[quote style=”boxed”]Take the concept of your company and break it down: are there any mundane or monotonous aspects of it? Find a way to automate it.[/quote]
Christian Barbosa founded his first company when he was 14 years old and has been a serial entrepreneur ever since. A specialist in time management productivity, he is currently the CEO of Neotriad. Based in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Neotriad specializes in software to help teams and people achieve more efficient performance and balance in life.
Barbosa is the author of six published books that include 60 Practical Strategies to Gain More Time, More Time More Money and Balance in Income. His best-selling book, The Triad of Time, is based on a groundbreaking new time management methodology. Developed by Barbosa, this new way of thinking involves classifying team into three different categories: important, urgent and circumstantial. Proven by thousands of people, this method is based on a survey of over 42,000 people worldwide.
Barbosa’s latest venture, Goboxi, is the natural extension of The Triad of Time. Goboxi is productivity software primed to send shockwaves throughout the industry by using Barbosa’s propriety time management methodology easy to learn and master. The days of managing tasks, emails and social media across multiple inboxes platforms are over! Goboxi features a unified inbox that consolidates messages into one spot, even allowing for #hashtag organization.
Goboxi features task automation. What does this mean? This allows users to focus on completing tasks, not managing them. Seize your day by using Goboxi: a management and collaboration hub for your digital life.
Where did the idea for Goboxi come from?
The idea for Goboxi came from thousands of hours of statistics on how over 500,000 people spend their time. We are a consulting company that helps individuals, teams and companies better utilize their time using my propriety productivity methodology called the Triad of Time. Goboxi is unique in that it learns about a user’s day and actively suggests tweaks to make it more efficient.
Sign up now for the Goboxi beta at !
What does your typical day look like?
Using the Triad of Time, I like to categorize my day into Important, Urgent and Circumstantial activities. A lot of my time goes into the Urgent or Important categories, meaning I’m spending time managing my company Triad Productivity Solutions or overseeing the work done on Goboxi. In my spare time, I like to catch up on Inc. Magazine and TechCrunch.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Goboxi is a perfect example. We have thousands of hours of statistics on how people spend their time. As a consulting company, we love to learn about each and every client of ours and give them personalized advice on how to better manage their time. But what about those we don’t have as clients? There are simply not enough hours in the day to consult everyone! This is how we came up with the idea of Goboxi, productivity software that learns about each user’s individual day.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Automation. As tech gets more advanced, opportunities for software to learn more about its user and automate some of the more mundane is exciting.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
At the risk of sounding too biased, I have to admit that my Triad of Time productivity methodology is not only something I teach, but follow as well. It’s a breakthrough methodology based on research from millions of people worldwide. It keeps me on task and reminds me there is a certain amount of time in a day, and allows me to prioritize my tasks.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I wouldn’t say I’ve had a “worst job” ever because you learn from every experience. I’ve also been my own boss since the early age of 14, so I’d really be saying I didn’t like my own work if I had a ‘worst job!’
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Focus on time management up front. Starting a company requires unwavering dedication, but it doesn’t mean you have to spend 60+ hours a week on it. Family and friends are important. Spend time on what really matters.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Never underestimate the importance of networking. I find every opportunity to meet with peers and make new connections. This is incredibly important for entrepreneurs.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
I have a personal mission that includes the phrase “Always be an example.” I’ve found that by living by that mantra, my colleagues also strive to be an example for their peers. As a consultant, if you’re not leading by example, why would your clients believe you?
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I started my first company when I was 14 years old. It was a software development company that specialized in Internet portals. This wasn’t the failure – what I would say was a failure was the fact I worked too hard. In fact, I was diagnosed with a tumor, which could have been the result of focusing too much on work and not creating a healthy balance between work, family and personal time. A doctor told me I needed to change my way of life. He suggested I take a time management course and it saved (and changed!) my life.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Take the concept of your company and break it down: are there any mundane or monotonous aspects of it? Find a way to automate it.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I purposefully keep the number of people I follow on Twitter low. I’ve found that when adding more and more people on Twitter, I have a harder time focusing on the relationships with people. So it’s kind of funny to see that I have 16,000 followers and I follow less than 100 people, but it’s intentional.
What software and web services do you use?
We work with Microsoft products almost exclusively. We’ve found that our clients, from the largest companies in Brazil to some of the smallest, have found ways to use the same Microsoft tools. I think that speaks to their flexibility and intelligent design.
What do you love about them?
All Microsoft products are starting to work together! We’re really enjoying the deep integration that they have with one another. It helps when you don’t have to jump from platform to platform and can stay consistent with one.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“The Four Steps to the Epiphany” by Steve Blank. Steve, as every entrepreneur knows, invented the Lean Startup. This book delves into both strategy and tactics, even including actual steps to follow in figuring out the right market and product that your startup should focus on. Avoid common mistakes and follow the customer to success!
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
I’m a huge fan of Jeff Walker and his Product Launch Formula. He’s truly a visionary who can provide guidance to any entrepreneur regardless of niche or audience. Check him out at .
Connect:
Goboxi on Facebook:
Goboxi on Twitter: @Goboxi
Christian on Facebook:
Christian on Twitter: @christiantriad
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.