Hey there! Thanks for taking the quiz. Your results are pretty encouraging so let's get right to it, shall we?

Full vs Part Time Your decision to go full time shows that you are definitely committed to making your hot dog biz work. Whether it's by choice or out of necessity, having all of your time and energy available to devote to your new business is certainly a blessing.

You will be able to get up and running a lot faster than someone who is only able to devote a portion of their time and energy. That much is obvious I'm sure. But there's more to it than that...

Not only will you be able to get started faster, your growth rate will be accelerated also. Let's face it, there are a certain number of hours required to complete the start up tasks, work out the bugs, and master the art and science of hot dog vending.

If you can put in twice as many hours each day you may think you'll get there twice as fast - but you would be wrong. You will get there three to four times as fast because you won't be stopping and starting all the time. Being able to work on your business in an uninterrupted stretch makes you many times more effective.

I have more good news. In the hot dog biz, full time is actually part time. Most of us work a lot less hours than we did when we worked for someone else. If you think about it people are only hungry at certain times of the day. Walk into a restaurant at three in the afternoon and you will probably be the only one there. But the restaurant has to stay open anyway.

Not us. Our little restaurants have wheels under them so we can come and go as we please. We only need to be there for the peak eating hours if we choose, although I know a lot of hot doggers that like to relax in the shade of the cart umbrella and read a good book or listen to the radio during the slow times.

You will certainly make a LOT of new friends, and someone always seems to stop by to shoot the breeze. That's nice too.

Male vs Female Hot dog vending is an equal opportunity vocation but being male does give you certain advantages. Men are generally taller than women which means your arms are probably longer as well. This comes in handy when reaching across your cart to grab sodas, buns, napkins, and all of the myriad things we tend to load our carts up with. We do a lot of reaching and the longer your arms are, the easier is easier on your back.

As a man, you are also stronger which is an advantage when hitching and unhitching your cart or moving coolers full of soda and ice. But I don't want to give you the impression that you have to be as strong as Arnold Schwartzenegger. Not at all.

A lot of us men have bad backs, knees, and other ailments but those things won't even slow you down on the cart. You can use a trailer jack whack makes lifting totally unnecessary when hitching and unhitching the cart. There are coolers with wheels under them that make them as easy as pie to roll around.

A lot of beginners think men have an advantage from a security standpoint. They worry about standing around with several hundred dollars in cash. This is a good time for me to address this issue once and for all. Hot dog vending is as safe as any other activity, probably safer.

I have personally been involved in this business for almost a decade selling hot dogs from my own carts. I also interact daily with

thousands of mobile food vendors through my websites and newsletters. Over seven thousand at last count.

Not once have I heard of anyone feeling even slightly unsafe and I have never heard of anyone being robbed. This is a fun, safe business. As a matter of fact, the only time I've heard of anyone getting even mildly hurt was when they were involved in a fender bender on their way home from working a festival.

No worries. Being male gives you just as good a chance to succeed in the hot dog biz as anyone.

Hot Doggin' in Retirement Hot dog vending seems to have been invented especially for retired people. It really is perfect for you. The parallels are amazing.

Retired folks come and go as they please. So do hot doggers.

Hot doggers don't need to work very many hours to make as much money as a full time employee working for a company. Retirees aren't interested in working long hours either.

Retirees are highly independent people. So are hot dog slingers.

Hot doggers don't want to be scheduled. If a hot dogger doesn't want to work on a certain day, they just don't. It's the same with retired people.

There is no other "job" that I know of that offers the flexibility and dollar per hour earning potential as selling hot dogs from a cart. If you need to supplement your income or just want to stay active and sharp, slinging hot dogs will do it for you.

Selling Foods Other Than Hot Dogs There are pros and cons to selling foods other than hot dogs. Your answer to this question might require a little more thought once you know the inside scoop.

You may or may not know that hot dogs are considered a "non- hazardous food" by most health departments. That means that us hot dog vendors don't have to comply with most of the rules that restaurants have to deal with. This makes our business very simple, easy, and inexpensive to start. It's a HUGE advantage.

