Build it “They Will Come” And They Will !!! Everyone of Them Will Want to be Your Best Customer !!! And they All Are !!! So Go To My Website and Check Out My Pics ! I Know it Stinks in Here Cause “Hot Dog Mikes” The Shi…. !!! WeenieWagonMike.com
Ha! Yes you are, lol.
During the Day, Still building the Cart. Very slow process, but with the help of the great videos, I am getting through it. At night, surf around reading everybody’s tidbits.
Steve I have read your reply on Location and understand that our cart has wheels for a reason. However, in my county and neighboring counties it seems that to setup on private property, you have to get a special permit that is good for 6 months at $125. The permit is only good for the one location. If you want to move to a new location, ok, $125 more and another site survey and traffic pattern survey and you can move. You cannot setup on the side of the road anywhere in the county and no vending on public property. They do not disallow hot dog carts, but they sure do make you hop through hoops.
So being Mobil is not as easy here.
Sure, there are always hoops to jump through, no doubt. But compare this to opening a brick and mortar restaurant. We still have it Waaaay easier and Waaaaaay cheaper.