Banking

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 were represented as authentically as possible. We honed the creative in lock-step with Square’s internal team, from script workshopping to casting to the final edit. All of it in service of 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.