Tag Archive for: atm business owners

7 Top ATM Business Training Programs

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ATM business training isn’t a requirement of starting an ATM business. But it sure can help! One of the many great things about starting an ATM business is that anyone can do it. You don’t need any specific certification, education, or training. However, if you want to save yourself time and money that avoidable mistakes can cost you, it might be worth it to invest in an ATM business training program so that you can start making money fast.

Now, we know you have a lot of options when it comes to ATM business training programs. And that can be overwhelming, especially with so many scam websites out there. 

So, to help, we’ve compiled this list of 7 top ATM business training programs that come up with a basic internet search to help you determine which program is right for you.

Insure ATM – ATM (Online) Training

Insure ATM Global Distribution and Services offers an online training program for ATM technicians. This training material won’t walk you through the ins and outs of starting an ATM business as an independent ATM deployer (IAD). Instead, this training program is designed for ATM business owners who employ a workforce of ATM technicians. They promise a comprehensive training solution customized to fit the needs of your technicians.

Their training classes are all entry-level and concern the use of ATMs and their installation, removal, upgrading, servicing, and repair. Insure ATM is a global supplier of original spare parts of the world’s major ATM brands with significant experience and keen understanding of the industry and a multilingual sales team. 

However, they are based out of the Netherlands which might create a barrier for US-based ATM owners. Furthermore, their training only covers ATM-machines and parts of the latest types of NCR and Diebold Nixdorf which are not the most common independent ATM models in the US. 

ATMMachines.com: Start Your Own ATM Business Empire

National ATM Wholesale offers an ATM business online course that promises to help you build a six-figure income without any capital or credit. Founder Justin Gilmore is proof that you can start an ATM business without a specific background in ATMs or sales, a high school diploma, or even money. 

Their ATM business training course covers everything for starting an ATM business from ATM placement to branding to value-added services. They warn that this is not a “get rich quick” scheme, emphasizing the value of hard work and dedication to the training and the business. What’s more is they offer a full refund after your first placement to help motivate you to see it through to the end!

Udemy

There are a number of different courses available to you on Udemy. The biggest concern here is that basically anyone can publish a course on this site, so it’s hard to tell the quality of the information before you spend your money. 

The publishers of courses like “The ATM Machine Business Crash Course,” “How to Start A Successful ATM Machine Business,” and “How To Get Started In The ATM Business- Complete Blueprint” are individuals rather than full-fledged companies. That means that they will not offer ongoing support, equipment, contracts and documentation, or online monitoring. You will have to get all of that from a separate ATM processing company and/or vendor.

Now, because of this, these ATM business training courses will be among the cheapest you’ll find, ranging from about $29.99-$64.99. This price corresponds to the amount of information you’ll receive: 30 minutes – 2.5 hours of videos, 1 article, and a few downloadable documents. And honestly, you can find a lot of basic information online for free whether in blog articles or by joining a Facebook group for ATM entrepreneurs and just asking questions.

ATMIA

The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), a leading non-profit trade association that represents the entire global ATM industry, is the authority on ATM machines and operations. ATMIA serves more than 9,000 members from around 500 companies located in 70 countries spanning the entire ATM ecosphere, including financial institutions, independent ATM deployers, equipment manufacturers, processors and a variety of ATM service and value-added solution providers.

Naturally, they offer training courses and support to their members. However, rather than focus on helping IADs start an ATM business from the ground up, their business training courses are more specific. For example, they offer separate training for vault managers, first line maintenance (FLM) technicians, operations supervisors, and customer service representatives. There is also a security training course. 

ATMGurus

ATMGurus offer hands-on, in-field repair ATM training. Again, their training is specific to servicing most retail ATMs rather than becoming an IAD. Furthermore, their training is on-site, not online. While their training facility is located in Long Beach, Mississippi, they do offer to travel to you. So if you are in the area looking for hands-on FLM training, this could be beneficial for you.

If you want to become an ATM technician, you can check out their comprehensive retail ATM training program. Or, if you’d like to become well-versed in servicing your own Hyosung, Genmega, or other model, you can check out those specifically curated classes. They also encourage you to request any particular training you might be looking for and are struggling to find.

