Start Your Own Kettle Corn Business

We'll show you how to be your own boss
in an ALL CASH business!

Working together as a team, we’ve been able to make up to

NEED PROOF?

The video below is an example of a recent event at one of our busiest locations.
We sell kettle corn for $5 and $7 a bag. (Most of our regulars buy at least 2 bags.)

The Kettle Corn Business Guide

The truth is it took a lot of hard work to get us to that point. It also takes a lot of hard work to make that kind of money on those $200 an hour days. This document will lay out in detail HOW we got to that point, WHAT was needed to create that sort of income and what you need to do to duplicate our success.

This is not a get rich quick scheme. But let me tell you, after a hard days of work, there's nothing like having the satisfaction of counting a pile of money and having that instant gratification for all your efforts. If merely making $50-$75 profit an hour for each of you on an average day while still being your own boss doesn’t cut it for you, then you should probably try law school.

Note: if you're planning on doing this with your wife, she'll probably think she's the boss. Just deal with it.

We--Eric and Velma--have been making and selling kettle corn across the east coast in many different events and locations. We've learned the lessons and gained the experience of the kettle corn business the hard way, by actually doing it. We've now created this ebook which shows you how we did it.

"If this is such a great business plan, then why
are you selling it to me?"

Kettle corn is a strictly local business. We can’t travel all over this country making kettle corn, we’ve got responsibilities at home too. But everybody can carve out a niche for themselves and get their own customers who will be addicted to your product.

“It’s kettle crack!”

Our customers are literally addicted to kettle corn. We’ll show you our recipe and how to make kettle corn that will attract repeat customers for an entire season. You’ve probably seen the lines form at the kettle corn tent at craft shows and festivals.

The profits per bag are lucrative. The stuff sells itself and we show you how.

Does it sell like hotcakes?

No...it SELLS LIKE KETTLE CORN!

This .pdf ebook is 90 pages in length, fully illustrated. Here are only some of the chapters:

How much will I make with kettle corn?

This document does a cost analysis of each ingredient that goes into the making of kettle corn. We show you what your profit per bag will be and at what rate you can sustain production. We show you the theroretical amount you can make per hour and the reality of what’s possible. We’ve done it, so we know.

Things the health department inspectors are looking for.

Before you can make any money selling kettle corn, you need to know what permits are required and what things you need to know about health codes. The health department can shut you down in an instant if you don’t adhere to what’s necessary. This ebook goes into detail on what a health inspector is thinking and what they will be looking for while they’re doing their job. We explain what you need to have BEFORE you can pass inspection and start making money.

Necessary Kettle Corn Equipment

We show you all what the major equipment vendors of kettle corn equipment are offering. We explain the different styles of kettles and what can make or break your operation. Full photos comparing all the different types and links to all the important websites. We’ve also discovered some short comings in a few manufacturer's kettles which could effect your sales.

Total Cost for Equipment

We break down every item and show you a total cost analysis of how much you need to get into this lucrative business. We also show you the choices necessary to keep within your budget. Some kettle manufacturers want you to buy everything. We show you what's necessary and give you our recommendations on the most cost effective set-up.

Kettle Corn Supplies

Did you know that there are two different styles of popcorn? We show you the differences and what the benefits are of each in the kettle corn process. What ingredients influence the flavor of kettle corn to make it wildly addictive? We've discovered how you can save money on your cost of supplies and where you can find the best deals that will increase your profits.

Getting Gigs

What type of events are the most lucrative for kettle corn? (Bigger events aren't always better!) How much should you pay to join an event and when is it too much? (All this effects your bottom line.) We go into finding that important first gig and where to look. We also explain some of the things you should look out for when joining an event.

Corporate Gigs

Boy do we love these. How would you like to get paid up front to make and give away kettle corn? No handling money, no worrying about the weather killing your sales. I show you some of my recent corporate gigs I've done and how they came about. I also show you how to find these companies that want to PAY YOU to make kettle corn at their event.

Promotional Stuff

We show you what works and what doesn't for attracting business. Website promotion is a huge part of our business. We show how you can be found online for your area of the country. (Kettle corn is a local business, so what if we're number one--we're not competing with you locally.) What needs to be on your webpage so you'll be found? We dedicate a whole section to web SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so event planners will be contacting YOU.

Retail and Online Sales

We go over what it's like selling in the retail business. We show you what we've made on a per-store basis and what kind of profits can you expect. What sort of permits are needed to start this aspect of your business? Do you have the necessary equipment and supplies to sell beyond your tent?

