Q&A: Tim Messom owner, Save Tim from Bankruptcy

Tim’s claim to fame is that he saved his Notts business using Facebook and the above business name. It went viral and he ended up on TV in two countries. “I had my 15 minutes of fame for being broke,” he says.

What is your nickname?  

Never had one. I tried to pretend I’d hate it if my mates called me ‘T-dog’ to see if they’d instinctively call me T-dog. Didn’t work

Why did you get into printing? 

My dad is an amazing artist so it made sense for us to publish his work

What would be your dream job? 

A profesional footballer for Nottingham Forest with them playing top-flight football. This wasn’t achievable and not just because of my lack of skill, but also because of their lack of skill

Who would play you in a movie about your life?  

Nicolas Cage, I’ve heard he lost a lot of money too. If he’s busy then Hugh Jackman. I’ve been told I resemble him but without the looks, charisma, height and money

What is your dream bit of kit? 

A wide-format printer that never has ink issues, can print sheets of canvas instantly and then buys dinner

What’s your favourite TV programme?  

Match of the Day and then Match of the Day 2. It’s hard to choose...

Who do you admire most in print? 

Anyone who coasted through the recession

What is your favourite saying? 

‘Define the moment, don’t let the moment define you’ and ‘dinner’s ready’

What is the strangest job you’ve had?

I did a lot of weird jobs when I went travelling. I sandblasted the inside of a sewage processing plant. I’ve also raffled a boat and sold dog food door-to-door. The bigger and more dangerous looking the dog in the garden, the better chance of a good sale. You learn how to stare them out

Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with? 

There was a beautiful contortionist on Britain’s Got Talent a while back. Or Ray Mears

What is your greatest ambition? 

Make the business really successful and raise a lot of money for charity

Who or what makes you laugh?  

8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Micky Flanagan, old people using foul language, if a mate hurts himself (not too badly, but you know...) 

What piece of kit would you like to see invented?

HoverBoots. I had the domain name

Most embarrassing moment?

I can’t tell you that. I couldn’t tell you my top 20 most embarrassing moments. Not printable

What’s your worst fashion disaster? 

Everything I wore growing up

Which superpower would you like? 

Invisibility. I’d rather not say why if that’s okay...

Who would be your favourite party guests?

Morgan Freeman for his voice. Nigella Lawson to cook. Jack Nicholson, Barack Obama, Jeremy Corbyn and also Donald Trump. Then there’d be someone to ridicule if there’s a pause in the conversation

What was the best business deal that you’ve pulled off?  

Someone forgot to invoice me once, does that count?

Life is…?  

Something to be enjoyed

What was your childhood obsession?

Dinosaurs. No contest