147 | Negotiate Your Salary With Tori Dunlap

Starting Young

Tori Dunlap's entrepreneurial journey began at the age of nine when she started a vending machine business. Her father, a seasoned salesman, introduced her to the concept by purchasing a vending machine and encouraging her to manage it. This early experience taught her valuable lessons in business management, financial responsibility, and negotiation. Tori recalls, "I learned how to run a business, so I learned profit and loss statements. I was opening my first checking and savings account when I was ten years old" 1. These foundational skills set the stage for her future endeavors and her mission to empower women financially.

   

Scaling a Business

Scaling her vending machine business presented unique challenges and learning opportunities for Tori. She navigated product selection, pricing, and placement, all while managing profit and loss. Tori's strategy involved focusing on a few key products and understanding the nuances of vending machine operations. "We got to the point where we had, like, four integral products, which were Peanut, M and Ms, hot tamales, trail mix, and chocolate covered raisins," she explains 2. This strategic approach allowed her to expand her business from one machine to fifteen by the time she was in high school.

   

Financial Responsibility

Financial responsibility was a cornerstone of Tori's upbringing and entrepreneurial journey. Her experiences with the vending machine business, coupled with her family's support, enabled her to graduate college debt-free. Tori emphasizes the importance of collaboration and planning in achieving financial goals. "It was very much a collaborative conversation where we would sit down before every semester and we'd say, okay, how are we going to pay for this?" she shares 3. This mindset has been instrumental in her mission to help others achieve financial independence.