How I Succeeded: ShareRing’s Tim Bos

How I Succeeded is a regular series on Lifehacker where we ask business leaders for the secrets and tactics behind their success. Today: Tim Bos co-founder and CEO of ShareRing.

Current gig: CEO and co-founder at ShareRing

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Location: Sydney and Brisbane, Australia

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Current mobile device: Samsung Galaxy S9+ (HK dual sim version.) I’m using the HK version of the phone because it supports dual SIM, which is essential for all the travel that I do. I’ve been a fan of the Samsung ecosystem for quite some time. They’re leading edge, fast, have a great camera and a good screen (great for demos), plus I like the convenience of using Samsung Pay and Android Pay for easy tap and go payments. I also love the fact that you can plug the phone into a monitor to use it as a basic computer. I do this quite a lot when travelling.

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Current computer: This is a bit of a sore point. I had a Microsoft Surface Laptop that I liked a lot until the SSD decided to stop working (thank goodness for backups!). I then changed to a Huawei Matebook X, which was fantastic (except for the terrible camera) until it was stolen. Now I’m using a Dell XPS13, which is OK-the camera position is terrible though, and the laptop seems a little underpowered.

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One word that best describes how you work: Passionately (I asked around the office and they all came back with this word!)

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What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Email, Slack, WhatsApp, WeChat (when in China), Google Maps, Calendar, Go-Jek/Uber/Grab/Didi.

What social network do you find most useful?

Twitter. It allows me to get a barometer reading on topics at a glance. LinkedIn would’ve been first, but I receive too much spam from outsourcers, marketers etc trying to sell to me-it’s hard to sort through the junk.

What were the most important lessons you learned while growing your business?

Nothing beats perseverance and hard work. It really does take about 10 years to be an overnight success, and you won’t get there if you’re not 100% committed to your long-term goals. You also won’t get there unless you have an amazing team of staff that share your drive and passion.

What has been the most surprising part of your business journey?

I think the most surprising thing for me is how passionate my staff are about what we’re going to achieve with ShareRing and my other company Keaz. I’ve also been surprised at how many ‘followers’ we have gained in the community. It’s great that we have so many people around the world that want to help us achieve our goals of reducing unnecessary waste.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Finding an answer to any question. I seem to have an amazing knack for either remembering answers to useless trivia/questions, or finding the answer to a completely obtuse question online.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I travel a lot so my body clock is completely destroyed. Generally, get to bed at around 12:30-1am and up by 6.30 or 7am at the latest.