My Gen Alpha kid bought a vending machine as a summer side hustle — it’s been a great life lesson

He’s a money-making mini-mogul.

A plucky South Florida tween with business on the brain found himself a rather sophisticated side hustle this summer — owning and operating his very own vending machine.

Adrian Peña, 12, decided to take a bite out of the snack racket after a TikTok how-to video awakened his entrepreneurial spirit.

The middle school-aged munchie merchant looked at his savings, figured out his budget and began scouring eBay and Facebook for a second-hand machine — which he wound up purchasing for $1,500.

“I did my research,” Peña proudly told The Post of his new venture.

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The pint-sized peddler knew just the spot to set up his dispenser, too — the waiting area of one of the locations where his father, a pediatric dentist, sees patients.

Peña subsequently stocked his investment with chips, drinks and candy bought in bulk — then sat back and waited for the dough to roll in.

However, profit didn’t start piling up overnight.

“That office wasn’t that busy,” he stated. “My dad was only seeing five or six patients [there] a day.”

So, the savvy salesman asked his folks to help him move the machine to a more heavily trafficked location — resulting in an immediate uptick in sales.

“Business is a lot of trial and error,” Peña explained. “When you see one thing going wrong, you’ve got to pivot and try something else.”

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The budding baron also kept a close eye on what products were popular with clients — for example, he quickly noticed that plantain chips were selling out quickly.

So, he adjusted his inventory accordingly — further increasing profits.

Peña’s mom, Richelle, confessed to The Post she was initially anxious about letting her son loose on TikTok, but was surprised by how great an educational resource the social media site turned out to be, when used correctly.

“He saw one video [about vending machines] and started searching more, and then the algorithm starting serving him information about business,” she said, calling her “curious” son a “mini Google.”

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And while some might balk at such a young child being this ambitious, the proud mama is all for Adrian snagging the learning experience.

“It’s not so much about the money,” Richelle said, explaining that her son is picking up important life lessons about the value of hard work, tenacity and creativity.

Fortunately for Adrian, he already has his own entrepreneurial parents as live-in role models.

Richelle and her husband, Dr. William Peña, recently sold their business, American Pediatric Dental Group, for a whopping eight figures.

Now, they’re gearing up to launch their next company, HealthBiz Mastery, which will teach medical professionals how to start their own small businesses.

As for the tycoon in training, he’s already raked in hundreds of dollars thanks to his vending machine — allowing him to buy clothes, video games and a 3D printer.

But while the treat trader is finding enjoyment in his success, he’s also keeping busy stocking his machine — and pondering his next business move.

“Maybe soon I might buy a second one,” he said.

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