January 20, 2022
“Like the sea, the growth potential we offer our clients knows no limit. Our model works through a distributed network of design & marketing professionals throughout Nova Scotia, Toronto, ON and New Jersey, USA. Together, we bring clients the most amazing results for a digitally connected world.”
– Shelley Bellefontaine
Since starting Atlantic Online in 2010, Shelley Bellefontaine has found her calling helping small businesses reach their full potential. Labelled as “digital marketing geeks” long before it was considered cool to build websites, Shelley and her team have helped position numerous Atlantic Canadian organizations for growth with online marketing strategies that simply work. This month, Digital Nova Scotia had the opportunity to ask Shelley a few questions and get a feel for what makes Atlantic Online so successful.
Shelley began her career working as a programmer for the Department of National Defense, until the birth of her son prompted a change in her career path. It was then that Shelley began to migrate towards web design, opting to resume her studies at Dalhousie University where she acquired a Webmaster Certification. With her new qualifications, Shelley dove head first into the industry and founded Atlantic Online. Looking back, Shelley is grateful to be where she is today, telling DNS that she’s been “very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with numerous small businesses and organizations who needed custom websites and other digital marketing solutions.”
Atlantic Online serves clients under two brands – AtlanticOnline.ca for corporate, industrial & small business clients, and THERASOL | MarketingForTherapists.ca which offers digital marketing solutions and content development specifically for registered counselling therapists in Canada. For years, Shelley has helped transform start-ups and small businesses into industry leaders, creating and managing digital marketing initiatives with the end goal of achieving consistent online growth for her clients.
When discussing what makes the company unique, Shelley emphasized three key elements of Atlantic Online’s service. Firstly, Atlantic Online cares deeply about the success of its clients and only works with organizations whose products will have a positive impact on communities. Secondly, Atlantic Online places great value on the importance of accessibility, striving to make online marketing affordable for business owners, without complicated pricing. Finally, most importantly, Atlantic Online trains their clients to update and manage what they create, even if the client has no prior experience with web design.
“For us, success is achieved through growth, and projections for this year are looking good! We align ourselves with organizations that are leaders in their own right; when in good company, we believe good things can evolve.”
– Shelley Bellefontaine
Each day, Shelley is amazed at the brilliance of small business owners. She credits her clients with driving her interest and motivation toward Atlantic Online, saying that “their passion for what they do is electric and contagious, in a good way!” Having met many great people through her work, Shelley feels inspired by her clients to continue applying aesthetics to technology to create visually appealing marketing solutions that are technically strong. Her faith in herself and her clients has made Shelley very optimistic about what’s to come next for the company, and for Nova Scotian small business as a whole.
“I am very much looking forward to the growth potential on the horizon, not just for myself, but for the amazing business owners that are coming into their own and growing by leaps & bounds online.”
– Shelley Bellefontaine
Another source of inspiration for Shelley is the strength and entrepreneurial fabric of the province. In her own words, Shelley is “proud to have grown Atlantic Online here along the shores of Atlantic Canada.” Atlantic Online is built as a “big-agency alternative,” and the close sense of community in Nova Scotia’s business environment is a driving force for the company.
“When I look out my office window and see the ocean or walk along the shores and smell the incredible aroma of salt, sand, and sea, I realize how incredibly lucky I am to live and work in such a strong and beautiful part of Canada.”
– Shelley Bellefontaine
Digital Nova Scotia would like to extend a big thanks to Shelley Bellefontaine for taking the time to answer our questions. We are also excited to share that Atlantic Online will soon be launching a brand new coaching portal for small businesses. If you or someone you know is a small business owner in need of digital marketing solutions, we highly recommend connecting to see what Atlantic online can do for you!