I’d be happy to answer any questions and give some free guidance. I’ve run my own brick and mortar retail shop with 15 employees for 20 years now.
Unfortunately the hardest part of retail is that first year and trying to get people to walk in. Requires conviction and not have a great location is an issue.
What sets her linens apart from online retailers and other linens? What marketing is she planning on doing to express what her products are and why they are better, to the correct audience? Why did she even choose linens? Was there a demand of sorts that wasn’t being met by current retailers in the area?
Build your conviction, build your story, hone in on what sets you apart, and do whatever it takes to increase volume in the beginning, word of mouth is still the best marketing.
Once those steps are complete she can start talking about finances and margins and getting organized.
I’ll throw in a few ideas.
First, her competitive advantage has to be the service and care she provides to her clients. The ability to find the perfect sheets for each person all the while they have fun shopping. This kind of service provides the ultimate marketing: word of mouth.
Second she should do whatever it takes to get her google reviews up. This builds a lot of trust.
I hate to say it but I doubt there are any books that can really teach someone how to have an entrepreneurial mindset. You just have to have conviction and be hungry.
Once business takes off there are more academic things to look at that can help organize the books and streamline processes etc.