ATM Freedom University

ATM Freedom University promises to unlock a reliable stream of passive income every year with their ATM Business Partnership Program. They will build out your entire ATM business from the locations to the ATMs to full certification. And they guarantee your first placement in 90 days or your money back. 

Their exclusive training will show you how to build out a profitable ATM business from scratch…if you’re an investor or business owner with at least $10,000 in investment capital…. This training is not for the average Joe looking to start learning the ATM business one machine at a time. Instead, it’s for someone with enough money to invest in a number of machines right away. So if you don’t have a lot of start-up cash, this ATM business training is not for you.

ATMDepot.com: ATM Business Roadmap 

ATMDepot.com offers a complete roadmap to financial success by showing you how to start an ATM business. This ATM business training will help you start your business as an IAD with live support available every step of the way. ATMDepot.com is an ATM processing company, so you can purchase equipment, process transactions, use their online monitoring system, and receive ongoing support throughout the course of your training and beyond. 

While other training programs claim to be comprehensive, ATMDepot.com’s ATM Business Roadmap takes you through the start-up process taking complete beginners with no knowledge of the ATM industry to purchasing and placing their first machine. But the ATM business training doesn’t stop there. 

You can continue to grow your business by adding more machines to your business, revisiting the roadmap as necessary. ATMDepot.com will provide you with all of the tools and resources you need, answering all of your questions along the way. You’ll have lifetime access to a community of ATM business moguls who have your back.

The ATM Business Roadmap Training System is given by ATMDepot.com founder himself, Noah Wieder, who has been in the business for 30 years. He’s seen it all and therefore can help you avoid costly mistakes so that your ATM business venture goes as smoothly as possible. 

The ATM Business Roadmap is suited for both those looking to get started with one machine and earn a little extra spending money and those looking to scale up to 12 – 24 machines and make a couple grand each month. This makes this business training program not only comprehensive but also universal.

Not sure? Try it out and get a full refund within 30 days of purchase or after the first three modules (a dozen lessons!) if it isn’t right for you.

Give Yourself the Gift of Financial Freedom

Whichever route you decide to take, the new year is right around the corner. There is no better time to start looking into ways to get out of your dead-end job and just finding your next stream of income.

As you reflect on the past year, think about whether or not what you’ve been doing is working for you. If it isn’t, it might be time for a change. Ask yourself: Am I a talker, a dreamer, or a doer? This year, be a doer. Go into business for yourself where you call the shots and make money while you sleep, travel, and pursue other hobbies. 

For these reasons and more, an ATM business is the ultimate side hustle. What are you waiting for?

7 Common Small Business Mistakes

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There are some common small business mistakes that apply to independent ATM deployers (IADs) as well. Fortunately, you have an opportunity to learn from those mistakes others have made. Being aware ahead of time of what can go wrong can not only provide you with peace of mind but also save you time and money in the long run. 

Knowing where things can go wrong can help you avoid headaches and early failure. Use this list of 7 common small business mistakes to make the most out of starting your ATM business. 

7 Common Small Business Mistakes

1. Trying to Do Everything Yourself

Don’t try to do everything yourself. Especially at the beginning. Use your resources. Ask for help when you need it. This will help you avoid a number of other, industry-specific mistakes.

Talk to other IADs for advice. There are a number of Facebook groups you can join to learn from other people’s questions and ask your own. And don’t hesitate to ask your ATM company for help. You never know what resources are available until you ask. Your ATM processing company wants you to succeed because if you make money, they make money.

Finally, it’s absolutely okay to delegate any ATM business operations you don’t enjoy handling. If you don’t want to clean your machine or load cash, pay someone else to do it for you. The point of an ATM business is to generate passive income. So if you find that you are doing more work than you feel is worth it, share the load!

The point is to avoid making mistakes by not being afraid to ask for help. Plus, you want to make sure you don’t get burned out. Operating a business that you don’t enjoy isn’t going to see as much success as one you do enjoy.  

2. Overspending or Underspending

This one is tricky. You want to make sure you find a happy medium when it comes to overspending and underspending. You will need to weigh pros and cons to determine which costs are necessary and which are extra. 

