smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

After six years of working as a Big Brother producer, wacky inventor Shed Simove gave up his glamorous TV job to concentrate on his novelty product company The Talent Shed, using a unique selling point: himself.

Why did you start designing novelty products?

If you’re creative you can turn your hand to anything. I got the idea for novelty products when I worked on The Big Breakfast. Because I had to come up with lots of puns for the show, it made me start looking at everyday objects in a different way.

How did you get funding?

I didn’t need any money to start-up. Instead, I got people to partner with me. They covered the set-up costs and got the licence. It did mean I made less money, but I didn’t have to put any of the capital down.

Has self-promotion helped?

It has been vital to my success. One of the key things I’ve done is to release my own currency, which has been useful as a way of networking and getting attention [for my products] in the press. I also briefly changed my name to God.

Which products are you most proud of?

I won gift of the year for my candles that spelt ‘You’re Old’. I’m also very proud of my remote controls for men and women [putting an end to tireless arguments about TV], as I’ve sold almost a million units.

Where next?

I’m bringing out my own credit crunch cereal next month. I’ll also be combining business and comedy by selling products at my Edinburgh show. In five years, the business will be worth millions, my profile will be huge and I’ll be a household name.