Toys R Us has teamed with startup b8ta on its return to brick-and-mortar retail in an effort to shore up its relationships with vendors that were strained during the toy retailer's 2017 bankruptcy. With b8ta, Toys R Us will focus on experience and analytics in its new stores, and vendors will have more control over product displays.

B2B sellers are most successful when they focus on their clients' success instead of their own, writes Anthony Iannarino. Sales professionals should start conversations off with strategic outcomes in mind and work backward to the solution being offered, Iannarino writes.

Female leaders in your organization might not be getting as many training and development opportunities as men, which is inequitable as well as a potential retention problem, writes Alaina Love. "Development plans should be forward-focused and include stretch assignments, exposure to senior leadership and projects that allow women to practice skills they will need for advanced roles," she writes.

Employers set a transactional tone during onboarding with a handbook of policies and requiring new employees to sign an acknowledgment of employment as at-will, writes former employment attorney Jathan Janove. By creating a more positive onboarding tone, employers may generate more employee loyalty, but legal disclaimers for at-will employment exist to protect employers from litigation.

Sales reps should avoid promising discounts to clients before negotiations begin as doing so shifts the conversation from value to price while compromising bargaining power, writes Michael Pici. If the buyer asks about discounts, reps should ask whether price is a major barrier to the purchase or change the focus to whether the solution is a good fit for the customer's needs, Pici writes.

Five founders share what they do when they feel burnout encroaching. Their strategies include playing or watching basketball, taking long walks, and watching "Shark Tank."

Alibaba will allow US-based businesses to sell on its platform, and the Chinese e-commerce company is especially interested in wholesalers, manufacturers and distributors. Alibaba will charge a membership fee of about $2,000 for US sellers.

Attorney and accountant Mark Kohler highlights often-overlooked tax deductions for businesses. Keep thorough records, and check for possible write-offs for travel, meals, phone and internet service, and technology costs, he writes.

An exit strategy deserves as much planning as the growth strategy did, consultant Serenity Gibbons writes. She suggests three things to do before selling a business, starting with considering who will take the reins.

After a trip to England 19 years ago, Suzy Shaw tapped into her passion for dance to open Emerald City Dance Explosion in Greenwood, S.C. "My job is my passion, it's my life. I love it with everything in my whole soul," she said.