Making Kettle Corn

We share with you our years of experience on making kettle corn. What are the ingredients of kettle corn and what proportions you should use to make the most "wicked delicious" kettle corn which will attract the biggest crowds? We answer some of the typical questions on making kettle corn--like what to do if you are getting too many burned kernels or too many unpopped ones. You'll learn how to "play the crowd" to maximize your sales and you will learn the secrets of getting people addicted to your product.

The Final Checklist

Finally, you'll have a run-down of what you need to know before you buy a single piece of equipment. You'll know exactly how much money you'll need to invest before you decide to make any commitment. You'll have a concise list of who you need to contact and how your business will operate. This could save you thousands of dollars from buying the wrong equipment.

Once you buy this ebook, you'll recieve my personal email. I'm willing to answer any questions you have about starting your own kettle corn business. It's almost like you're getting your own mentor when you start your business with this ebook.

An Interview with the Savannah Kettle Corn Company

I get the scoop on popping kettle corn from a kiosk with an electric kettle, located on a very touristy post on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

• Details on making kettle corn with a Cretors electric popper
• Popping with propane kettles verses electric poppers
• Costs associated with selling from a kiosk
• The kind of traffic you can expect from a semi permanent location
• The kind of customers you see at flea markets verses kiosks and which tend to be more profitable
• What other products can be money makers besides kettle corn, and you how can use them to increase your sales.
• Which products sell the most during certain times of the year.
• Verbal tricks he's learned on attracting a crowd
• His experience of health codes in FL, GA, SC and NC
• His experience on which brands of popcorn makes the best kettle corn

You'll also get questions and answers about the kettle corn business that were generated by YOU. I've been asked questions about things I might've missed in the original ebook and I'm including them all here. Such as:

• What should I ask event coordinators before I start popping?
• Is this a good business for a family with small children? (Answer: IT'S NOT!!)
• Should I incorporate as an LLC?
• Can one person run a whole kettle corn operation?
• What about those cheapy kettles on ebay?
• What are the demographics of an average kettle corn client?
• What the heck is that flat thing hanging inside of my tent? (which my clients really enjoy!)
• How are the Cretors electric poppers in making kettle corn?
• North Bend Originals has also included more specific information on their new kettles.

VIDEO Instruction & Tutorials

You will get the ebook and all the online videos at this price.

Local Event Finder Software

The lists above aren't the only games in town. You'll find most of the bigger events in each state, but not the out of the way events which are just as profitable. These would normally take a lot of searching, but I created this little PC app which does all the brunt work for you. (only available for PC, not the Mac) I called it 'Local Event Finder' and it will search through a huge list of towns local to you and save all the search results into a single .CSV file. The video below shows you how it works and what I've done to create a definitive schedule just to my local area.

You'll really want to run this software BEFORE you buy any equipment.

ServSafe

You've probably seen this certificates displayed inside restaurants. Yup, somebody had to go through a whole training course on how to cook, clean and store all food items so they won't kill anybody at their establishment. This is a good thing. Unfortunately, this means YOU will (probably) have to do the same if you want your local health department to issue you a permit to make merely kettle corn in their town. Sounds like a pain in the ass, right? It is. They all apply the same rules to everybody - from a sushi restuarant all the way down to your tent. I've now had to pass this exam three times. In the book, I show you which states require you to pass this certification, and which states merely allow you to fake it. I'm including all my study and training materials I've collected over 11 years of doing this. I've included their practise tests and two ServSafe study guides.

They're going to ask you such questions as: where should you store ground beef inside a refrigerator? At what temperature should chicken be cooked at? How high off the floor should sacks of flour be stored? To make it easier for you to absorb and test all of this, I've created 1,298 digital flash cards. If you can get through these, you're going to pass this necessary test.

Kettle Corn Business Journal

I recently went nuts and converted my entire online blog into an easily readable .pdf, .epub or Kindle (.mobi) doc. The sucker is over 128 printed pages and has all the pictures and links to over (80) videos that I created. Ready for this?

I put the grosses I made for each day that I posted!

I also included a recent update on my thoughts of each event - why it did or didn't work. This will clearly show you how I was doing during that past 6 years, from the really great paydays to the truly awful.

I write about my encounters with unusual customers, relentless health department officials and inept event coordinators. I briefly go over the equipment used to start my kettle corn business and the improvements I encountered as my business grew. I explain the different types of popcorn that are available and the benefits of each type. My business had many peaks and valleys and I share the bad times as well as the good. For a while, I sold my product online as well as at events, and, on at least one occasion, US troops serving overseas were surprised with boxes of my kettle corn.

