Square Inc.
Lately I have been looking around and brainstorming a new way by which I could earn some extra cash, but I have been intent on the fact that the process must be enjoyable and further my experience within my disciple. The ideal job I was looking for really centered on a new or innovative opportunity whether self-created or from an outside firm. The only problem is that Cedarville, OH isn’t exactly Silicon Valley and I only have 5-6 months left before I move into real life. Basically, in this environment it was going to be very difficult to find my ideal experience. Then saving grace appeared in the form of one of the shining stars of the startup world, Square Inc.
Jack Dorsey was hot off his success as the creator and co-founder of social network Twitter, when he heard about a dilemma that a friend of his had recently experienced. His friend was an artist and had come across someone who was excited to purchase some of his work. However, because he was a small time merchant he did not accept credit cards and so he lost the sale. Dorsey, who year after year resolves his life to a motto of simplification, saw there had to be a way to make this process easier. He thought that if people have these complex machines in their pockets, in the form of cell phones, then there must be way to harness this power into a solution for the small business owner’s credit card issues. Dorsey created a prototype and Square was born.
Essentially Square is an app based credit card reader. Unlike conventional credit card readers it does not require a high start up cost, expensive reader, or ongoing fees. Instead Square Inc. allows the user to download their application for free to iOS and Android devices, ships a free card reader to the user, and, instead of high fees, takes a fee of 2.75% per transaction with no obligation or long term contract. Merchants simply swipe the credit card, allow the user to sign directly on the device, send an electronic receipt and the money is routed to a bank account which the user has set up to receive credit funds.
As for my role with this company, I have been hired for 5-6 months to be part of the first class of a new marketing/sales program at Square called SquareU. My job is simple. Sign up new users whether that be at universities, local businesses, or events. This being my new job I will obviously be posting about it and its exciting future on my site. So please continue to look for more information and if you are interested in how you yourself can use Square to accept funds whether it be to collect rent, accept payments, or simply to use as it is needed please feel free to contact me. I am excited to be a part of the team at Square and interested to gain this experience as I continue to add experience as I transition into the “real world”.
Explore more about Square:
Twitter: @square
