As an independent retailer, maker or creator - budgets are tight but staying on top of trends is key.
I know that I'm hesitant to invest in training and education on retail unless it's proven itself to be of massive value.
We've created our must-read blogs for independent retailers. Enjoy!
Marketing & Sales
Multichannel Merchant - for everything multichannel/omnichannel ... pure retail gold
Indie Retail Academy - she's a shop owner dishing advice on how to sell wholesale. Very cool.
Marie Forleo - I've taken Marie's B-School, and she means business. Although her focus is primarily on service oriented businesses, many of her tips and advice are universally applicable, not to mention completely entertaining!
Marketing Magazine - online edition is good. It's a bit skewed to big brands but there is content that can be leveraged by smaller businesses.
Digital / Social Media
Gary Vaynerchuk - he took his family's wine business and grew it to $300 Million+ leveraging social media. No nonsense advice.
Social Media Today - an almost totally FREE website with free webinars, ebooks, presentations... omg. I could spend hours on here, but maybe that's just the business geek in me coming out!
Retail Customer Experience - if you're not familiar with the term "customer experience", you should be. Let RCE educate you on why this is the key movement in the retail industry.
General Business & Operations
Independent Retailer - has subscription and free options. Oodles of retail-related content.
NRF's Blog - National Retail Federation's blog on trends and legislation in retail. A Must follow.
Forrester's Retail Blog - A big-deal research house, Forrester has a wealth of content, much based on their findings and research in the areas of retail and marketing.
Retailing Today - the go to mag for retailers in the industry. Geared towards mass merchants but good information on trends.
Mind, Body, Soul
Danielle Laporte - her book, the Desire Map is a must-read if you're starting a business to help you build your goals around how you want to feel in your business instead of monetary and material accomplishments.
Any other MUST-READ blogs on your list? Share them in the comments!
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