Gen Z Hustler Ditched His Janitor Job to Build a Vape Vending Machine Business Earning Up to $75K Monthly

At 24, Micah Stanley is a long way from the nights he spent working as a high school janitor. He now says his vending-machine business generates as much as $75,000 a month in profit.

Three years after working nights at a Nebraska high school, he now drives a 2019 Lamborghini Urus around Cleveland and says he operates roughly 150 machines across three states. According to Stanley, the business began by placing machines stocked with vape products, including flavoured products, and nicotine pouches, in bars and nightclubs. He has since expanded the operation to sell products such as Pokémon cards and phone chargers.

From Cleaning Floors to Building a Business

Stanley, who did not finish high school, said his overnight janitorial shifts gave him plenty of time to picture a different future. While scrubbing bathrooms and sweeping floors until 11 p.m., he spent his shifts listening to podcasts that influenced how he thought about work and responsibility.

'I just kind of looked around at my life and was like, "Yeah, I probably don't want to be a janitor for the rest of my life,"' he said. At 21, he opened a brick-and-mortar vape shop and took on nearly $20,000 in credit card debt. With about $2,000 in credit left, he put a down payment on a $10,000 vape vending machine and approached a college bar in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Machine That Started It All

Stanley offered the bar owner 10% of the net profits in exchange for space for the machine. 'It was kind of one of those moments where you don't have anything to lose,' he said. According to Stanley, the machine generated nearly $3,000 in first-month sales. He and his brother used the proceeds to help finance additional machines.

The model hinged on convenience and the gap between wholesale and retail prices. Stanley said some vapes cost about $8 in bulk but sold for roughly $25 at vape shops. 'It's a really aggressive margin, so that's kind of what attracted me to vapes in the first place,' he said. The business kept expanding, but Stanley said he accumulated roughly $60,000 in debt along the way before paying it down.

His Vending Business Starts Bringing in Bigger Returns

Stanley later began working with Jordan Brown, founder and CEO of VTM Vending, the company supplying his automated kiosks. VTM Vending identifies Stanley as one of its active route operators.

Stanley said his machines generated about $150,000 in sales in a recent month and that his profit margin was around 50%, which would amount to roughly $75,000 in profit. These are Stanley's reported figures, not independently audited financial statements.

He has also turned his experience into a mentorship business for aspiring vending-machine operators. 'When I help other people do it, and they get a good location, and they're able to quit their job, that's what I found is my passion,' Stanley said.

The Business Comes With Rules and Risks

Vape vending is subject to federal tobacco-sale restrictions. In the US, federal law prohibits retailers from selling tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, to anyone under 21, while retailers must check photo identification for anyone under 30 who attempts to purchase a tobacco product. Federal rules also prohibit tobacco sales through vending machines in facilities where people under 21 are present or permitted to enter at any time.

State and local requirements may impose additional restrictions. The FDA maintains lists of tobacco products authorised for marketing in the US; its current list includes 43 authorised nicotine pouch products, while its e-cigarette database is updated as new products receive authorisation.

Stanley has also begun diversifying the products in his machines, including Pokémon trading cards and phone chargers. For him, the bigger pitch is entrepreneurship. 'Everyone can achieve financial freedom,' Stanley said. 'I think the best way to get there quicker is by starting your own business.'

According to him, the leap from overnight janitor to vending entrepreneur is a reminder of why he chose business over a traditional 9-to-5. 'Sometimes, like a late-night drive with a good Drake song playing, it might cross my mind that I used to be a janitor, and kind of look at everything and be like, "Wow, this is pretty cool,"' he said.