What if you want to cook hamburgers on a flat top grill starting with raw meat? You're going to have to jump through a lot more hoops. Here's why...

The non-hazardous food classification applies only to precooked frankfurters (hot dogs) and sausage type meats (brats are sausages). In other words, the meat product must be in a casing. The casing functions as built-in packaging and protects the meat from contaminants.

Be aware that "non-hazardous" is not the same as "non perishable". You must still use proper food handling methods and keep your foods out of the "danger zone" temperatures.

If you want to offer something other than hot dogs, precooked polish sausages or bratwurst are widely available from most manufacturers. Many kinds of sausages are commonly served from hot dog carts.

How about starting with raw sausages and pre-cooking them yourself? Not so fast. You can't precook sausages or any other raw foods yourself unless you have a commissary in which to do do. A commissary is simply a commercial kitchen that has been inspected and approved by your local health department.

Pulled pork is a food that while considered "potentially hazardous", you might still be able to serve it because you can get it in pre- cooked frozen form.

The problem with that is portion size. You have to heat up the whole package and may not sell it all in a given day. Here is a solution to that problem.

The distributor that I buy my hot dogs from suggested that if you have a commissary, you can thaw the pulled pork in a refrigerator, repackage the meat in 8 oz single serving zip locked portions and keep these smaller packages in the cooler on your cart.

Fill one of your steam pans half full of water with beef bullion in it for flavor. Keep the "gravy" just under boiling temp. When someone orders a pulled pork, drop a single serving in the gravy. It will be hot in less than a minute. Serve on a bun with some additional juice. Tasty!

I ran this past my health department and they said no but only because I did not have a commissary at the time. If you get hooked up with a commissary, this may work for you.

The advantages of serving only hot dogs, bagged chips, and canned soda are simplicity and fewer regulations to comply with.

The advantages of serving other foods are increased menu choices and the ability to attract customers who want something besides hot dogs.

I usually advise newbies to start simple with non-hazardous foods. If you decide you want to branch out into more complex offerings, you can do that down the road after you've had a chance to get comfortable behind the cart.

Operating a Food Cart in Cold Weather Just like your decision about what foods to sell, you may reconsider whether or not you want to sell during the winter after you read the following…

I just got a question from Beth in Maine regarding winter vending and I want to share it, and my answer to it with you.

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Hello, My name is Beth, I am 61 and finally decided not to depend on Wal Mart to rehire me...I am starting the hot dog business.

I am on your email list. I am in the process of filling out applications; the selectmen have to approve this, etc.

I am writing to you because I am nervous, yet I am excited about having my 'own' business again. We are not rich, and the stocks are going down to prove it...anyway I listened to the tapes on your site with the man who ordered a 'hummer' dog cart.

Also, my dear man, it is cold here right now. With snow on the way. What are the thoughts of selling in the cold? do the dogs cook and stay hot for this?

Looking forward to doing business with you and your site. I am ordering your course.

Well, this is where I am at. I don't have a name either, how about Beth's Bigger Buns?

Thanks for reading this, rambling thoughts, just because I get excited and need to vent. - Beth

Here is my reply...

Hi Beth,

First let me say congratulations on taking control of your future!

As far as working in the cold, a lot of doggers say that in winter, customers make the temperature rise. In other words if the customers are there and you're making money, it doesn't seem so cold!

The biggest challenge with cold weather vending isn't keeping the hot dogs hot, rather it's keeping the sodas from freezing. One way to do this is to keep the sodas in a cooler with no ice. Keep the lid off until they get cold enough to drink, then put the lid on to keep them from freezing.

Also your foot wear is the most important thing as your feet will be the first to suffer from the cold. A good pair of snowmobile boots are a must in addition to Carhardts or a snow suit.

Consider working the Christmas parades. I personally know a gentleman who made over $1000 in one day this way.

