We asked the 40 Under 40 Class of 2026: What’s one product you were sure would fail, but turned into a surprise hit? Their answers fell into a few different areas. This is our second article: strategic shifts.

A retrofitted kiosk door. Vending locations that everyone else had written off. A premium espresso machine in a corporate break room. None of these seemed like winners — until they were.

Turning skepticism into success

“One product I was initially skeptical about was a kiosk door panel assembly, a retrofitted sheet-metal door panel assembly for a ticket redemption terminal kiosk. The goal was to increase the kiosk’s bill capacity by adding an additional bill acceptor and pairing the acceptors with larger-capacity cash boxes,” said Chad Jones, a mechanical engineer at Pyramid Technologies Inc.

Jones approached the project with an engineer’s eye, and while he saw the real benefits of the retrofit, he worried about the complexity of the change and whether operators would embrace it. “My skepticism came from the project’s complexity: limited space inside the kiosk, limited front-panel mounting area, the need to redesign the thermal printer’s paper arm holder, cost constraints, manufacturability concerns and the requirement that the installation be simple enough for operators of any technical skill level using commonly available tools and hardware. The failure modes I expected were related to cost, equipment layout, mounting feasibility and overall aesthetics,” Jones said.

When Pyramid showed the retrofitted kiosk door panel assembly at a trade show, attendees and operators praised the new assembly for its retrofit capability, increased cash-holding capacity and ease of use.

“The project taught me to trust my ability to adapt, learn quickly and recognize when a design revision needs to change direction rather than forcing a solution that may lead to a poor outcome. It also reinforced the value of collaboration, especially with vendors who are willing to teach, problem-solve and help turn a complex concept into a manufacturable product,” Jones said. “Ultimately, the assembly became a much stronger concept than I originally expected because of the real value it provides to kiosk owners and operators. By increasing cash capacity, the kiosk can stay online longer, reduce the frequency of cash collection stops, and improve both customer experience and owner/operator satisfaction. It also has the potential to influence a new standard equipment layout for this type of kiosk while increasing PTI’s product representation in the market.”

When the write-off becomes the win

Dylan Sogor, vice president of operational excellence at Five Star Breaktime Solutions, found his surprise hit not in a new product, but in locations with less than $10,000 in sales — locations almost everyone else had already dismissed.

“[These] vending locations were the accounts everyone wrote off as not worth converting. I was in that camp, but we tested it anyway with a cleaner SKU mix, stronger execution standards, and the results spoke for themselves. Sales lifted, engagement went up and shrink came in lower than we modeled,” Sogor said.

To find that success, however, meant being willing to test, trial — and fail. “It’s more accepted in our industry now, but most operators still aren’t pushing hard enough. Pushing boundaries is uncomfortable, but that is usually where the upside is,” he added.

Kevin Alves, whose convenience services career includes national sales roles at Keurig Dr Pepper, Lavazza and Mars Drinks, found a similar pattern: the thing that seemed like a reach became the differentiator.

“I was initially skeptical that premium, café-quality coffee would gain traction in traditional workplace settings, where convenience and cost have historically driven decisions,” Alves said. “Instead, it became a major differentiator, as employees began expecting higher-quality experiences at work. It reinforced that workplace coffee has evolved from a simple amenity to a meaningful part of company culture and employee experience.”

That shift in expectations extended beyond the cup itself.

“When we first started pushing more local brands and concepts, and CPG-style packaging, I thought some of the higher-end visual upgrades would be seen as ‘nice to have’ and not really drive performance,” Alves continued. “Instead, they became a huge differentiator. Customers responded way more to recognizable brands and the elevated retail feel, especially in locations that traditionally had more standard vending setups. It ended up helping with placements, customer engagement and overall perception of the program much more than I anticipated.”

The big win hidden in the small add-on

Murphy McCullough, sales director, residential, at Cantaloupe, offers a different kind of lesson — not about doubting a product, but about underestimating where the wins would come from.

“One thing I’ve learned on the sales side is that impact doesn’t always come from the biggest, flashiest opportunities. Sometimes it’s the smaller add-ons — like ice cream units or coffee machines — that can make a huge difference,” McCullough continued. “It’s easy to focus only on the large installs, but offering equipment that complements existing setups can meaningfully increase an operator’s revenue and overall performance. So, while I’ve never felt like we were launching something destined to fail, I’ve definitely seen how small, strategic additions to a core offering can quietly drive some of the biggest wins.”

For Jones, Sogor, Alves and McCullough, the lesson is less about any single product and more about the mindset that made each win possible: a willingness to question assumptions, push past the obvious opportunity and trust that the uncomfortable test is usually worth running.