Most people overestimate how hard it is to place a rental kiosk, and underestimate how much a venue owner actually gets out of saying yes. Here's the actual breakdown:

What the station costs

A portable charging station (the kind you've seen at bars and events — a kiosk with lockable power banks people rent for a few dollars) runs about $2,495 to own outright, or $500 down with the rest financed over time.

Why venue owners say yes

You're not asking them to sell anything or manage anything. You're asking for a few square feet of counter space in exchange for:

• A free amenity their customers actually use (dead phone = customer who can't order Uber, can't post about the venue, can't stay longer)

• Zero labor on their end — you handle refills, maintenance, and restocking

• A cut of the screen ad revenue if you're running ads on the kiosk display, or just goodwill if you're not

The two ways money moves

1. Rental revenue — customers pay per rental. Standard model: 80% to the operator, 20% covers platform/software once the station is paid off.

2. Screen ad revenue — local businesses pay to advertise on the kiosk's screen (think: the pizza place next door, a personal trainer, a happy hour special). 100% of this goes to the operator. This is usually the bigger long-term number once you have a few stations in a walkable area — one advertiser often wants to be on all of them.

The part people skip: territory

One station rarely makes someone's month. Three to five stations in gyms, bars, and a hotel lobby within a few miles of each other does, because you're servicing them on the same trip and selling one ad package across all of them to a local business that wants that reach.

If you're weighing whether this is a real local business or just another course — it's the former. It only works if you actually go talk to venue owners. Happy to answer specific questions about the pitch or the ad-sales side in the comments.