GUERNSEY’S own pet-accessory inventor and vet David Chamberlain said The Apprentice contestants face a tough challenge tonight. Billed as the world’s hardest job interview, the BBC reality TV show scrutinises the candidates’ abilities in a range of weekly tasks in their bid to secure a job with business tycoon Sir Alan Sugar.

Each week, he fires the worst performer.

In the second episode tonight, the teams, made up of the 15 remaining contestants, have to design an innovative product for dogs and pitch it to three retailers.

Mr Chamberlain, a partner at Isabelle Vets, recently completed his own invention and is currently marketing it.

He said The Apprentice challenge would be easier said than done.

His microchip-activated cat flap, the Pet Porte, went into production in December after six years of development.

‘I have pitched it to three retailers and not one of them has had the courtesy to give me a reply. It is a cut-throat business world,’ he said.

‘Coming from my working background where everyone behaves professionally and politely, it came as a shock how competitive and hostile the market was.’

He said the apprentices would quickly find out that retailers were interested only in making a profit.

‘If your product is perceived as too niche, you are not going to get any immediate interest and if you fall by the wayside they won’t be bothered.’

The Pet Porte recognises an animal’s individual microchip.

‘That is how long it takes to get a product from the drawing board into the marketplace. From patenting to prototyping, it is a long and expensive journey.’

He said there were two types of invention or new product – those that were design-driven and those that were marketing-driven.

His was the former.

But on the TV show, with the candidates’ marketing and sales backgrounds coupled with the short timescale, he expected most to go for the latter.

‘The opportunity that we had was very straightforward,’ he said.

‘The Pet Porte was a new product that cat owners needed but didn’t know it yet. It was a unique way of solving a problem that people did not know how to solve. It was immediately perceived as useful.’

He said the main challenge was to come up with something that sells itself.

But if the product was not that strong, the contestants could rely more on their marketing skills to sell it.

Mr Chamberlain has already sold more than 100 Pet Portes. But, frustrated with the lack of response from retailers, he has gone down a different marketing route.

‘I am approaching 8,000 vets. I would rather deal with professionals than retailers as I am sure they will be more ethical.’