Shed Simove - The Ideas Man

 

Believe me when I say this - I had one of the wildest skype conversations with him soon after I wrote the aforementioned post - Shed is one of the most idea filled people I have ever spoken to. Ok maybe thats not quite correct. We all have ideas, the difference is Shed makes them happen…. And thats what makes him a real champion of the humble idea. He carries his ideas through to the end when ever he can. 

 

Shed sent me a copy of his book ‘Ideas Man’ - yes, I do recommend you read it - soon after our crazy skype conversation. Its filled with stories of ideas, the ones that succeeded and the ones that didn’t.  You really do want to listen to the man behind these ideas, he has some wise words to impart. So on that note we managed to get Shed to stop thinking about ideas for a few minutes and he kindly agreed answer some of my questions. Enjoy. 

 

 

 

In a nutshell: ‘I get away with it’. And I believe anyone can do the same.  I do a lot of things. if you’re creative, you can turn your mind to whatever fires you. I used to make TV shows (‘Big Brother’, ‘Space Cadets’, ‘The Big Breakfast’). Now, I create and launch novelty gifts (approaching a million units sold), I write books (a mixture of entertainment and secrets to success), I work with companies to help them come up with brilliant ideas for their businesses, plus I perform (comedy gigs, TV presenting, acting).  I don’t sleep much…

 

2. Tell us a bit about your novelty products - essentially ideas that most people would dismiss as, well a silly idea.

 

Some say ‘silly’, some say ‘inspired’. There’s a fine line! ‘Madness’ and ‘genius’ are well known to be closely linked. And in the business world, one man’s silly idea is another man’s goldmine. And the second man is usual a novelty gift creator or manufacturer. The gift industry is worth over 10 billion pounds in the UK alone, so you can see there’s a rich vein to tap.  People love to buy presents! Most of the ideas I think of, everyone can think of (and they probably do), but I make them happen. I become so gripped with making something, that I then spend ages  creating products like the ‘Martin Loofah King’, birthday candles that spell ‘You’re Old’ or the ‘Designer Beaver’.  It’s a thrill to think something you created might  make someone smile. When it does, and a customer buys it, it’s hugely rewarding. We’re not curing cancer, but we’re entertaining in a focused and passionate way. Most people come up with great ideas whilst in the bath, lying in bed, or out with mates - but they don’t do anything about them. I do and that’s the key.

 3. You probably get this question quite a bit but what’s is your favourite product? I’m a personal fan of the "flying fuck" and hide your "identity specs"

 

You have great taste! When I show people those the FLYING FUCK or the HIDE YOUR IDENTITY SPECS, they tend to get a big ‘LOL’ (as the kids say), which is great. I’m very proud of my novelty remote control range – like the CONTROL-A-WOMAN and the CONTROL-A-MAN. They’ve sold over a quarter of a million units combined!  I’m also proud of the Sound Machines I created – they came from an idea I had to allow anyone to live their own sitcom – by adding a laughter track, applause or funny sounds to your life. We now have four versions – Original, Horror, Football & Cartoon… Also, it’s the new items that I’m about to launch that really excite me…I’ve got over three hundred concepts in my portfolio, all ready to go…and there’s something exquisitely thrilling about seeing a new novelty gift on the shop shelves….

 

 

Novelty is wonderful! It’s both innovative and fun. In a strict sense though, novelty means ‘new’. In a sense , all businesses need novelty products because unless every company keeps producing new ideas that stimulate their customers, they’ll be overtaken. I’m drawn to novelty gifts because they’re a neat little gag in one package. They’re uncomplicated, light hearted and sometimes mischievous. And there aren’t too many ‘barriers to entry’ in terms of getting them out there…

 

And yes, I can think of ideas for any area of life and business and then make them happen – you just need some good techniques (which I talk about in my books and presentations) and great people around you… Plus, the insatiable urge to make the goal come alive, of course…  I currently have dozens of ideas that I’d like to partner with experts on – from Apps to Websites to Fashion lines to Food ranges and even Movie Scripts…

 

 

Reward yourself. Perhaps with a meal at a posh restaurant, a new outfit or a hot date with a blonde – whatever will spur you onwards. Pursue what you love, pour your energy into some area you think about all the time, steer clear of NEGNETS (my term for people who are ‘negative magnets’, pouring negativity on your idea and sapping your energy,) and never, ever, give up. Focus hard on choosing to pursue something that what would make you really happy if it happened. We could all put our minds TO anything – and achieve it – if we have the will. And that’s what’s important. Just start something new and you’ll naturally go on an adventure, learn loads and eventually succeed...

 

 

 

Packaging is vital. Details are vital. If a hundred of us all made the same product ideas come to life, we’d all deliver it differently. That’s interesting - and pivotal. Once you have an idea, how you deliver it is everything.  You have a very short amount of time to engage people, so your idea (in any field) needs to be attention-grabbing, instantly understandable and new in some way,

 

 

Many fail. in order to success, we must ‘Fail upwards’. By that I mean, we should aim to fail at something, because at least then you’re trying to do it. Your awesome human brain will automatically start learning and you’ll be sure to have an exciting adventure – and quite possibly make loads of money too…

 

 

Absolutely. You can train your mind to focus. Whenever you’re dissatisfied about ANYTHING, there’s an opportunity. Make it better, test it slightly, add another function onto it…then you’ll have a new idea. That’s all innovation is – taking an idea and doing it slightly differently – and better!

