After an LSU alumnus developed a product from an idea he had while living in The Pentagon Residence Hall on campus, his product went viral and is now sold out.
Reid Simkovitz started his business when he was living in The Pentagon in June 2016. The idea came when he did not want to bother his roommate when he needed to shave the back of his neck. He wanted to find a way to solve his problem and save himself from embarrassment.
“I had to go to this formal with a really hairy neck and it was really embarrassing,” Simkovitz said. “So that Monday I went to the CVS on Highland road and brought [supplies] back to The Pentagon and glued together four disposable razors and that got the process started.”
Simkovitz took his idea to the LSU student incubator and started working with two student engineers to figure out how to get his idea into a physical product. He was able to create the prototype at the incubator that he showed to manufacturers.
Simkovitz named his new product the Scruffie, a device with five razors in a U-shape. It can be used to shave the back of the neck or leg.
“If it wasn’t for the incubator on campus and for some of the advice that I had gotten, then I wouldn’t have been able to create this,” Simkovitz said.
Simkovitz launched his product in April 2020. He did not see major orders until August 2020, when he joined Tik Tok and his videos started going viral. Soon after, the Scruffie was sold out.
“I published a video called “Day One of Trying to Get the Scruffie to Go Viral” and it went viral, and then I kept going viral,” Simkovitz said. “As soon as I got on Tik Tok I was like, ‘This actually could happen.’”

On his viral Tik Tok of him showing viewers how to use the Scruffie as a leg shaver, many people commented about the product.

“I saw this and bought it 45 seconds later and could not possibly be more excited,” one Tik Toker, a.b.i.02, commented.
After going viral on Tik Tok, the Scruffie made a shift from a back of the neck shaver to a leg shaver. It is sold for $24.99 and is currently sold out. The Scruffie 2.0 is coming soon, and Simkovitz has lots of ideas about what could come next.
“Right now, I’m just redesigning for the Scruffie 2.0,” Simkovitz said. ”The redesign is almost done and then we will start manufacturing again. The idea is to expand this out into a full-blown shaving company.”
The Scruffie is a one-man business, but Simkovitz still has friends and family helping him with different aspects of his business. His friends help with his website and marketing, and his family help with packing orders.
“I get a lot of help from a lot of people, but as far as actual employees it’s just me,” Simkovitz said.
Simkovitz and the Scruffie can be found on social media at @thescruffie.