Morning Brew - 📚 Crack open a book(store)

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

Pack with purpose using these snazzy packing cubes, which have compartments to keep your unmentionables separate from your mentionables. (Psst: To totally optimize your trip, check out our round-up of must-haves.)

Nail your next job interview with Google’s warm-up tool. It helps you practice asking and answering questions until your elevator pitch is *chef’s kiss* perfecto.

Leave brain-picking to neurosurgeons. If you want career advice or have questions, just ask. Here’s how to do it like a normal human being.

“I wasn’t gung ho about the idea of entrepreneurship. It was more like a means to an end [to bring] this concept, this company into the world…It felt very natural to me. And I think that’s what helped it feel less like I was walking into an abyss.”

Bio: Clare Carroll is the 25-year-old founder of internet indie bookstore Folio. She left her job as an IBM associate consultant to pursue her dream business, and she’s been operating it out of her NYC apartment since August 2021. Think of Folio like the cooler, digital younger sister of Barnes & Noble. With a fun book match quiz and shelf categories like “female manipulator narrative,” “dark humor,” and “chaotic,” the site is beautiful to look at and a joy to browse.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Taming the night owl: “Around 10pm I’ll often get into a five-hour work session, when I get a million things done. It’s a little difficult because that’s not when normal people are awake, let alone working. I’ve had to adjust my schedule [and] realize that not everyone is their most creative at 2am like I am.”

Folio’s first inklings: “During the summer of 2020, all buying shifted to online. And I was back to reading a lot…That’s when I realized there weren’t a ton of great options for buying books online, especially compared to clothing, makeup, and all the other things. I couldn’t believe there weren’t any companies focusing on this target demographic of young women, who in particular, buy a lot of books and talk a lot about them.”

Books as roommates: “I keep a physical inventory of books, and I think that’s different from most book-related startups. I rented this apartment specifically because it had enough room to make a ‘warehouse.’ I suppose I can say that a quirk of my supply chain is that I have everything. I have 1,000 books as roommates, essentially.”

Being your own boss: “As a founder, you have to be comfortable setting your own goals.  When you’re coming from a corporate environment, you have to [hold] yourself accountable, which has been an interesting change for me. You kind of turn into your own boss. A lot of people see that as the reason [to not] go into entrepreneurship. [I see it as] more of a quirk.”

Room for improvement: “Managing a social life and owning a business is tough. If I’m not working every single day, some things don’t happen. I have to keep pushing this train up a hill because, if I don’t, it’s going to fall back down. I think as you grow your team and hire more competent people, some of that burden comes off your shoulders. Obviously, the buck stops at you, but it’s that day-to-day work that gets a little bit easier over time.”

On her reading list: “Elif Batuman wrote a book called The Idiot a couple years back, and the sequel to that, Either/Or, just came out. I’m about three-quarters of the way through that. I actually put down The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald in order to read Either/Or, so [they’re both] on my bedside table.”—MW

Burning questions of our time.

Dealing with scandals at work:

If your boss violates trading laws on Twitter like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, or your company’s internal decisions become a lightning rod for controversy (looking at you, Netflix), all the bad publicity could have big implications for your career…especially if it destroys the public trust in your employer completely. While some peace out when their boss gets messy on main, many employees find disavowing a former employer’s sins really hard (just look at how difficult it was for ex-Theranos employees after that mess).

Would you stick by an employer embroiled in a scandal? Or would you press eject on your employee seat ASAP? Send your thoughts by Replying to this email. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, feel free to share how you reacted!—MW

And now, your thoughts on payday frequency:

“I prefer biweekly pay. I used 24 checks to set my monthly budget, and so twice a year, [I was giving myself an] extra check as a little bonus. This helped me make progress on financial goals, or more realistically, [give] a gift to myself. I recently moved to a new company [with] 2x/month pay, so I’ve lost the ‘bonus,’ but now I’m less likely to blow my money on something I don’t need.”—Karsa

“After working in both the HR department and contact center, I’ve realized giving employees the option to choose their pay period is what really matters most. My company offers both biweekly and weekly pay, [and it’s] nice to know that you have the choice to make!”—Makayla

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Read: You know that feeling when a dog looks so cute you want to smoooosh it? That’s cuteness aggression. And according to this article by Eye on Design, the pandemic made us even crazier about our adorable furballs, spawning a whole booming market for pet portraits. And puppy NSync shirts. (Fine—that’s just me.)

Watch: IDK about y’all, but when I get invited somewhere new, I check Street View on Google Maps to do a vibe check. See how Google gets all those images.

Drink: If you’re looking for a fresh, homemade soft drink, skip the “healthy soda” trend on TikTok and sip on this Grapefruit Rosemary Lemonade Sparkler instead.

Learn: Become a better leader with Learning@Morning Brew’s Accelerator programs. Tap into your personal board of directors, solve your stickiest leadership challenges with help from group coaching sessions, or harness data to solve gnarly finance problems and impact business strategy. Get your early-bird discount today!