Okay, this is wild. I was thinking about vending machines as a way to make some extra money and teach my children about business, and on a lark, decided to check into the history of that industry. I knew it had been around for a while, because my grandparents had small corn nuts vending machines back during World War II, but I had no idea how old or how extensive the industry really is. The first known vending machine was invented by a man called Hero of Alexandra. That was his name, not his job, and he invented a machine that would dispense holy water. The customer would drop a coin into the machine where it would land on a balanced pan. The weight of the coin would open a valve that would dispense the water, and when the pan lowered to the right angle, the coin would fall off, causing the counter balance to bring the valve to a close. This was all done in the first century of the common era, making the vending machine concept about 2000 years old. That predates my grandparents by quite a bit.

Everyone knows what Facebook is. Your grandparents even have a Facebook page, chances are your customers have a Facebook page...well the customers YOU want do. In terms of demographics, if a prospective customer has a Facebook page you know something about them, at a bare minimum you know they probably have a good job, probably are college educated, probably have a credit card Do you really want to sell to people that do NOT have a credit card? What do you think your chances of making a profit would be if the customers you were attempting to attract did not have credit, or didn't have a job? Not every industry can take full advantage of exposure to the vast Facebook community, the target market of certain types of stores for example deal in what political correctness terms the "disaffected", for example a local Latin market or a beer and wine store in the seedier side of the tracks... it's a safe bet their 'money customers" are not on Facebook. State highway contractors, for example get their work from Government bids, so being on Facebook doesn't make much sense for them.

Everyone has been in the situation where they have had to purchase a gift at the last minute. It can be hard to find the right gift even if you leave yourself lots of time to shop so finding a great gift at the last minute often seems next to impossible. Next time don’t settle for something impersonal from the drug store use one of these great last minute gift ideas. Buying online is one of the fastest ways to purchase anything and buying something online is often a great way to get a last minute gift. Personalized stamps are a great last minute gift because all you have to do is upload a photo from your computer to the stamp website and you instantly have stamps featuring any picture you want. Everyone would love personalized stamps to use on cards, thank you notes, announcements, or other mail. Personalized stamps can be created in an instant and printed or emailed fast. Personalized stamps make great last minute presents for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles…actually, just about anyone. Some of the best last minute gifts are the gift of an unforgettable experience.