'Everything in my life has led to this ... I'm following my dream.'

PENNINGTON -- There aren't many people looking to give up their job these days, but for Jim Barbour, quitting his job has been a dream come true.

The former electronic discovery representative gave up his "very boring" but stable job organizing data for law firms in order to create and sell FunniBonz, his original barbecue sauce.

"It's definitely a risk," Barbour said. But, he said, after working as a representative for several large corporations, "I finally got to the point where everything in my life has led to this ... I'm following my dream."

The sauce Barbour has staked his hopes and dreams on, Funni Bonz, is a versatile, sweet barbecue sauce of Barbour's own creation. He said the idea for the sauce came during a backyard rib competition. After trying several conventional brands of barbecue sauce to top the ribs, Barbour said he couldn't find any that were what he was looking for.

"So I made my own," he said. "And the next thing you know I'm here."

Pennington Market, Barbour said, welcomed him with open arms when he proposed selling the sauce there on the weekends. He said he is currently talking to Weg mans and Whole Foods as well.

"I started making this in my mother's kitchen," he said. He said he talked in 2005 with his friend, Ryan Marrone, about possibly turning the homemade creation into a business. Today, he boasts that FunniBonz can create summer barbecue meals 365 days of the year and get customers hooked with just one taste.

One reason for the sauce's popularity locally is its versatility, according to Barbour. He said the sauce is perfect for quick, easy meals, not to mention football food, and is affordable given its high quality in comparison with other brands. His display table in Pennington Market last Sunday even included a sweet, flavorful barbecue sauce, cream cheese blend for sampling.

"It pairs well with so many things," Barbour said.

The company quickly picked up, moving Barbour from creating FunniBonz in his mother's kitchen, to having it produced at a co- packer in Pennsylvania. He also employed his aunt, Linda Abe drabbo, and her company, CreativEnergy, to make a brand new label for the sauce that depicts a laughing bone and the slogan "Ain't nothin' funni 'bout a sauce this good!"

Though the sauce also sells in stores in New York and Philadelphia, Barbour said he loves selling it near his home town of West Windsor.

"There's no better place to start than home," he said. "It's incredible to see people walk by and taste my food and see a smile on their face."