The software developer

Obsessive about tennis, Tim is a software developer, who says he considers himself ‘a bit of an internet entrepreneur.’ I caught up with him and posed silly questions...

 DH: How long have you been doing that?

Tim: 20 years. Roughly ten years in big corporates and ten working for myself.

DH: Am I right in thinking you invented something rather clever?

Tim: I think that would be pushing it. I have however created two successful internet businesses. The first is aimed at real estate agents. We’ve been selling for almost three years now and have around 2,500 agencies using the software which is about 10% of the market.

The second business is essentially a database of people who are looking to buy property. Anyone who is selling their house can register for free and search a database of approx 50,000 buyers.

DH: Where are you from originally?

Tim: I was born in Surrey but grew up in Somerset.

DH: What brought you down here?

Tim: Sun, sea and snow – England will always be my home but it’s nice to see a shadow now and again.

DH: So how long have you lived in the area?

Tim: Nine years.

DH: How long did it take you to learn French?

Tim: It’s important to realise that no-one has actually learnt French yet. It’s specially designed to be completely incomprehensible, so that even the French don’t know what’s going on half the time. I am, however, completely fluent by the second bottle!

DH: What’s the best thing about living in France?

Tim: The quality of life and I find the people here very friendly and interesting.

DH: The worst?

Tim: The quality of service.

DH: What’s your favourite food?

Tim: A perfect tuna steak.

DH: What’s your favourite guilty food pleasure?

Tim: Something I shouldn’t eat in front of the telly.

DH: Do you have a favourite sport?

Tim: Skiing and windsurfing, oh and I’m also borderline obsessive about tennis.

DH: What does the summer have in store for you?

Tim: Lots of small trips with family and friends. The mountains in the summer are exceptional.

You can visit Tim’s sites at: http://www.pigelite.com/ & http://www.alertepasdagence.com/