Munch.
An issue of The Cereal Intern… at night!?
I’m Jeremy, your Cereal Intern. Not yet subscribed? Come and join the movement 🙏
Yeah, I’m A/B testing with some publication timing (i.e. I definitely didn’t zone out on writing an issue this morning).
Black lives matter. Check out this page to help and support. Don’t let this be a moment.
🥄 Today's Spoonful
Google is working on a ‘new news experience’ with paid publishing 💰
The project will supposedly first launch on Google News and Discover and will:
“help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests.” (source)
Payment for publication has always been a touchy topic for publishers (see this article on Google getting absolutely sniped by France), so it’ll be interesting to see how the news world reacts to this new information. Either way, I could always go for a more enhanced storytelling experience. 🤷♂️
Apple unveiled Big Sur last week, proving they’re definitely out of big cat names. 🦁
Instead, Apple is continuing its trend of naming its updates after beautiful spots in Cali. I mean, look at the dang UI:
You can see tons of little aesthetic changes here and there, including rounded corners (I love) and rounded icons (I love). Next thing we know, the laptops will be rounded too.
This is not to mention other recent fire updates from 🍎 , including Google Chrome Extensions and Face ID for Safari 14. Big changes! We’ll loop back on these updates and tell you how Safari and Chrome downloads fare in a few weeks. Keep an eye out 👀
YouTube is jumping into the short video game with a new test feature.
Our pals over at YouTube just announced that it is testing a new feature on mobile that would allow users to record 15-second long videos. That’s about the same length as TikTok’s viral engine… and Instagram’s ‘Reels’ platform (their what now?).
Somebody say jealous much? 🤭
In other news, bye-bye Microsoft stores!
Microsoft recently announced that a majority of its retail locations will be closing down for good. The few flagship locations that remain, such as in London and NYC, will be converted into ‘experience centers’ for people to interact with Microsoft products and even take lessons!
Feel free to read more about their new storefront experience here.
🥣 Cereal of the Day
Squire, a barbershop management tool (yes, it’s a viable business), has had quite an eventful operating history, despite only launching in 2016. Some fascinating stuff happening over in their camp. Let’s take a look.
Squire is a back-end barbershop management tool that helps businesses book appointments, run loyalty programs, and even offer contactless payment.
And it’s a pretty hefty market with surprisingly low competitive entry. Larger entities like Square and Stripe, for example, aren’t tailored to barbershop storefronts, which have long served as gathering places for Black and African-American communities. Squire is the only payment and management system that caters directly to barbershops.
The founders, Dave Salvant and Songe LaRon, raised $34M in a Series B for their company this past March… right before COVID-19 hit. Cashflow for the startup stopped almost instantly as barbershops all across the states closed for business.
But Squire’s pivot was sensational — in the next few weeks, they waived all subscription fees, created www.helpbarbershops.com, and launched a help system enabling patrons to buy barbershops gift cards! According to TC, one barbershop sold more than $30,000 in just a few days.
It’s an awesome story about an awesome startup that is now seeing business flow again as businesses reopen. Fingers crossed for the team 🤞
Check Squire out here!
Coolness meter: Daaaayyuyyuuummmmm.
🍳 A Healthy Serving of...
I’ve had the incredible fortune of meeting amazing career mentors.
But believe me, there’s more to it than just luck. I went out of my way constantly to network with professionals and industry leaders, and always did my best to manage up to product managers and other executives.
So, here’s lesson #14: Ask for that coffee chat.
It’s a remote world and, unfortunately, that means it can be difficult to get one-on-one face time with your co-workers. Don’t fall into the habit of going through the motions and attending your stand-ups just for the sake of saying you did.
Be intentional in everything you do. Your managers will notice it. Your co-workers will notice it. Your next recruiter will notice it. Your future employees will notice it.
““Intentionality opens doors!” Wayne Gretzky” ~ Michael Scott
Thanks for sticking with me and charging through this issue of The Cereal Intern. Keep on keepin’ on and eat your veggies <3
If you haven’t already, hit subscribe to get me in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Have any feedback or questions? Let me know in the comments!
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Munch.
The Cereal Intern.014