‘I CLEANED UP WITH GEL IDEA’

Wayne’s stands rake in millions

BUSINESS rivals will be well “gel” of Wayne Natzel after he made more than £2million from hand sanitiser stands.

It came after his finances spiralled out of control, leading to him even considering jumping off a bridge.

Wayne has now raked in a couple of million pounds and paid off all his debts after switching to producing the hand sanitiser stand in early March. His company is forecast to turn over £10m this financial year.

The 42-year-old said: “I actually can’t believe this has happened to me.

“The business was so bad I had lots of very dark thoughts.

“But knowing I’d pay the debt was the only thing that kept me going.

“What I’d say to people now is don’t give up too soon – stay focused and work hard.”

Wayne, from Leicester, left school with no qualifications due to his dyslexia. He set up a business selling retail display goods in his 20s.

But he got into financial difficulty after using his family home as collateral for a loan.

As the years went on, his debts spiralled. Then Brexit struck and his life went into freefall.

One night Wayne even went to a park and almost threw himself off a bridge.

His dad’s death in June 2019 kept him going. He said: “I’d given up. I was sick of fighting but when my dad died it was a bit of a wake-up call.”

After a terrible Christmas, Covid then hit China early this year.

In February Wayne had a chat with his brother, who was able to make sanitiser stands. They sorted out a design and got things moving. Within weeks the stands were ready to go into stores.

He made £1m during lockdown alone thanks to orders from firms like Euronics, Barnardos and British Heart Foundation charity shops.

And he has repaid all his £250,000 debts. Wayne said: “I have never been a wealthy individual, so it’s quite nice really.” really