P.S. As far as naming your company, I'm not sure I'm the best guy to ask... I named mine "King Weenie" ;-)

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Now I have to tell you, even though winter time can be just as profitable as any other time of year (hot food sells great when it's cold outside) I personally can't stand freezing weather anymore.

I spent the first years of my life in northern Minnesota where my father was an iron ore miner. We lived in a trailer in the woods near the Canadian border and I got a lifetime worth of winter in my first five years. I won't pull the cart out unless it's fifty degrees or warmer - but you may want to.

If you hate the cold like I do, don't worry. Many, many hot doggers make a years worth of money in eight or nine months then take the winter off. Others just hitch up the cart and head for Florida or the Carolinas and sling dogs down there until it warms up back north.

Like everything else in this great business, the choices are all up to you.

There Is One Problem That You May Run Into Up until now we've been discussing your advantages and strong suits but now we need to talk about the one thing that you might have a little trouble with.

That would be commissaries, or more specifically how to get one. Some health departments don't require you to have a commissary, but others do.

A commissary is nothing more than a health department approved kitchen.

One way to get around the commissary requirement is to equip your cart with a hand washing sink as well as a three compartment sink. But sometimes even that won't get you out of the commissary requirement.

If you absolutely have to use a commissary, here is my personal strategy for getting one - without having to pay for it.

All you need is a letter to show the inspector that says the facility has agreed to let you use them as a commissary.

Here's how to get that letter:

If you approach a local restaurant and just ask to use their kitchen, what's in it for them? Not much. Even if you offer to pay them rent, the tiny additional income doesn't make it worth it.

The whole key is to remember everyone's favorite radio station, wii fm (what's in it for me?)

What does every business want? MORE CUSTOMERS!!! What do they have to do to get more customers?

They have to advertise and that's expensive!

You just have to think about it a little differently - from their perspective. What's in it for them?

Don't even talk about rent, talk about how you happen to have advertising space available on your cart and promotional materials...

On the fliers you distribute, on the rear window of your tow vehicle, and on the menus that your customers will post on bulletin boards in their break rooms at work - all over town!

Tell them that thousands of people each month will see it and ask them how much that kind of exposure would cost them in traditional advertising? Thousands.

And you'll do all this for them FOR FREE in exchange for a commissary agreement.

That's the winning pitch.

If your inspector makes you get a commissary that can be a good thing. It usually means you will be able to serve much more than the standard hot dogs, chips, and soda from your hot dog cart.

How Much Money Can You Make? Since you said you will be doing this full time let's break down your earning potential.

A gourmet hot dog usually sells for about three dollars. If this seems high to you, it won't after you take my course. We show you how to position yourself in the market place as a premium product that commands higher prices. This is really the key to making decent money in your hot dog biz.

With chips and a soda, the average "vend" is about five dollars.

Thirty percent of that is cost of product which means our gross profit margins are about 70 percent. That's huge - most businesses live with profits margins of about five percent. Another reason I love this business.

So out of that $5 you will pocket$3.50. You're doing this full time so let's call that three or four hours a day, five days a week (see why I say full time in the hot dog biz is like part time anywhere else). And let's say you hate winter and only work eight months out of the year.

Sell 50 meals a day and you'll make $175 a day, $875 a week, $3500 a month, $28,000 a year.

Sell 100 meals a day and you'll make $350 a day, $1750 a week, $7000 a month, $56,000 a year.

Sell 150 meals a day and you'll make $525 a day, $2625 a week, $10,500 a month, $84,000 a year.

Now don't forget there are other expenses such as propane, gas for the tow vehicle, etc. but you can get a pretty good idea of the kind of money you can make.

Obviously I can't guarantee that you'll make any certain amount of money. It's all up to you. When you're first starting out 50 meals a day is a good goal to aim for. Then build your business from there. 150 meals a day is a LOT but with a good location the sky is the limit!

These numbers are for one cart. After you are up and running and have all the kinks worked out, it's a simple matter to build or buy another cart and hire someone to run it.

