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Field Operations & Growth Strategy

VendingCrowd

Project Background

VendingCrowd had a strong vision to become a SaaS + FieldOps hybrid platform, but their operating model couldn’t support real remote operations. Core workflows were fragmented, costs were misjudged, and the unit economics didn’t hold when mapped to real operator behavior.

Key issues identified:

  • Fragmented storage and inconsistent inventory control

  • Misaligned assumptions about labor, travel, and refill cadence

  • No unified structure for cash flow or operational accountability

FieldOps & Growth Strategy

My Role

I redesigned VendingCrowd’s operating model, commercial structure, and go-to-market strategy from the ground up. My scope included:

Rebuilding the unit economics and service cadence


Designing the new warehouse + field ops workflow


Defining the software + service bundle 

Pricing, packaging, and margin strategy


City-by-city expansion logic and acquisition funnels


Operator, partner, and field-team experience design

Project Details

Small and mid-size vending operators who need reliable operations without expanding headcount.


• 5–100 machines, often owner-operator led


• Limited capital and low appetite for risky CapEx


• Highly sensitive to downtime, route efficiency, and shrink


• Need predictable earnings, clear reporting, and fewer headaches

• Often underserved by hardware-heavy, enterprise-oriented solutions

Operators don’t want “software”—they want fewer operational fires.



• “Remote operations” only works if the physical layer is rock solid


• Most pain originates in inventory, cash handling, and travel time


• Weekly service cadence is the mental operating rhythm of small operators


• Trust is built through visibility: stockouts, cash balance, route efficiency


• Any solution that adds complexity—even if smart—gets rejected

Rebuild the business around true remote operability and stable unit economics.


• Create a model that works at 15 machines and still works at 150

• Separate physical flows from data/control flows


• Reinforce operator margin and reduce hidden costs


• Turn the platform into a product (not a collection of tasks)


• Align incentives across suppliers, warehouse nodes, field ops, and partners

The original model collapsed the moment it met real-world numbers.



• Ad-hoc warehouses created inconsistent inventory and shrink


• Cash handling had no defined flow and couldn’t scale


• Refill pricing was arbitrary and misaligned with labor cost


• No city-by-city system existed—everything was one-off


• The promise of “remote ops” had no operational backbone


• Hardware assumptions were too expensive for small operators

Build a unified system where software, field ops, and partners work as one operating layer.



• Redesign the supply chain: supplier → warehouse node → field ops → machine → escrow


• Move to a weekly service cadence with modeled SKU-level economics


• Replace expensive hardware with a lean key-management system


• Productize the offering into a software + services bundle


• Rebuild pricing around route labor, travel time, and operator margin


• Introduce VendingCrowd Academy as the training infrastructure for scale

Translate strategy into repeatable workflows operators can trust immediately.



• Standardized restocking flow with clear pick/pack rules


• Warehouse-to-field handoff system for inventory accountability


• Escrow-based cash deposit structure for transparency


• Operator Web App: access, control, reporting


• Driver App: guided restocking, maintenance tasks, cash submission


• City rollout playbook: funnels, messaging, partner acquisition framework

Project Overview

The project rebuilt the business as a unified remote-operations system by restructuring how inventory, cash, and field activity move through the network. Every participant including supplier, warehouse, field ops, machine, and escrow, was connected under one coherent model.

Core redesign elements:

 A clear end-to-end flow from supply to settlement

A dual-app control layer for consistent execution and visibility

A lean access model replacing unnecessary hardware complexity

System Architecture Diagram - Unattended Retail

Product & GTM Strategy

With the operating foundation in place, the platform was shaped into a productized software-and-services bundle built on real unit economics. Pricing, packaging, and GTM were designed around operator viability and repeatable city launches.

Commercial foundations:

 An integrated offer with field service, governance, and growth support

Pricing tied to true cost drivers and operator margin protection

City-launch GTM supported by acquisition funnels for scalable growth

VendingCrowd Academy- GTM
SaaS + FieldOps hybrid GTM & acquisition funnel

Impact

Achieved by replacing expensive hardware with leaner key-management workflows and aligning equipment decisions with real operator usage patterns.

 

Driven by redesigned route logic, standardized warehouse flows, and travel-time modeling that removed hidden inefficiencies from the old model.

Modeled from improved uptime, better product availability, tighter control of inventory/cash, and a more scalable operator acquisition strategy.

 

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