 

 

It’s a learned skill, and something everyone can do. It comes from a deep desire to see something happen and send it out into the world.

 

 

Anything where it makes me think “if that happened, it’d make people LAUGH or THINK – or both… Therefore, the ideas that tickle me tend to be what some people (the majority) deem ‘subversive’ or ‘naughty’. But attitudes change – so what’s subversive or naughty today is normal tomorrow – which  means that by shocking people sometimes you get them to think differently and then accept a new - and better way of living…

 

 

 12. I think one of your more fascinating ideas is your personal currency 'The Ego' - tell us more about this? And how has the recession treated it?

 

It came from me seeing Linden dollars (a virtual currency in the online game ‘Second Life’) being sold online. That’s mind-blowing – an ‘unreal’ currency begin sold for ‘real’ money, which again is only a confidence trick (the money we use is after all, just a promise). So, I released my own currency in both note and coin form – and It’s risen steadily in value since day one, even through the ‘Credit Crunch’. It currently has a better exchange rate than the dollar, Euro or Yen.

 

 

It started when I read ‘The God Delusion’ by Richard Dawkins. It made me think about the word ‘GOD’ and how it has so many meanings – and how the concept means something different to every person. If you put another word in front of the word ‘God’, like ‘Greek’, ‘Love’ or ‘Sex’…then it takes on a  different meaning, but if you just say ‘God’ to someone, then it has a unique emotional connection to that person. That’s fascinating. I began to wonder if it could be possible to change my name to ‘God’ as no one had ever done it before. After a long search, I found a solicitor who agreed to formalise me and change my name by deed. When I went to my bank and tried to get my credit card in the name of my new name ‘God’, the bank were furious and threatened to close my accounts. The press picked up on the stories and some articles appeared in the media – one was titled “BANK SNUBS GOD”.

 

 

People are only starting to find out about my brand. You’re only as good as your last idea… this keep you on your toes and always wanting to deliver…

 

Wonderfully, my brand is growing exponentially and I hope it’ll  grow more as more people discover - and hopefully engage with – what I do.

  

 

I invented a ‘Heckling Device’ in case of heckling emergencies – it’s an audio box that shouts “Fuck off You C**T”. I’ve only had to use it once and it worked surprisingly well. 

 

 

 

The show is the book in presentation form! It’s a manual for success and gives you the skills to make anything happen in your life. What makes it unique is that all the techniques for success are embedded in stories from my life – including the big wins and massive failures too...

 

 

Goodness, any person can do anything these days. We’re LUCKY to live an age where there’s a democracy about being able to be successful that isn’t tied to family history or wealth or status.  The internet is such a freer. There are no barriers to entry and no one who can tell you NOT to do something. You can find experts or manufacturers within two clicks…this means any human endeavour is within your grasp because you can easily find people to help you.

 

 

I have over four hundred (really good) ideas in my portfolio for everything for novelty gifts, toys, web businesses, iPhone apps, and new book concepts… And those are filtered from the less good ideas I come up with. I put a smattering of these on my site so that they might get some interest from brilliant experts. I stopped being too cautious about my ideas years ago when I realised three things:  1) People are generally decent 2) Most people are much less interested in your idea than you are, so they’d rather do their own ideas 3) An idea is only is good as it’s implementation. If all of us made the same idea come to life, some of the results would be much better than others. So, you need to both think up good ideas and make sure they are carried out very well too. This is vital. Finally – 4) It’s not in anyone’s interest to rip off my ideas because once they’ve done that, they’ll cut off a rich source of more ideas – they ‘kill the golden goose.’ And I’m the sort of goose that will keep on laying great eggs for a long time…  All of that said, it’s always better to hold your very best ideas back until you trust someone…and meeting face to face is the only real way to get a feeling for someone.  

 

I’m currently thinking about setting up a website called I’ve started so I’ll finish .com - it’ll allow you to upload any goal you’re aiming to reach and then have everyone visiting the site to encourage you in your goal or actually help you make it come to life…

 18. Another thing I love that you do is the section on your site titled "Your Ideas" which made us smile since you are in essence crowdsourcing. How has this worked out?

 

Your brain is amazing! And it allows you to come up with all sorts of incredible concepts, meaning most people have fantastic ideas. It’s about doing them though…and it’s not that hard these day because the internet let’s you find an expert to help you or a factory to make your idea, very quickly.  People often come to me with ideas they want to develop, but I don’t take many on, as my schedule is chocka block. If something fits into my range though, and I think it’s really great, then I’ll spend time launching it.  For example, this happened with the ‘Parent Child Contract Pad’…and I’m delighted with the results.

 

Fame is a tough mistress. She demands a lot of attention and is not easily pleased. I’d love your readers’ help! Please take a look at BetYouillBeFamous.com,  follow me on Twitter, read IDEAS MAN and give it a review on Amazon (if you enjoyed it!), invite me to your company to speak, get me on a chat show or radio show, give me a part in a Bollywood movie, hook me up with a Page 3 girl…or simply invite me to dinner - meeting new people is always thrilling…