Once you have three carts on the street with people running them, your job becomes that of driving around to your locations to keep an eye on things every so often.

And just for fun, multiply the earnings figures above by three…

One more thing: These numbers are for street vending. If you are doing fairs and festivals it's not uncommon to make $1000 a day or more.

The good thing about doing fairs and festivals is that they usually fall on weekends so they don’t interfere with your weekday schedule.

For Those Who May Be Doubting You The earnings figures above are the perfect thing to show that person who may be questioning your decision to start a hot dog biz.

Just write down the numbers that apply to your situation on a piece of paper and show her/him that you've done your research.

Watch their eyes light up. It happens every time.

And most of all when you get the green light to start your mobile food business, PLEASE don't mess it up by failing.

Here is a Proven Path To Success Don't make a thousand dollar mistake like choosing the wrong cart, picking a bad location, selling the wrong products, being ignorant of marketing and branding, making bookkeeping mistakes that get you in trouble with the IRS, etc.

If you've never done this before you might easily make a thousand dollar mistake every day for a week and not even know it. That is exactly what kills most new hot dog businesses.

What if there was a way to avoid all that? What if you could start your mobile food business knowing exactly what to do every step of the way?

You can.

I just put the finishing touches on a very special new website and I’m going to keep adding new information to it on a regular basis.

This special website is really cool because it contains all of my hot dog biz training courses, books, audios, cart building videos, bookkeeping software, recipes, menu templates, etc. – all in one place.

It’s literally everything you need to get started. It also contains my step by step hot dog biz start up checklist. Just complete each step in order and you’ll be up and running smoothly - with no $1000 mistakes.

Plus you get me. I'm always in there to personally answer any questions and get you over any bumps. So head on over to http://www.HotDogProfitsPremium.com and start poking around. I think you’re going to get really excited by what you find.

I'll see you over there!

-Steve Schaible HotDogProfitsPremium.com

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About Steve Schaible Owner of Hot Dog Profits. Steve is a full time hot dog cart business owner, author, trainer, coach, and consultant. He has helped hundreds of people start their own hot dog cart businesses through his book and audio CD series, Carts of Cash, his video series, The E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart, as well as his Cash Tracker Hot Dog Cart Bookkeeping Software.

While still available in hard copies, all of Steve’s world class training materials have now been

made available inside his newest website http://HotDogProfitsPremium.com.

Steve has personally worked with everyone from college students running a single cart on campus, to a retired vice president of Wendy's Hamburgers who is starting up a nationwide hot dog cart franchise operation.

A word from Steve... Hi! I’m so glad you took the time to read your quiz results. I hope it gave you a better feel for what it’s like to run a successful hot dog cart or mobile food business. Fun stuff indeed!

This year marks my 14th year of self employment. My last "real" job was in an auto parts factory in Chicago (where I grew up). No I don't miss it.

Since then I’ve started several small business, some successful, some not so much. My big break came when I discovered the hot dog vending business.

I started my business with a home made hot dog cart for less than $500, grew the business into a permanent hot dog stand, and sold it to the highest of five bidders for a five figure sum.

I had to sign a non-compete agreement that prohibited me from selling hot dogs for a year after the sale and I used that time to write my first book, "Carts of Cash". That book is still available in hard copy or you can read it online at HotDogProfitsPremium.com.

Since then I have devoted my time to developing the foremost training system for mobile food vendors available anywhere.

I still run my own hot dog cart but a lot of my time is now spent teaching others how to accomplish everything I have and more. I have thousands of students all across America and overseas including Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, England, and Singapore.

I love the low stress lifestyle of the hot dog vendor (I haven't set my alarm clock for years). If you know the secrets, the money is really great too.

So, if you've been thinking about getting into this business I'd love to help you realize your dreams. You can start by checking out HotDogProfitsPremium.com where you will find a ton of information on this great business opportunity.

I look forward to seeing you at http://HotDogProfitsPremium.com

To your success, -Steve