Toronto-based Jacqueline Leung started Pressed because she finds the news “tedious and boring, but understand it’s a necessity to stay up to date on world issues, especially while trying to build credibility in a growing career.” Short, concise, and written in real words, Pressed makes news easily digestible. We chatted with Leung this week.

Can you walk us through a typical day in your life?

My alarm goes off at 5AM; one snooze, then I’m up. I am the founder of a startup called Pressed. It’s a daily news source that delivers real news in real words to inboxes every day. I want to ensure that every day’s issue is up to date with the latest information, so I need to be up early to make sure I cover anything that happened overnight. One more thorough edit, and Pressed is sent to inboxes by 6:30AM.

Breakfast. Coffee. Then, off to my 9-5.

Since Pressed is a young startup, it’s important for me to continue to bring in a steady income. Every entrepreneur does it differently, but I look at my 9-5 as something that allows me to 1) continue developing my skills (I work in marketing), and 2) invest my own money into my own startup.

Stories for Pressed are chosen as they happen throughout the day. In the evenings, I answer all my Pressed related emails, take meetings, and get ready for a night of writing and editing.

What has been your education/career trajectory thus far?

I went to Western University and completed a degree in Media. When I was young, I really wanted to be an event planner, so I ran a few large fashion shows and started my own dance team at Western. When I graduated, I started my career in advertising before moving over to the corporate world – working in marketing in industries like sports, retail, and media.

What is the best advice given to you in relation to your career?

If it doesn’t scare you, it’s probably not worth doing.

Any advice for other young women starting out in your field?

Don’t waste your time doubting yourself. There will be enough people trying to do that for you. If you believe in what you’re doing, even a little, just try. Try your best, and no matter what happens, it will be worth it.

What have you learned about yourself from running your own company?

Sometimes when people get comfortable in a corporate type job, it’s easy for them to work only to the standard that is expected of them. Running my own company has stretched me to the limit. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the past year, but mostly, that I’m only limited by what I tell myself I’m limited by. So cheesy! But, so true!

What gave you the idea to start Pressed?

The idea to start Pressed came to me during the Canadian elections last year. I was trying to find information on the candidates, but couldn’t find anything that was concise and easy to understand.

So, I pretty much started Pressed because it’s something I need. I find the news, in general, tedious and boring; but understand it’s a necessity to stay up to date on world issues, especially while trying to build credibility in a growing career. When I started building out the concept last year, I found out that many people felt the same way.

The objective of Pressed is to make the news easy and interesting for people to follow. We want to arm people with just enough information to have intelligent conversations with colleagues and friends throughout the day. Pressed makes it easy for people who don’t have a lot of time or patience – 5 stories a day that will make you smarter, written in real words. And? We focus on what matters to Canadians. So, next time Canada elects a new Prime Minister? You better believe Pressed will be covering it.