For example, a refurbished ATM machine will save you money upfront compared to a brand new machine. However, if you aren’t great with tech, a new machine might be worth it in the long run if it saves you time and money having to figure out a less user-friendly machine or constantly calling technicians for help.

You also want to be mindful of your cash flow. Make sure that your list of expenses is very detailed and that you have a budget for your business. Although it’s exciting to start seeing that passive income hit your account, be careful not to spend it right away. You will want to account for any costs related to maintenance, repairs, insurance, or other emergencies, so make sure you set some money aside for these things. 

And don’t forget about financing. You can always look into leasing a machine or getting a loan from your bank, a friend, or a family member to get your business up and running. Don’t let that stop you from starting your business.

Just remember that some costs are absolutely necessary while others can wait. You might want to go ahead and pay for your own wireless router but wait until your business starts making money to spring for video surveillance. You want your business to be reliably operational before looking for ways to improve the customer experience.

3. Launching without a Plan

One of the most harmful common small business mistakes in the ATM industry is starting without a plan. Planning includes everything from negotiating a good placement location to drafting contracts to preparing for emergencies.

Before you can operate your ATM machine, you need to have a site to operate it from. Before you can get a site, you have to approach multiple location owners to gauge interest. And before you can get a location owner’s interest, you have to know what you are going to say and how you are going to handle their objections.

If you don’t have these plans ahead of time, you could get overwhelmed or feel pressured and stressed. The longer you have a machine without a place to operate it from, the longer it will take you to make your return on investment (ROI) and profit. So the better your plan, the quicker and easier getting started will be.

And don’t skip the contracts. Any time you enter into an agreement with a location owner, vendor, or other third party, make sure you read their contracts very carefully or develop your own. This is an important step in ensuring that all responsibilities and compensation are clearly outlined and that no one backs out unexpectedly leaving other parties in a tight spot.

4. Neglecting to Set SMART Goals

Goal setting is paramount to success. How else will you know whether your business is working for you or not? How else will you be able to scale your business? Specifically, we recommend setting SMART goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely. 

So any goal you set for yourself should be specific. Rather than just say, I want to make passive income, think of a number (this will also help you determine the perfect surcharge fee). 

Numbers are also measurable. If you say you want to make $100/day, you can definitively say yes you’ve accomplished that or no you haven’t by looking at the transaction history. 

Once you have that specific, measurable goal, you can then act on it. If you say you want to make $100/day, then you know that by setting a $5 surcharge, you can reach that goal with 20 transactions. If you are shy of your goal, act again. Do you need to reposition the machine? Add a sign to draw attention? Lower the surcharge fee to get more transactions?

A financial goal is also relevant. It is an important reason for why you are in this business in the first place. It’s an important step toward other goals you might have such as purchasing a vehicle, taking a vacation, quitting your day job. A goal that is important to you is more likely to be accomplished.

Finally, you want to set a timeframe. Maybe expecting to make $100/day is a lofty expectation to have the day you install and program your machine. Maybe, at the very latest, you want to start making $100/day within the first 6 months of being up and running. THAT is a specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely goal.

5. Failing to Market or Advertise

This is one of the common small business mistakes to avoid when you are looking for more placements. If one of your goals is to scale your business, you need to let people know what it is that you do. So once you’ve been in business with at least one machine for a while, it’s a good idea to start marketing yourself once you have enough revenue to do so. 

You can create a business name and logo to display on your machine screen or ATM wrap. You can create ATM business cards to have on hand when meeting new people. And you can even advertise your service on social media. There are lots of ways to market yourself, so don’t skip out on this if you want to own a fleet of machines!

6. Being Disorganized

As you’ve probably gathered from the five common small business mistakes above, it’s extremely important to be organized. But don’t worry. There are a lot of tools and resources at your disposal. And if you don’t consider yourself to be a very organized person, maybe this is one of the tasks you end up delegating!

First, of course, don’t start without a plan. Second, make sure you are prepared to start your business by gathering all of the necessary paperwork and documentation. Third, don’t forget about contracts, particularly the site location agreement (SLA). 

Additionally, keep your finances organized so that you don’t find yourself out of money in the event of an emergency. Finally, make sure your machine never runs out of cash!

