What should I check before buying a kettle corn business?

A kettle corn business is simple to describe and easy to misjudge. The product is cheap to make and the equipment is portable, so ask how much of the sale rests on the owner’s place on a calendar of fairs, festivals and markets. Your checking should follow that: confirm the calendar first, then the numbers, then the gear.

Sales, event by event

Ask for sales for each event, across at least two seasons, not a single yearly total. Some events carry the whole year and others barely cover their costs. Look at how weather, location in the grounds and the length of each event changed results. Then ask your accountant to match the records to bank deposits and cash handling.

Which spots stay yours

Find out which spots are rebooked, which go through a jury or reapplication each year, and which the owner has held informally. Ask the organisers directly, with the seller’s permission, whether they will accept you. A spot the organiser can give to someone else is not something the seller can promise to hand over.

Equipment, supply and seasons

Inspect the kettle, burners, tent, generator and trailer in use, not parked. Ask what has been replaced lately and what is due. Check how the sugar, oil and kernels are bought, whether terms are written down, and whether the supplier knows about the sale. Plan your cash through the off-season, when sales stop but storage, insurance and loan payments do not.