One of the safest and most reliable business ventures that an entrepreneur can get into is the vending business. This business requires minimal investments and ensures a continual cash stream without much effort. A snack and soda machine in a prominent location, such as on a college campus, a manufacturing plant or a hospital, can be extremely profitable and all the owner has to do is make sure it is kept stocked and that any necessary repairs are made. Vending machine profits are much higher than most people imagine ? and they just get bigger the more machines you have.

A simple snack and soda vending machine could earn $27,375 per year if 50 people spent $1.50 in that machine every day. In a busy location such as a hospital, where there are people walking past the machine at all times of day and night, this is easy to do. Vending machine profits increase exponentially as the entrepreneur invests in more machines and offers newer products such as energy drinks and meal replacements. The vending machine profits from a well placed machine offering both snacks and drinks, with 50 people spending $2 each, is at the unbelievable level of $109,500 annually. And since the required investment is minimal, a great percentage of this stays in the owner's pocket.

With shrewd marketing sense, the vending business can be more profitable than one might imagine. It all comes down to the vending machine placement and the selection of products. If a snack and soda machine is placed in a location where hundreds (or thousands) of people are going to be walking by on a daily basis, or at least five days a week, the profits can be huge. And the vending machine profits are just going to get better when you offer a wide range of products, because people will buy more at one time.

Include a variety of soft drinks, juices, bottled water, sports drinks, energy drinks, candy, chips, popcorn, nuts, crackers, cookies and pastries, and your vending business is sure to be golden.