If your machine runs out of cash, you won’t be able to operate your business. You will lose out on income during this downtime, and you risk losing face with the location owner and customers. Running out of vault cash over the weekend or a holiday is even worse since you won’t be able to withdraw large sums of cash when your bank is closed.

Fortunately, with remote online monitoring, you can get low cash alerts. This is the number one tool you will want to use to stay organized. You can view all activity on your machine in real time, and you will want to use this data to inform all of your business decisions. Knowing the busiest days and times can help you create a convenient vault loading schedule to ensure your machine is always stocked.

Being organized shows that you are serious, professional, and reliable. That is the kind of IAD people want to work with.

7. Fearing Failure

The most important of all of the common small business mistakes you can make is fearing failure. This is what can keep you from trying at all. You can’t start a business or make money if you don’t even try. You have to take the ATM business one step at a time knowing that if you fail, you will learn from it and do even better going forward.

But fearing failure is a mistake you can make even after you’ve been in business for a while. This can cause you to refuse to pivot which can be a costly mistake. You have to be able to recognize when something isn’t working or when something could be done better—and then change it. 

Don’t just do something because it’s what you’ve always done or because it’s what everyone else is doing. Every small business is different. Each ATM business is curated to fit the IAD’s lifestyle and goals. So if your business model stops aligning with your lifestyle and goals, your business model needs to be adjusted.

This might mean leaving a toxic partnership with a particular location owner or delegating some of the ATM operations. Try not to worry about revenue risks. It will be worth it to get back to enjoying your business. Your business should not hurt other areas of your life. If it does, it might be time to pivot.

Finally, don’t be afraid of new technology. Technology is constantly improving to make your life and your customers’ lives easier. So don’t be afraid to try something new and improved, and don’t choose traditional routes just because they are familiar. 

You can’t win if you don’t play. You can’t succeed if you don’t try. So don’t be afraid to pivot, and don’t be afraid to fail. 

Conclusion

Don’t plan to make no mistakes in your ATM business. If you set out with that expectation, you risk disappointment and discouragement. Instead, treat them as learning experiences and move forward stronger. Sometimes, it can help to document these mistakes. Jot down what went wrong, what you did to fix it, and how you can prevent or avoid repeating the mistake. 

Use this list of 7 common small business mistakes as a map for how to proceed in your ATM business smoothly, and rest assured knowing that there are very few mistakes you could make that you wouldn’t be able to recover from. And remember: ask for help. ATMDepot.com has a host of resources for new IADs including training videos, SLA templates, and 24/7 live support. So don’t hesitate to contact us today!

ATM Keypad Encryption PCI Compliance Updates – Upgrades Due by January 1, 2025

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PCI Compliance: Best Practices for Enhanced Security

Digital transactions have undoubtedly transformed how we interact with our finances. ATMs play a vital role in facilitating these transactions, offering convenience and accessibility to users worldwide. However, with the increasing prevalence of cyber threats, ATM providers and financial institutions must prioritize security measures.

This article will explore the upcoming mandatory ATM keyboard PCI compliance that will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Understanding PCI Compliance:

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI) is the unified governing body of ATM networks. They are a self-policing group that comes up with the rules that ATMs, credit card terminals, and processors must abide by in the United States.

What is the ATM Keyboard PCI Compliance?

Intending to keep ATM processors and users safe, the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has released new mandates for ATM PIN pads and data encryption. The latest update states that by December 31, 2024, all terminals that have the potential to be upgraded to the latest version of encrypting pin pad (EPP) must undergo the necessary upgrades. Any and all terminals that are not eligible for upgrades will need to be replaced entirely.

Starting January 1, 2025, operational ATMs must have up-to-date firmware and software utilizing the TR31 Phase 3 key blocks. These key block encryption measures have been implemented to enhance the security of PINs and data transmitted through ATMs and payment network infrastructure. The strengthened security measures aim to safeguard the cryptographic integrity of payment data, making it significantly more challenging for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

After the specified deadline, machines not equipped with the latest pin pads and key blocks will no longer receive support from host processors. Consequently, the networks will not accept any attempted transactions on these ATMs, rendering the machines non-operational. In other words, your ATM will be turned off if you do not have the updated firmware or keypads to support this new compliance standard.

