Pros and Cons of the hot dog business

For the blog: http://www.benscarts.blogspot.com

The Website: http://www.Benscarts.com

My goal with this video is to give you the pros and cons of the hot dog business.
Let's talk about the negatives first, get that out of the way and then I can redeem myself with all the positive information.

Contrary to some websites that are in the business of simply promoting their products and convincing you that this is the easiest job in the world, I am here to tell you, no. This is still work. It may be some of the hardest work you have ever done. If you have worked in an office all your life or had a similar position, this will definitely surprise you. Don't get me wrong, my teen age daughters can run a cart, so it's not an all male club. In fact females tend to do better sales, even without wearing bathing suits.

You must conquer the getting started obstacles, I call them obstacles, because some will be challenging, others will fall into place easily, Here are some of the start up requirements, licensing, permits, insurance, food safety, finding a commissary and a location, you have inventory to buy, you have prep work and the ever dreaded cleanup. Cleanup time is my least favorite part, but it is a necessary evil. You also must work around the weather or find alternate locations that are sheltered. Some of these obstacles can be feel overwhelming. Take licensing for an example: What if you call city hall and they tell you that they don't allow hot dog carts in the city limits. Oh crap, right? Well wrong, I cover what to do in some other videos so don't give up. I just want you to know that some of these can be challenging.

That's it. Thats all the bad in a nutshell.

If you are a self motivated, or you are at least motivated by the constant barrage of bills each month and keeping the kids fed then you can do this. No one will push you out of that warm comfy recliner and make you go out and sell hot dogs, so you will need motivation.

Now lets discuss the positives quickly.

Can you make good money and how much is good money: Well, for some, $300 a week would be wonderful, others want $300 a day, and others even $300 an hour. Truthfully, all these figures are obtainable. Is it simple? No, but it is doable.
Being a hot dog vendor allows you to make your own hours. You can work 2 days a week or you can work 7. You can take a week off anytime you want, you are your own boss. For many this can be dangerous, so I warn you, if you aren't motivated, then don't do it. You will end up with a fancy dust collector in your garage.

You can start this business with very little to no money. If you are broke, you can find someone running a cart near you that you may be able to help, maybe even renting their cart when they aren't using it. This can be tricky but can be done. You can find a used cart, I give lots of tips on this in my video series at the website and also on my blog. You can even build a cart. So what we have so far is:



There is enormous freedom that comes with operating your own hot dog business and it can be very financially rewarding. This isn't one of those deals where you have to be very lucky. Anyone putting in enough effort and determination can secure a location and a menu that allows you to make hundreds and even thousands every week. I know people that struggled for months to find the right location before making the really big money. I know one guy that his first year only made about $35,000 but his second year almost tripled that figure.
Bottom line: however challenging, however hard, it's my opinion that no where can you create your own job with such huge financial rewards.

I can already see the wheels a turning in that head of yours, I could serve this and I can serve that, well stop that. Check out the video called Why sell just hot dogs? You will be surprised at why selling fish sticks or crab claws and even hamburgers and bbq simply won't work.

to help my ego, please give a thumbs up below. A complete transcript is also included below.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• hot dog carts
• hot dog business
• hotdogs
• hot-dog
• hot dog cart business
• benscarts
• bens carts
• all beef dogs
• hot dog man
• hot dog secrets
• hot dog

[charlindabob]

I have a mini-donut / funnel cake trailer and am thinking about adding a hot dog trailer. You are right on the money with your pros and cons, but you fail to say how much of your gross is profit. Some people may think that say $35,000.00 a year is ALL profit, but it is not.

[BensCarts]

@charlindabob I love the mini donuts, is it Lil Orbits? You are correct, the guy I spoke of in the video did almost $35,000 gross. He did not share his net income with me. I have had some vendors share their net first year earnings and some are exceptional, one lady did over $80,000 first year profits.

[BensCarts]

@charlindabob I would love to put you on my blog, do a little story and maybe show a video of your operation. That is awesome!!!

[boratkhan]

Can I shave ur head

[BensCarts]

@boratkhan Yes!



[onegreatguy08]

Ben. Looks like you have something great here. Can you show me step by step on getting into my own thing? I'm looking to buy a food truck first. Hope you can help. God Bless !

[larsiemannen]

LoL! Right away I thought of different stuff to sell! I think its a cultural thing.

[Fallout3131]

Nice video :)

[slobomotion]

Fascinating. American-born and raised, I now live in France and just spent two years setting myself up as an international going concern. I am disabled now but live in a ghetto nabe outside Paris and it's very vibrant. I'd surely have to go Halal.

[MrDarrellratliff]

im thinking of doing this..but how do i know what price to sell the hot dogs? and where sould i buy then?

[VoltageLineTV]

Nice video a good start for thinking about a hot dog business

[charlindabob]

Looks like a perfect location, just far away enough from the Port-a-jons. Everybody has to go sooner or later. Still perusing through your videos. I will say that you sound just like a "regular" (no pun intended here) guy that I can understand with ease, not some hyped-up sales pitch! I like your presentation.

Bob

[charlindabob]

@BensCarts....I have the LPG Belshaw machine with the mini-donut hopper. I took the conveyor system out and I can drop mini donuts much faster and flip with a stick. I also use the same machine (it holds about 6 gallons of oil) for making 8" funnel cakes. I can and do make funnel cakes with my right hand while dropping donuts out of the hopper using the prime switch with my left hand.

Just very recently looking into hotdogs.