Seems like only a few years ago that we were all waiting for our computers to stop working when the clock chimed midnight Y2K.
I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already. A decade goes by mighty fast.
New years resolutions are fine, but lets kick it up a notch. Since we are all too well aware of how time flies, lets make some new decade’s resolutions.
What do you want to accomplish in your hot dog business between now and 2020?
Put it in print in the comments – it makes it real.
Happy 2010 everyone!
-Steve
to find the right spot and make some money…
I want to attain and maintain a “three figured income” over the next decade.
I want to complete three carts that will produce $100,000 annually.
I will use the “Secret” to assist in enough sales to retire in Brazil within 5 years.
The sixth year I will self-contained and laying on the beach!
90 – days:
– build a strong menu of 3 -4 items
– Buy a shelter for bad weather
– Buy several road flags for advertising
6 – months:
– grow business, producing $1500 weekly
– secure two weekend events a month (one sports – one private)
1 – year:
– save enough money to take bad days off in Jan. Feb. (2011 – – – 20 days) $6,000
– have in place three additional streams of income
I will not be struggling to meet my living expenses. Put into place a personal growth plan that allows me to move forward and be more knowledgeable about Hot Dog street vending business;
Mon. – putting into place leadership skills
Tues. – time with God
Wed. – Reading on leadership
Thurs. – reflect on what I learned from reading
Fri. – discovery – new ideas and practices
(business research)
Happy New Year,
First of all I want to wake up breathing everyday this coming decade. As far as the business goes I want be able to have as much fun as possible. I want to add at least five more carts and sell the business for a huge profit.
Steve – This year we want to add a daytime location to our evening business and start saving to purchase another cart to expand our business. We are also experimenting with ways to maximize our profits from our current location.
Hello all and happy new year, as far as this year I just want my new hot dog cart to put my feet back on the ground where they belong. Its nice to make the money but better yet taking control over your life with the income you are about to make.
I am looking to get my new spot on the road followed by adding a 2nd cart to the business. Keeping a roof over my family heads using the cart.
Take care in lets make money
balance home work and cart. 2 big events each month spring and summer so I can feed the rescue horses I have for the year. Good luck all!
In the Comming Decade I will see the addition of another cart & location. Building up the business and selling it before I retire. Then I will just do Festivals until they pry the tongs from my cold dead fingers!!!
Continue to keep our costumers happy. And hope for plenty of sunshiny days. It’s all about profits.
in the next 10 years i want to have a strong busnes here on our property and a hot dog cart from top dogs plus make enough money to pay all bills and have some extra in the pocket for that emergincy fishing trip down to the keys.
Looking forward to starting a hot dog cart for the first time,have lots of fun selling superstuffed hot dogs,find some nice events to participate in,making close to or over 6 figures!!!!
I need more tips how to cook the Vienna Beef hot dogs and the Polsih sausage. I will starting a neww mobile hot dog business in Fort Myers starting o1 March 2010. I am also looking for a better location in the area.
Moe’s HotDogs
Need Hep
Continue to be grateful for everything that I already have in my life, while building on my current successes. I also want to continue to help newly diagnosed cancer patients, survivors and loved ones understand and thrive from their time with cancer.
Re: Larry – 90 days – Thanks for writting my goals for me. If I could accomplish 75% of what you stated my family and I would have a great year. Keep faith, keep posting.
I want to finally get my cart going and hopefully make enough money so I can leave my job in “11”
I will be starting my hot dog cart business in Feb, if all goes well, but I need some info on what I need to do to add doughnuts and coffee to my hot dog cart. I want to work the breakfast crowd from 7am to 10:30 am and then sell hot dogs for lunch from 11 am to 2pm. Any advise on doing this?
Get a website up for the “Dawg” just like my current BBQ sauce site. Continue to add and embelish my lights on the cart…it is time to take off the XMAS lights and put on mardi gras lights…Get my award winning sauce business back in production, hopefully set up the HDC weekdays at the local community college…downtown has been very slow for lunch…so far, they feel I would be an asset to their campus….Start a line of “Grateful Dawg” stuff to sell from the HDC, visors, aprons, tee shirts, bumperstickers..CD’s of Sweetmeat and Shoogabone, especially our dawgmusik
Started selling hot chocolate from the HDC, after getting an inexpensive big thermos with spigot. It has been cold down on the bayou, and especially the night crowd likes the hot choc!
Spring will bring back the seasonal “Bach Lunch” in a downtown park, and the cities own “Movies in the Park” (too bad it’s only once a month!!) I am the only food source at the latter, and always net over $500 for less than 3 hrs work.
Have been so fortunate and blessed since April, when I started. What makes this work at present is not too bad weather for Wed and Friday nights, when I set up at the intersection near campus at which there are 4 popular bars for the young set. As with my downtown location, I am there by the request and with the permission of the property owner. Back in the day, the clubs all had kitchens, but none have for years. Have scores of loyal regulars who swear my food is better than the time they had at the bars. Better than driving to the Taco Bell, they tell me.