What does this mean for current and future IADs (Independent ATM Deployers)?

For current IADs, we strongly advise upgrading your ATMs as soon as possible in the upcoming months and not waiting until the end of 2024.  We see this happen anytime there are mandatory updates and parts become scarce and more expensive, field technicians get busier, and you may miss the deadline and have your ATM shut off until you complete the update. If you have a Hyosung, Genmega, Hantle, or Triton ATM and want to can if your ATM model has an upgrade available, you can download this compliance and upgrade paths pdf.

If you are just starting in the ATM business and considering a used machine, be mindful of this new requirement. For example, if you see a good deal on a used Hyosung 1800CE, looking at the above compliance PDF, you can see the Hyosung 1800CE ATM will need to be replaced by 2025 ss the ATM core is WinCE5.0 and is not PCI  compliant and can’t be upgraded. 

If you wait too long to upgrade, there will be price increases and delays in equipment after October 2024. Schedule your updates by the summer of 2024 so you can be sure of availability. All the PDF ATMs showing “Replace ATM” are boat anchors in 2025. 

All the Hyosung ATMs in this compliant Hyosung ATMs PDF show which ATMs will need to be replaced, so don’t buy any used or refurbished Hyosung ATMs listed in this document where it says “Replace ATM?” = Yes!

So, this is a huge warning to all retailers and IADs, be careful who you buy ATMs from and what they did to refurbish them if anything. Used machines have to be cleaned, and tested, have parts replaced, have software reset to factory defaults, include keys and passwords, and be PCI compliant so they can be properly programmed for installation and use after 2025.

Although January 1, 2025 feels like it’s way out in the future, please do not delay updating your ATM. Our CEO has been in the ATM business for over 30 years and our parent company Intelligent e-Commerce, Inc. has been around for almost as long.

We have seen our fair share of ATM security updates including Triple Des & EMV as well as other changes including new ADA guidelines and software sunsets like Windows XP and so on.

We know from decades of experience that updating ATMs early can save you money, time, and headaches as people wait, parts and services become scares and wait times grow longer.  If you wait until the middle or end of 2024 or you hope that an extension will be forthcoming, our experience has proven the upgrade kits will be more expensive. It will also mean technicians will be swamped and you may not get your ATM upgraded before the deadline and it would be turned off.

We can not stress how important this update is. Please check the links above and see if your ATM requires an update. If it does, we urge you to call us soon. 

If you want to make sure the machine you are buying is PCI compliant, please check out our line of brand-new future-proof ATM Machines.

How to Get Your First ATM Placement (Without Any References)

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Your first ATM placement is always going to be the most challenging.

Even with the best ATM business resources, the best guidance, and an incredibly supportive ATM processor, you’re still working from limited experience.

But, you’re also working without any references. You don’t have any other placements, yet. So, you have no track record to showcase. That often makes people nervous about signing contracts.

However, there’s a solution to this problem. And, you can absolutely get your first ATM placement without any references.

Here’s how to do it (and exactly what to say).

How to get credibility without references

People ask for references because they want to check your credibility. It’s normal human behavior to assume that if other people trust you, you must be trustworthy.

But, here’s the thing: you can borrow credibility.

In the ATM business, the easiest way to do this is to borrow credibility from your business partners. The easiest partner to borrow credibility from is your ATM processor.

If you think about it, as an ATM operator, you’re essentially selling the ATM processor’s service. The ATM machine is just the computer. But, it’s the connection to the bank that makes the money transfer possible. And, that’s what your ATM processor provides.

So, you can position yourself as a local representative for your ATM processor. That way you can borrow your ATM processor’s reputation to build credibility for yourself.

Obviously, this only works if your ATM processor has a reputation. For example: ATMDepot operates thousands of ATM machines nationwide. We’ve been in business since 2003. And, our CEO, Noah Wieder, wrote a book about the ATM business. He’s been helping ATM businesses since 1996.

That’s a solid track record. If you work with ATMDepot, you can position yourself as a local representative for ATMDepot to borrow some of the ATMDepot street cred.

