SQUARE BANKING

2021

There’s no one-size-fits-all method to running a small business, especially when the work  can range from crafting hundreds of chicken biscuits per day to offering a bespoke salon experience. For Square’s launch of their Banking platform, Grand Crew was tapped to highlight the lived experiences of business owners, merging documentary storytelling with authentic examples of Square’s real-life advantages.

Natanya Montgomery’s ‘Naza Beauty’ is a business by and for Black women. She wears many hats: creative director, CFO, bench brusher and vibe setter. Across the country, Melvin ‘Boots’ Johnson starts his days at the crack of dawn to make biscuit sandwiches that demand lines around his Harlem corner.

Over the weeks leading up to the shoot, Grand Crew interviewed Montgomery and Johnson extensively, to be sure their voices became represented exactly as authentically as possible. This process unearthed many nuances - from Boots’s packed-to-the-brim Smart Car to Montgomery’s daily stretch routine with her stylists - and gave us an opportunity to discover where Square’s product became essential to their business, from Naza’s point-of-sale needs at the salon, to Boots’ cash flow management.

Grand Crew honed the creative in lock-step with Square’s internal team, inclusive of script workshopping, casting, and the final edit. All of this to give an honest portrayal of what it's like to live the joyful craze of running a small business, and how Square folds seamlessly into the mix.