As marketing is always important for any new company, I goes over the different things I tried--from refrigerator magnets to t-shirt sales. I explain what it took to get a mention in the local newspapers and what other press he managed to get. I go over what worked and what didn't in my attempts at SEO (search engine optimization) to get his website ranked on Google.

I learned the hard way that, contrary to expectation, bigger events don't necessarily mean bigger profits. I talk about the factors behind failed events, such as on-site location, when I was sometimes stuck in the far corners of a parking lot. At other times I was a victim of my own success, as with the occasion offended town officials stopped me from popping because the product became the focus of their event. Word of mouth spread about how good my kettle corn was, and I was eventually pursued by other towns for my services. I go over my thoughts regarding corporate events, where the vendor gets payed up-front regardless of sales.

Some events were unconventional, like the time we gave away kettle corn to the neighborhood kids on Halloween, sold at a haunted hayride and set up our equipment on-site for a local movie night. I also took my set-up indoors during the winter, and explain why it never seemed to work.

Midway through my career, I moved and was forced to find locations all over again. I go over my perceptions of each event before and after I attended. I took my business on the road to Florida where I explored the business opportunities available during the winter months when, back home in New England, popping outdoors was impossible. We even traveled to Hawaii, exploring it as a possible business location.

Creativity plays an important role in attracting customers and I write about how I got customers to sing songs and participate in unusual challenges (all on video) just for a free bag of our product. On one occasion I even got an artist to go against his aesthetic judgement and paint on black velvet for some kettle corn. We also found out that kettle corn has non-human fans, such as cows and pigs.

Dealing with criticism from demanding customers and disgruntled competitors has been an ongoing issue. I relate stories about these confrontations and talks about what other bloggers and competitors said about me and my company. These tales include my account of the kettle corn vendor at Boston's Fenway Park who felt the need to confront me and when the failure of a wealthy town to embrace his product changed my perception of what makes a good customer. I think these personal anecdotes illustrate the rewards and perils of running a small business like this. I hope you enjoy them!

Kettle Corn Concession Trailer Plans

When you want to go big time, you can always move into a self-contained trailer. You get the have the same plans I used and I'll show you where to order your own unit.

Build A Kettle Corn Trailer From Scratch

Want the cheapest option to get into a kettle corn trailer?

I did an interview with James Bisset of James' Scrumptious Kettle Corn of Pinellas County, Florida. He had purchased this kettle corn business package, saw my trailer and was inspired to build his own trailer from scratch.

He recorded some Instagram videos of the process and a Youtube tour of his final trailer. I took those images and did an interview with him, taking me through the entire process of buying a used trailer, cutting holes and installing windows, painting, finishing the inside going over his entire set-up. He goes over what he spent to make something much cheaper than my custom trailer. If I had this information back then, I would've been tempted to build my own trailer from scratch instead of having someone else do it.

The pdf is 13 pages long and has links to his videos and the materials he used.

Food Truck Empire Podcast

I did an interview with these guys and spoke in depth about setting up a kettle corn business.

What You're Getting:

(90 Page) Business Guide ebook in .pdf format
(128 Page) Business Journal ebook in .pdf (iPad), .mobi (Kindle) or .epub format
(50) Event spreadsheets for over 5,673 events (.csv format)
(16) private instructional videos (Youtube format)
(1) Local Event Finder PC application + directions.
(4) Kettle Corn Concession Trailer plans .pdf
(1) Build Your Own Kettle Corn Trailer .pdf
(3) ServSafe Diagnostic tests
(2) ServeSafe Study guides
(1,298) digital test traing flash cards.

Price: $30

You and your order will be sent over to a site called PayPal. They can process credit cards and other transactions. Once the order has gone through, you'll be automatically directed to a page where you will be able to download the .pdf ebooks immediately and watch the videos.

If you have an un-verified Paypal account, it may not automatically send you the link immediately. I get a notification when someone buys the ebooks & videos, so I 'll be sending out the final links to everybody just to make sure you got it. You can contact me here if you didn't receive it.

Note: I send the links to the email address that were associated with the Paypal account in the email receipt. If you are using someone else's account to pay for this, let me know! ALSO: a bunch of people send me Paypal payments from emails that no longer work. (seriously) You're not going to be one of THOSE people are you?

Really Note: Sometimes my reply email (with download links) will end up in your spam folder. Please check this before you start crying to Paypal.

Why I get bitchy sometimes: Some people may not get their link immediately and will report the transaction to Paypal after waiting maybe an hour. I may be popping during the day! I will check my email later that night. I respond to ALL EMAILS and I promise I will send you your link the moment I log in!

Updated by Eric Bickernicks on 5/1/24