Showcase the advantages of being your first ATM placement

Which employees always work the hardest? That’s right. The brand new ones. The new employees are always eager to prove themselves and show that it was a good idea to hire them.

Your first ATM placement is like a new job. And, you’re like that new employee. You’ve got the most to lose. So, you’re going to work the hardest.

Also, since you only have one ATM, that one ATM machine literally gets 100% of your attention. That’s a benefit. So, point that out to the client.

Restate the benefits of working with an ATM operator

Even if you’ve already told them why working with an ATM operator is good for their business, reiterating these benefits will help you close the deal.

Remind the client that your ATM machine will:

  • Reduce their credit card transaction fees.
  • Encourage customers to spend money in your client’s business.
  • Generate ATM transaction fee income (if you give a portion of your transaction fee to the business owner, which is a good idea).
  • Take the ATM maintenance responsibilities off the business owner’s plate.
  • Add potential ad space to the client’s business.

This is a classic sales formula: tell them, tell them what you told them, then tell them again. When you restate these benefits, you’re doing the “tell them again” step.

It strengthens your position when you remind the business owner that working with you is an investment, not an expense.

And, depending on how your ATM deployment service is structured, they may not even have to invest much money. The investment might be just the floor space for your ATM and the (very slight) increase in their power bill.

What to say to your first ATM business client

So, we’ve covered the principles that you need to apply. But, we’re going to make it easy to apply them with a script.

Our script covers all these fundamental principles, and applies them in the best order to close the deal.

You can modify this script based on your business and your ATM deployment service. But, if you follow it, you’ll have your first ATM placement in no time.

Here it is:

Where else do I have machines?

That’s a great question. And, I understand why you’d be interested in knowing that.

Well, I work with ATMDepot. And, they run thousands of ATMs nationwide.

They’ve been in business for over 15 years. And, the CEO wrote a book about the ATM business. He’s been helping companies like mine since 1996.

I’d be your local operator. So, I’ll be servicing you personally.

This would be my first ATM in the area. So, you know I’ll be diligent.

Rest assured, it’s an investment for me. And, since you’ll be my first location in the area, you’ll get my undivided attention.

I hope to be able to use you as a referral for my next location. And, the only way I know to make sure you give me a good reference is to provide top notch service.

If you give me a shot to run your ATM, I’m positive you won’t regret it one bit.

Within a few months you’ll be telling your friends how you made one of the best vendor decisions of your business life!

I’d like to help you start saving on credit card fees and give your customers more cash to spend in your store as soon as possible.

Now, how about we sit down for 10 minutes. I’ll go over the program, and we can do some paperwork.

That’s it. Very straightforward. Feel free to tailor it to your needs. But, print it out and practice it. That way you never stumble when it comes time to overcome this classic objection.

What to do now

Want to read Noah Wieder’s book about the ATM business? Get your copy.

Need an ATM processor with a reputation that you can use to get your first ATM placement? Get ATM processing through ATMDepot.

How to Write an ATM Business Plan

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So, you’re going to start an ATM business? That’s great! But, you need to have an ATM business plan before you dive in.

As businesses go, an ATM business is relatively simple. There’s not a lot of equipment to maintain. You don’t have to stock any physical inventory. And, you can run the business yourself, if you want.

However, an ATM business plan is still very important, despite that simplicity.

Writing an ATM business plan helps you map out the first years of running your business. And, your ATM business plan forces you to think about all the aspects of running an ATM business, helps you anticipate costs and problems, and creates a checklist for getting your business off the ground.

Additionally, having a written business plan can help secure loans (if you need them) and bank accounts.

Really, your business plan is the first asset you build for your business.

So, let’s get started.

The anatomy of an ATM business plan

An ATM business has all the same high level considerations of any other business. So, the contents of your business don’t need to be special. Your contents page can look just like this:

  1. Executive summary.
  2. Company summary and funding needs.
  3. Products and services.
  4. Marketing plan and analysis.
  5. Management team.
  6. Financial plan and forecasts.

There will be subsections for each of these sections. But, everything will fall under one of these umbrellas.

Your business plan doesn’t need to be a manifesto. As you add the information for each section, a good tactic is to use short headings followed by bullet points. Use the question as the heading, and list the answers to each question in the bullets. That way you can easily reference your business plan when you need it.

