Gus Schoenbachler, 14, Gus’s Eats & Treats
Have you ever been out boating for hours on end, then suddenly the hunger comes out of no wear and just smacks you in the face? This is a problem I have faced many times because honestly where I grew up to go to most of the restaurant’s around me you had to dry off, get dressed than honestly do you really want to go deal with a lot of people on your peaceful day out? 14-year-old Gus Schoenbachler of New Durham, N.H. at such a young age founded a way to capture this very niche market of hungry boaters. Gus had quite a nice menu and he started selling Ice Cream, Hotdog, and chips out of the same exact boat that his father did many years ago! However, it was not all smooth sailing for Gus. Someone decided to complain about him not having a food service license, so he went ahead and got that and registered a business in his own name! I for sure wish that I had someone like Gus in my little town that could have quenched my needs.
Very cool how they saw a niche, (huge niche) and seemingly created a whole new market because they saw something no one else was doing.
The Boat community is so inviting to the innovation make their lives on the water more fun and enjoyable! I am not surprise this idea was a success. Since I lived in MD near the bay, I saw these types of innovation every summer!
Gus had a truly unique idea and effectively created a market for his niche, which is rather impressive, and he did it by selling something as simple as concession stand food! I don’t really fit into his target market but I’m sure that the people who do are quite pleased to have a convenient food option available if they forgot to pack.