It’s hot. Really, really hot.

So stay cool and get some reading done while you’ve got air conditioning. Here are some of the posts we found interesting and useful this week to get you started.

Photo credit: Kris Bradley

Here are 20 ways to motivate yourself.

Now that you’re motivated, set smart daily goals to move forward.

Don’t be a lousy leader.

Check out these website makeovers — what a difference color can make!

How do you train employees?

Corporate culture isn’t just for big businesses, so make yours great.

What lessons can we learn from Tina Fey’s Bossypants?

Have a great weekend, and stay cool!

Photo credit: Paul Gabriel Pasztor

Did you celebrate Bastille Day? Or are you just counting down the hours to the weekend? Here is our weekly round-up of posts we found interesting and useful this week:

Your website is good enough, right?

Are you a purple squirrel?

If you’re ever in charge of putting out fires at work, here are some tips to help.

How are small businesses performing in 2011? Here’s an infographic to explain based on aggregate QuickBooks data.

Interactive graphics more your style? Here’s one showing statistics of employment over the last two years.

Everyone is still new to Google+ and here are two articles about why we want to join and how to use Google+ for business.

Photo credit: Kelly Hofer

Happy Canada Day to our customers and friends “up north!”

While they’re off relaxing (nice, eh?), here’s some reading to get you through your Friday to the long weekend.

If you’re a freelancer or independent contractor these are blogs you want to read.

The customer isn’t always right, but sometimes they’re just not the right customer.

Don’t make the 5 copywriting errors that can ruin your website.

What’s your response to, “OK, now what?”

The search for professional significance.

Leave yourself some white space.

Have a great holiday weekend no matter which side of the border you’re on!

Photo credit: Charity Kennedy

It’s Friday! Here is some reading to get you to the weekend.

Hopeless idealism or authentic prosperity?

Interesting observations on how women and men respond differently to marketing.

All small businesses could us 10 tips for finding new clients.

Traveling this summer? Whether for business or leisure, remember your tipping etiquette.

How to optimize your landing pages .

Viral marketing tips for B2B bloggers.

How are you spending the first full weekend of summer?

Photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Are you afraid to show vulnerability or admit mistakes at work?

How not to build Twitter relationships.

If you’re a freelancer, are your habits helping you or hurting you?

These are fun examples of guerilla marketing campaigns.

The economics of one of our favorite free tools, Dropbox.

And just for fun, a little background on DJ Dave, writer of the viral hit Whole Foods Parking Lot.

Is your business on Twitter? What’s your favorite Twitter chat? We’re digging #HBRchat, #b2bchat, and #kaizenblog these days. Hope to see you there!

One challenge here at the Holiday Cards Unlimited blog is how to be useful for you, our customers and readers. You are a diverse group representing grandparents, Fortune 500 companies, small independent medical practices, and large banks and universities, just to name a few.

However, we want to be a resource for all of you. Our Friday Favorites series will provide links to some of the content that we found interesting or useful this week, and we hope you agree. Please let us know in the comments if there is a topic you would like to see covered more; we’re happy to oblige!

This week’s roundup:

• An Email Checklist from Seth Godin (I might send this to my mother)
• Why Relationships Make Work More Enjoyable from David Nour
• How to Stay Motivated Through the Good and Bad Times from Monique Hayward at OPENForum
• Do You Think Your Customers Are Stupid? from Michael Schrage at Harvard Business Review
• Choosing Sustainability in an Uncertain Economy from Marcos Cordero at Intuit

What are you reading this week?