These are the questions you need to answer as you fill out each section.

Executive summary

There are three main subsections for your objective summary:

Objectives

The objectives don’t have to be anything super corporate. It’s your business. What do you want your business to do for you in the first year? The first two years? The first five years?

The purpose of your objectives is to set measurable goal posts, so that you know when your business has achieved what you want and if you’re meeting your timeline.

Mission statement

The mission statement is related to what your business does for your customers. The mission should be a direct line to your objectives. What will you do for your customers that will help your business achieve your objectives?

Keys to success

What are the most important things that you’ll need to do to make your business successful?

Be very honest with yourself here. You’re going to be doing most of the work in your business. So, there may be some personal development that’s critical to making your business successful. Or maybe you must secure some additional funding before you can do anything else.

Your keys to success should be mandatory things, the non-negotiables that make the whole thing work.

Company summary and funding needs

Your company summary and funding needs defines who’s going to do what and how you’re going to cover startup and operating expenses.

Company summary

Obviously, you need to define your own responsibilities. But, also define what responsibilities you’re going to outsource.

  • Are you going to hire a vaulting service for your ATMs?
  • Will you hire someone to perform routine maintenance and cleaning?
  • Are you going to perform every installation yourself or have the installation done for you?
  • Will you pay for accounting and bookkeeping or learn to do it yourself?
  • Which ATM processor will you use? Will you need to pay processing fees?

You don’t have to do everything. But, everything needs to get done. And, you need to plan out who’s going to do it, and how you’re going to pay for it…

Funding needs

Startup costs

The most obvious funding needs are your startup costs. Typically, you can budget about $5000 for each ATM machine. That covers the cost of the ATM itself and the cash you need to stock it.

However, $5000 is just a general guideline. Identify which ATM machines you’re going to purchase and plan out how much cash you’re going to put in them. That way you can calculate specific costs.

ATM machines vary in price. And, you need to fill them with more money if you want to refill them less often. Define these variables, so you can very precisely define your funding needs. You’re less likely to run into surprises this way.

Operating costs

Also, calculate your operating costs. Be very specific in this category, too. Think about the gas and vehicle maintenance, if you’re driving to restock your ATMs. Include the cost of vaulting your ATM machines, if you’re paying a vaulting service. And, remember to include payroll if you’ll be hiring anyone.

Business formation costs

Lastly, consider the costs of starting a company (C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC, etc.). You can operate ATM machines as a sole proprietor, without filing any paperwork with the state. But, working as an individual, rather than a business, has some drawbacks.

First, you’ll be personally liable for anything that goes wrong. Raising a corporate veil is outside the scope of this post. But, if you’re operating as an individual, everything you own could be at risk.

Also, it’s very difficult to get a business bank account without a business tax identification number. Actually, it might be impossible (but we’re not bankers or lawyers).

Without getting too far into the legal weeds, suffice to say that owning and operating ATM machines without a corporate entity will be very tricky. It’s better to just start a company.

Corporate startup costs vary from state to state. But, you should figure at least $1000 to cover the filing and state fees. But, again, do some research to get precise numbers.

The purpose of this exercise is to determine exactly how much money you will need to get the business started, and how much it will cost to keep things running. That way you know how much you need to borrow, if you’re borrowing your startup capital. And, you’ll know how much revenue you need to keep the ship above water.

Products and services

This one is pretty straightforward for an ATM business: you provide ATM machines to businesses and events.

But, get more specific than that.

  • How much will your transaction fees be?
  • What will you do as part of your ATM services?
  • Will you provide additional products with your ATM machines (i.e. ATM toppers that advertise for businesses)?

As you negotiate contracts with business owners, you’ll find that each ATM placement has its nuances.

The purpose of clearly defining your products and services is to establish boundaries. You need to know what you will definitely NOT do.

Once you have an agreement and a contract to do something, you have to do it. So, you need to plan out your services. That way you don’t end up bound to a contract that’s not good for you or your business.

Having a clear picture of how your services are structured will also help you with the next step.

Marketing plan and analysis

The target market for ATM businesses is fairly predefined. Or, at least more predefined than many other business markets.

