Teenager Turns Icky, Sticky Gunge into Cash
by Christine Toner

When you think of money-making schemes, a bucket of slimy, gooey gunge may not be the first thing that pops into your mind. But sometimes you have to think outside of the box if you want to make your mark.

That's just what 18-year-old Pete Hoare did when he discovered a fundraising niche that wasn't being served, wondered why, and decided he'd be the one to fill the need. With an expected turnover of £70,000 this year, it seems his innovative thinking has paid off. Even more importantly, his company — operating under the name Fundraising Supplies — is doing good work helping schools, churches and public charities across the UK raise money.

A Lucky Find
Truth is, Pete didn't spend years painstakingly planning his business venture. In fact, he simply stumbled across the idea.

It was an ordinary conversation with a friend that led Pete to the discovery that a factory near his home in Bucks sold the ingredients to make gunge — that colourful, sticky stuff generally seen being poured over someone as part of a crazy TV prank. It was a piece of information most people would ignore — the kind of thing that goes in one ear and out the other — but not for Pete. For him, it was the beginning of a great idea.

Pete says: "A friend told me you could buy the chemical to make gunge from a chemical plant about 10 minutes from my house. It turns out, it's the only place you can get it. So I went over to have a look and bought a sample." Back at home, Pete mixed in some powered pigments to add colour. Then he tested the market for his new product with an ad on eBay. When the first batch of 8 litres sold for £8, Pete realised there was a lot of profit to be made with his icky product

Setting Up the Store
After his initial test on eBay, Pete wanted bigger and better things. And what better way to do it than to take advantage of being brought up in the technological age? Pete decided to use the best tool at his disposal to launch his business — the internet.

He went right to work building a basic website as a platform to sell the gunge. Unlike other suppliers, Pete packaged his gunge in ready-to-use, pre-weighed packs in five bright colours. Gunge kits range from the 4-litre pack for a single-person gunging, right up to the two colour, 32-litre super-size for parties and big fundraising events.

Before long, Pete had outgrown the first site and needed to expand. His current website offers 12 categories of hard-to-find fundraising supplies, along with dozens of ideas and helpful tips for running successful charity fundraisers.

Enlisting Help
One of the keys to success in business is to know what you're good at and ask for help when you need it. A self-confessed "struggler" when it comes to math, Pete enlisted the help of his father on the financial side of the business.

"I have some help from my father in the accounts department," says Pete. "He organises all the tax, including the VAT side of things. I do the customer side, answering emails and processing all the orders." As always, Pete is the visionary leader.

More Surprises
When the business was first launched, Pete tried to sell gunge to anyone and everyone. But he soon realised from talking with his customers that most of the gunge was being purchased for use in fundraising events. Taking a cue from his customers, Pete decided to start offering other helpful fundraising supplies such as collection tins and buckets. Surprisingly, these soon became his biggest sellers

"I realised the link between the gunge and fundraising," Pete explalins, "so I started to offer a small range of fundraising supplies to go with the gunge. The fundraising stuff sold better than the gunge, so I expanded the range to include more fundraising items."

Today, his customer database is in the thousands and Pete has sold supplies to Kew Gardens, The Eden Project, Westminster Council, Hull County Council, the BBC, ITV, Channel Four, Elstree Studios and hundreds of other well-known establishments, village fetes and school fairs.

Tips for Budding Entrepreneurs
With all this success, Pete has learned a thing or two about what it takes to make a success in business. So what would he advise others young entrepreneurs to do?

"My advice would be this: Don't try to sell something that other people sell. Unless you are a huge company with hundreds of thousands to spend, you will never be able to beat the already established companies," Pete says. "Find a unique product no one else sells, but is in high demand. Then serve that market to the fullest."

And it never hurts to have a sense of humour in business. According to Pete's website, his gunge kits are available in the standard or deluxe versions. He says: "The standard version is slightly more runny and the colouring is slightly thinner. It's truly disgusting, as it could be thought of as having an appearance similar to snot. (Loverly, eh?)" Hurry on over to his website www.fundraisingsupplies.co.uk and see for yourself!