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Content-curation site Spundge sees move to its platform as replacement
There may be a lot of people disgruntled by Google's announcement that it will kill off Google Reader in July – but the folks at Montreal-based content-curation startup Spundge are likely not among them.
The startup has already jumped on opportunity for those in search of a replacement for Google's service for their RSS feeds, immediately releasing a video on its blog with a step-by-step guide demonstrating how to switch over to its platform to use as a "feed reader, as well as a place to curate, share and create content."
And, as TechVibes reports and the startup, launched in 2011, says on its blog, in a mere 24 hours, more than 10,000 RSS feeds took up its suggestion to be imported into Spundge during what the startup called "the Great Reader Exodus of 2013."
Spundge, which first went after journalists, had already earned some positive press, such as this and this.
There are, of course, other Google Reader alternatives, as, for instance this PC World piece and this Fox News piece suggest. Spundge, naturally, hopes it will be a destination of choice. "Keep 'em coming," it urges on its blog.
Hiring and firing insights from Zappos's Tony Hsieh
Making the wrong hires can be costly for any company. In fact, hiring errors have cost Zappos more than $100-million, estimates Tony Hsieh, the CEO of the online shoe and clothing seller in this video on Inc., in which he also has some advice for startups and entrepreneurs: Avoid the temptation just to get warm bodies on board as fast as possible and drag your feet when it comes to getting rid of those who are not right.
"Instead of trying to hire quickly and fire slowly, really, it should be the reverse," he says in the video. "We should hire slowly and fire quickly when it's not the right decision." In another Inc. video, he also reveals the importance of cultural fit to Zappos's hiring and firing.
The scent of maple, in a perfume
Two family businesses, Quebec-based Sucrerie de la Montagne and France's Parfumerie Galimard , have teamed up to create a new perfume called Attire-Moi that "captures wood fires, sugar aromas and the earth soul of the Quebec maple forest," according to a release.
KEY EVENTS AND DATES
What would you do with $100,000? Start by entering Challenge contest
The Globe and Mail and Telus Corp. have launched their third annual Small Business Challenge contest, with a $100,000 business grant up for grabs. Businesses that want to apply need to describe the biggest challenge they are now facing, and how such a sum would help them overcome it. The contest, running until May 27, is open to small businesses across the country, except in Quebec, with fewer than 150 employees. What will judges be looking for? Find some clues here. How to enter? Have a read here. Want some more insights? Watch this video. For more information and to enter, click here.
East Coast Startup Week nears
It's almost time for Fredericton to play host to the first East Coast Startup Week, running from tomorrow to March 24. It will include a lineup of speakers, demos, mentoring, competition, and a startup weekend, all aimed at boosting entrepreneurship. For more information and registration, click here .
EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS
Canada's video-game industry ranks No. 3 worldwide
Check out this infographic offering a snapshot of the computer and video-game market, offering key findings from a report. As part of a look this week at the business of gaming, also read this piece about how mobile devices have given birth to a new generation of indie game makers.
FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES
A second generation makes radical change
In many family companies, offspring come on board simply by birthright, and continue business as usual. In rarer instances, the next generation exhibits true entrepreneurial spirit to dramatically transform the company, as reported in this piece published in January, 2012.
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