However, it’s still a good idea to narrow your focus and gather some intelligence about the businesses you’ll be targeting. There are a couple of ways that you can select a target market for your ATM business:

    1. Focus on a certain area. If you live in a populated area, you can focus on the businesses near your residence. That way your ATM route will be familiar and maybe even walkable. Or, you can just focus your efforts on an area with a lot of eligible businesses.
    2. Focus on a certain type of business. In reality, an ATM owner can help almost any business by providing ATM services. But, if you narrow your scope to a certain type of business—like casinos or gas stations—you can learn about the business, identify some benefits that are unique to those types of businesses, and position yourself as a specialist in that industry.

 

 

This may seem counterintuitive. If you only focus on one area or type of business, you’re missing a lot of opportunities, right? Not quite.

First, you can always expand in to serving new businesses and new areas as your ATM business grows.

But, narrowing your focus also works as a sales lever. You can build a unique selling proposition (USP)  around being nearby and therefore easy to reach. Or you can use your specialization in helping certain types of businesses as your unique selling proposition.

In short, focusing on a smaller target market makes it easier for you to get your first ATM placements. You can always widen your scope as your ATM business grows.

Management team

The management team might be just you. But, if you have additional team members, define their roles and responsibilities. Don’t leave anyone out.

This is a bit different than defining who you were going to hire. Now, you need to define what parts of the business each person is responsible for and how you’ll measure success.

If you’re the only manager. That’s fine. Define responsibilities and standards for yourself. Starting a business always involves at least a little bit of personal development.

Financial plan and forecasts

The most important part of this section is ensuring that you have a plan to cover all of your expenses and pay off any debts the business has. There are three parts to developing this plan.

Income statement

Your income statement is just a statement that shows your business profits and losses. Before you start a business, there’s obviously not going to be a lot here. But, be sure to prepare one and keep it updated. Most accounting software will run an income statement for you.

Balance sheet

Your balance sheet shows your assets and liabilities. Your ATM machines are assets. If you took out a loan to buy your first ATM, that loan is a liability.

Setting up a balance sheet is pretty straightforward. And, most accounting software will help you construct a balance sheet.

The general rule for balance sheets is that anything which generates revenue is an asset. Anything that does not generate revenue is a liability.

Use a balance sheet template if you want to manually create your balance sheet.

Cash flow statement

Your cash flow statement just shows where money is coming into your business and where money is going out. This enables you to get a high level view of your income and expenses.

Your account software can also help you with this. But, you can use a cash flow statement template to write out your own cash flow statement.

The point of putting together all these reports is first to prepare for tracking your business finances. Things get messy really fast if you have no idea where your money is coming from or where it’s going. And, building these reports once you’ve been operating for several months is a nightmare.

But, as you construct these reports, you’ll be able to estimate your projected revenue and establish a plan for paying off all your debts, coving your operating expenses, and maximizing profits.

As a note, most successful ATM business owners report that they make about $500 per ATM machine each month. Your numbers may be different. But, $500 per ATM per month is a good starting point for estimating your revenue.

It’s just like personal finance. You need to have a plan for what you’re going to do with your money.

One last thing…

That’s it. Your business plan is all done. There’s just one more thing. And, this is the fun part…

Go back to the cover page of your business plan. Think up a name for your business and add it to the cover page. It might seem weird to do this last. But, it’s a lot easier to think up a clever, relevant business name if you know everything about your business.

Now you’re done. And, it’s time to start putting your plan into action.

Copy and paste the following text into an MS Word or Google Doc to create a template for your business plan:

 

[ATM BUSINESS NAME]

  1. Executive summary
    1. Objectives
    2. Mission statement
    3. Keys to success
  2. Company summary and funding needs
    1. Company summary
    2. Funding needs
  3. Products and services
    1. ATM service packages
  4. Marketing plan and analysis
    1. Target areas and business types
  5. Management team
  6. Financial plan and forecasts
    1. Income statement
    2. Balance sheet
    3. Cash flow statement

 

Then fill out each section to write your ATM business plan (remember to add the name LAST). Then, all you have to do is get it done.

If you need help executing your ATM business plan, become an ATMDepot member to get training on how to start and run your ATM business.