Ventureweek

From Canada Newswire

Menchie’s the fastest-growing self-serve frozen yogurt chain, today announced that it has signed an area development agreement to open additional Menchie’s franchises in the Toronto area. The deal was entered into between Yogurtworld Franchising Corp., the master franchisor of Menchie’s in Canada, and SJL Yogurt Inc., a Toronto based company.

The expansion of the Menchie’s brand in Canada continues with the signing of this five store development agreement in Toronto. “The first two stores in the greater Toronto area were met with such extraordinary crowds of customers that we immediately knew that our concept was well received in Canada. These five stores will be in addition to the two that are already open in the GTA,” stated Michael Shneer, president of Yogurtworld Franchising Corp.

Sam Lipson, partner in SJL Yogurt Inc. added, “We’ve been a customer of Menchie’s since they first opened. We would go there five times per week and every time we went in, the store was packed with happy customers. We loved it so much and saw how popular it was, that we decided that we wanted to get into this exciting and rewarding business.” Lipson’s partner, Jo Levitan added, “I can’t wait to bring the delicious fun of Menchie’s to new awaiting communities.”

Tungle allows users to make public the times they are free for meetings, and then allows others to schedule meetings around those times. It also allows people to see the availability of several Tungle users at once. The program works with most popular email programs. Tungle also has applications for BlackBerrys, iPhones, and the Android system.

Launched in June 2009, the company is on pace to hit one million users this year,

From 3R Sales & Marketing Online Blog

By: Simona Rusnakova

1. Organize a brainstorming with your co-workers, business partners, friends, relatives or even customers to find keywords relevant to your your business. Focus on the needs of customers, what they would type in when looking for products.
2. Check out your competitors’ websites for ideas. View the source HTML code and take a look at keywords in their meta tags (you will learn below how to do this). They could be a good tip for yours!
3. Try to make a list of 100 keywords minimum. It’s recommended to use a search term suggestion tool (such as Google Adwords Keyword Tool). It will give you an idea what your phrases have been searched for recently. Just make sure that you pick the appropriate location.

Dropbox

(Free) is the easiest way to sync and share your files online and across computers. View photos, videos, documents and presentations in your Dropbox on the go. Store your favorite files to download them for fast, offline viewing. This app requires a Dropbox account. If you don’t have one, the app allows you to create a free account.

Numbers

($9.99) is the most powerful spreadsheet app designed to work with iPad and Multi-Touch technology. With a few taps, you can create tables and charts, add photos and graphics, and enter and edit data.

With Numbers on iPad, you can open Numbers and Microsoft Excel files. It works the other way around, too. The spreadsheets you create in Numbers on your iPad can be sent as Numbers files, Excel files, or PDF documents. That way, whether you use a Mac or PC, you always have the flexibility to view and edit the spreadsheets you need right from your iPad.

Dropbox

(Free) is the easiest way to sync and share your files online and across computers. View photos, videos, documents and presentations in your Dropbox on the go. Store your favorite files to download them for fast, offline viewing. This app requires a Dropbox account. If you don’t have one, the app allows you to create a free account.

Aspiring mompreneurs once again have the opportunity to receive some funding through the Huggies MomInspired program. The program awards money to deserving moms with inventions or ideas that are inspired by motherhood.

“Our hope is to help these mom inventors jumpstart their journey, empowering them with the funds, confidence and resources to realize their dreams and share their unique perspective on parenting challenges,” says Steve Paljieg, senior director, corporate innovation for Kimberly-Clark. “Who knows how to solve child-rearing problems better than the moms who live them every day?”

GolfLogix’ is a popular Smartphone application that has interactive aerial images, 4-person scoring, extended pro-level statistic tracking, and complete app customization features.  The stat module includes, fairways hit, greens in regulations, putting outcomes, sand saves, scrambling percentages, and more.  These pro-level statistics and more are available on the free downloadable version as are all software upgrades and new feature releases. Golfers can download the application from the iTunes App Store and enjoy capturing their stats and scores immediately.  After the round, they can easily sync, analyze and share the information online on a personalized website within their online golf community hosted at golflogix.com

The company has also launched a betting component to the service and a weekly deal program on golf products and services. This is a great niche service that could work in any market. Golf has a massive and growing following.

Tweeting is an essential aspect of any social media plan. But when should you do it? How often? Social media expert Dan Zarella, has come up with some key facts on when to tweet for maximum results.

1. Tweeting later in the day and later in the week results in more retweets.
2. The click-through rate on links tends to decline as more links are tweeted per hour. After about six links per hour, click-throughs essentially drop off.
3. Still, tweeting more frequently leads to more followers, but Facebook is a different story: Too many posts on Facebook can more easily alienate people.
4. More people tend to open marketing emails in the early morning than any other time during the day. Weekends also appear to be effective for emails.
5. Weekends are an ideal time for sharing on Facebook.

Joint ventures are very common in building and funding new projects or products.  Like any other business strategy, a joint venture has to be well thought out and executed with the right partner and have the proper safeguards. Here are  a few tips.

Choose your partner carefully:

Choosing a partner that fits your needs is the essential first step.  Look for a partner that has the same goal in mind that you have but offers a different set of skills that can develop your project.

Get a proffesional support:

Attain the necessary professional support that you need to get the deal done. Utilize lawyers and accountants who specialize in these types of alliances. Due your due diligence.

Set a Date:

An effective  partnership should have a definitive beginning and end, even if the ending date is simply a time
to review the agreement and determine if it will stop or continue. These specific dates offer protection and an out
to both partners in case the partnership does not proceed as planned.

Google has bought Canada-based mobile music streaming service PushLife, a mobile startup founded in 2008 by ex-RIM  executive Ray Reddy.

In official announcement on the homepage of PushLife, financial terms of the deal are not disclosed. But a report in the blog StartupNorth, which broke the news before the official announcement, said its sources put the value at around $25 million. Rumours persist that Google is getting ready to launch a music service. Stau tuned…..