✦£+↗◯
REAL EDVENTURIST STORIES

Big trip goals. Real EdVentures.

Six true stories that show how an EdVenture can do much more than help with one adventure.

These are not stories about “asking for money.” They are stories about trying an EdVenture.

Each young person started with an idea, made it useful for real people and kept going. Some funded every penny of their trip. Several discovered a practical skill or EdVenture they still use today—long after the journey ended.

The names and business stories are real. Photographs are illustrative of each business, not portraits of the young people named.
A dog enjoying a dog biscuit, illustrating a handmade dog-treat businessOrganic dog biscuit sales
01Kelly’s summer business

Kelly saw dog lovers, not just dog shows.

Kelly found an organic dog-biscuit recipe online and spent the summer noticing where dog shows were taking place. She knew exactly who would be there: people who loved their dogs and enjoyed finding them a treat. Instead of waiting for customers to find her, she took her little business to the right crowd.

The clever decisionSell where the customers already were
What happened nextIt funded every penny of her trip
The business lesson: good fundraising is often about choosing the right customer, place and moment. Kelly’s business did not stop with the trip—it is still helping her fund university.
A row of actual outdoor wheelie bins, illustrating a wheelie-bin cleaning serviceWeekly wheelie-bin cleaning
02Betty’s regular round

Betty turned bin day into business day.

Betty chose a job people did not want to do themselves. After bin collection day, she cleaned wheelie bins for £5 each and food bins for £3. It was simple, useful and easy to explain. Better still, it became a regular round of customers rather than a one-off event.

The offer£5 per bin, £3 per food bin
The modelRegular weekly customers
The business lesson: recurring customers are powerful. Betty did not have to start from zero every week; she built a dependable route, one clean bin at a time, and raised all the money for her trip.
A collection of discarded Christmas trees, illustrating a Christmas-tree recycling serviceChristmas tree collection
03Steven’s seasonal service

Steven and his dad made the post-Christmas clear-out useful.

Steven had a friend with a trailer and spotted a seasonal problem: people needed a simple way to recycle their Christmas trees. With his dad, he offered a collection service across the holiday period. It made £700 in its first year and more than £1,300 in the second.

Year one£700 raised
Year twoMore than £1,300 raised
The business lesson: look for a problem that comes round every year. Steven’s business was so useful that it did not end at the trip—it is still part of his family’s Christmas now.
Someone photographing a dress for resale, illustrating a Vinted and Depop listing serviceVinted & Depop service
04Daisy’s resale service

Daisy did not only sell clothes. She sold her know-how.

Daisy began with a collection service, gathering clothes and useful items to list and sell. She then noticed that many people had things to sell but did not have the time or confidence to photograph, upload and manage their own listings. So she offered a Vinted and Depop set-up service for £25 each time.

The first serviceCollect, list and sell unwanted items
The next step£25 per wardrobe-service set-up
The business lesson: a skill can be just as valuable as a product. Daisy created a service around something people wanted done for them—and she still runs the business today.
A basket of chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies, illustrating a doorstep Easter delivery businessEaster Bunny & Christmas Elf visits
05Marcus’s seasonal magic

Marcus sold a little bit of magic at the right time of year.

With his dad, Marcus offered Easter Egg doorstep deliveries to families with younger children. For £20 a visit, they delivered the eggs and brought some Easter excitement with them. The idea worked so well that they created a festive companion: a Christmas Elf who personally collected letters to take to Santa.

The offer£20 per Easter doorstep visit
How it grewA second seasonal business at Christmas
The business lesson: a good idea can often become two. Marcus and his dad built a seasonal business around a feeling families wanted to create, and it has become something they return to each year.
A desktop 3D printer with small printed toys, illustrating a 3D-printing business3D-printed toys & gifts
06Lucy’s maker business

Lucy turned the family 3D printer into a market stall.

Lucy used the family’s 3D printer to make small toys and colourful items for Christmas fayres and local markets. It was creative, practical and perfect for a busy festive season. Every sale helped her closer to the trip while she learnt what people liked, what to make next and how to present a product.

The productSmall 3D-printed toys and gifts
The resultHer trip funded—and a business that continues
The business lesson: the skills and equipment already around you can become an opportunity. Lucy’s trip goal gave her the reason to start; the business gave her a route that lasted beyond it.
Your story starts differently

What could your teenager try as an EdVenture?

They do not need to copy Kelly, Betty, Steven, Daisy, Marcus or Lucy. They only need one useful idea that suits their time, skills and confidence—and parent-supported space to try it, learn from it and build on it.

Start the journey togetherExplore EdVenture ideas