And as soon as frats like Kappa Sigma get off probation, they say they want the “Dawg” to cater their “keggers”. 3 hr minimum at $100 per hr.
Anyway, I have been able to make decent money doing this, and I love it. Going out in lousy weather is a drag, but if I don’t think it will impact the size of the crowd, I go do it. December was the wettest month in recorded history in La. And this is the coldest winter anybody can remember, even the old Cajuns.
Even though the HDC burners added to my discomfort during the summer, they do little to keep the old hot dog guy from freezing. Our cold is with high humidity, which makes the result “bone chilling”.
Re: Angel Cuervo,
Several months ago, I introduced the “Grateful Wrap”, a chili/cheese dog with salsa (and whatever condiments they want), wrapped and grilled in a fresh flour tortilla. It has been very well received. Unlike the usual dog, I butterfly the Wrap dog on the grill. For a breakfast dog, scrambled egg, and hash browns or diced up potatoes on the grill, with the chili, melted cheese, and salsa. In the tortilla. Of course, one must comply with your local Health Dept. as to what you can sell.
Well I am opening my mobile food kitchen in the spring. I was laid off last fall and I decided to do the hot dog and hamburger thing. Thanks to Steve some of the unknown things about starting a HD business has been answered. I got his book and it was great. Cant wait to get started and make some real big profits. I need it because I need to fill a six figure salary gap…
I will be starting my Hot Dog business in the Fiji Islands . I will be working out of a tourist port/wharf where ferries,cruise boats doing tours & transfers. I hope to work my stand from 9am – 6pm everyday. My goal is to get my 2nd stand by the 1st 6mths of 2010. I will be establishing the very 1st All American style hot dog stand in the islands .
My hope is to start a hot dog business this spring, and pay off a high 2 figure debt and start a better life for my family. Hopes have been high after reading much here. Lord, please help us make our dream come true.
I really hope by the summer I can have one of those hotdog stands so I can be outdoors selling hotdogs and going to summer events with my hotdog cart.
Happy New Year everyone, hope all had a safe and happy holidays. I would like to continue the success that I had with my hot dog cart this upcoming year, so much so that I am hoping that I can make it my primary source of income. I had only one time to sell my hot dogs but it was enough to give me confidence to pursue my dreams! Thanks to everyone here on hdcn for sharing their success stories and inspirations. Many thanks go out to Steve, without his help I would still be just thinking of doing this. I’m greatful to you and to every single one of you here.
Esteban
Stevie’s Red Hot Wienies
My hope is to get my new hot dog business up and going this spring. Looking for weekend events.
I hope to find that one thing that sets my cart apart from the other carts in the area. To have fun selling dogs. I hope the weather this spring, summer, and fall are dryer that last year.
Hoping to get a regular ‘indoor’ gig while the weather is cold.. Started the business in September, and currently up to 4 carts. (all idle at this time). Taking suggestions on where to vend in cold weather (Chicago area)..
Every day I wake up is a good day. After spending 24 years in the Army and two combat tours I desided to retire. That lasted two weeks, now I have my hotdog cart. Got great locations, making expected amounts and having fun. It’s nice not to get shot at, and waking up everyday makes it a good day. Michael
I’m moving to San Diego in Spring of ’10 and starting a one cart business. Over 5 years, stabilize and grow income and then, assess and expand business to more than 1 cart. Goal: self sufficiency income, live in sunny southern california, have fun, be happy, raise my beautiful 6 year old with lots of sunshine and beachlife, with plenty of time off b/c I am doing PT hotdog cart. Go 2010!
Larry you have a great plan just change Tue for Mon & your plan will be on tract
2010 has taken off unexpectadly we are in sw arkansas for the winter in a town of about 2,000. it is a great place in the summer with the tourists coming to the diamond mine. but we opened on Dec 16th and have been selling between 125.00 and 200.00 a day to the local folks they are really suportive. we can’t wait to see how spring break goes. we may not go back to minnesota as soon as we planned.
Finish building my hot dog cart. Have at least one full time employee to help work another cart besides mine. Use the extra money to pay off bills so I can have a early retirement from my full time job. Build a mobile cart like the yellow cushman cart posted.
Happy New Year fellow Doggers! I hope everyones hopes and dreams come true. I am looking forward to having a profitable year with my HDC here in Reno. I got my feet wet last year and am ready to go all out in 2010. I really want to get out of my indoor job and into my outdoor job. Selling dawgs of course.
Best of luck Doggers!
Hmmmm…a 10-year plan??? Okay, then, here goes…
Get a regular, good income-producing location for each of (hopefully) several hot dog carts that I own/manage. When my brother retires from the USAF, give him one of those locations to own/manage himself. Hire family and friends to run the other carts.
Use the income from those carts to be able to take my wife on a long vacation to wherever she wants, and to pay off debts.
Build a nest egg to take care of myself and my wife when we get older.
That’s pretty much it. Simple. No saving the world stuff.