Summer Reading: 5 Musts for Retailers

For retailers, summertime often means sales time, tourist season, or a few weeks to prepare for a busy season ahead. During the dog days of summer, we hope they take some time to kick back and relax! Local book stores are great places to cool off, browse a little, and get expert advice from passionate readers. Whether you’re a store manager, owner, or contemplating a new venture, here are five great reads containing business tips and inspiration you can absorb while enjoying some well-deserved R&R.

1) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
-By Stephen Covey

Our social media feeds have inundated us with lists over the past couple of years. Here’s a list that will keep your attention longer than a BuzzFeed page (and it’s probably more useful). This best seller balances anecdotes and theories, and has been described as “life changing”.

2) Pop-Up Retail: How You Can Master this Global Marketing Phenomenon
-By Christina Norsig

The pop-up shop trend isn’t about to slow down, so if you haven’t considered looking into opening your first pop-up, it’s time you did. This book acts as a step-by-step guide for first-timers, covering everything from choosing a location to how to market your temporary store.

3) The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies
-By Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee

For better or for worse, modern technology has had the biggest impact on our lives and economy since the industrial revolution. This year’s release will trigger your thoughts on how tech innovations have changed societies, and how we can adapt for the future.

4) David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
-By Malcolm Gladwell

It is summer, after all; complement that weighty philosophical reading with something light and fun! Malcolm Gladwell’s books contain highly entertaining anecdotes, while remaining inspiring and thought provoking. This book explores the phenomena of advantages and disadvantages, and how to play with (or against) them to end up as a winner.

5) Think and Grow Rich
-By Napoleon Hill

An oldie but a goodie, Think and Grow Rich has topped the charts as a must-read for entrepreneurs since 1937. Long before the cult-like following of the theories revealed in “The Secret”, Dr. Hill explained the power of positive thinking and creating your own successful realities through desire.