This week, we present you Shelley Montreuil and her company, Shelley Montreuil, PMP (https://shelleymontreuil.com/). Shelley joined as a PEIBWA Member in March 2022.
Name of Business: Shelley Montreuil, PMP
What kind of work did you do in the past and what inspired you to start your own business?
I have always been self-employed in one way or another as a restaurateur, web developer and a musician but I have also taken time to work in capital campaign fundraising. Most recently I spent some time up in Iqaluit, NU working as a correctional officer and now I am back on the Island revisiting my web career and growing organic haskaps.
How long have you owned your business?
I ran a successful web development business in Ontario (OnCouRSS Media Solutions) for ten years before selling it and running off to be a musician (Yo Mama, Fluffy Little Cowboys). This new iteration of my web development career is only a year old but I have been working in the field for over fifteen years.
What challenges have you overcome?
Web development is a decidedly male-dominated industry. I have had to navigate that and the preconceptions that come with it for most of my career. But I have found that focusing on the facts and over-delivering on promises does a lot to instill confidence and encourage customer loyalty.
What have your successes been?
OnCouRSS was the developer of choice for a number of high-profile clients in the Lanark County, ON area, most notably Lanark County Tourism. I worked with them to integrate their third-party tourism database into a beautiful, streamlined website experience. And most recently I had the opportunity to develop the website and ecommerce solution for Growers Station – PEI’s new organic growers cooperative.
Have you had any unexpected surprises?
Hmmmmm, unexpected surprises … I don’t really know. When you run your own business it seems that every day is full of unexpected surprises so none really stand out amongst the others for me, though I would have to say that having that kind of diversity in my day is one of the reasons I love working for myself.
What services does your business provide?
I specialize in building custom WordPress websites (themes). I integrate custom functionality such as ecommerce and membership while paying close attention to design. I have also spent quite a bit of time helping my clients to streamline their online assets ie: hosting, email and domain registration – I find that people often pay much more than they need to for their website services simply because they are not aware of their options.
Recently I have been creating custom tutorial videos for clients – this is helping them to streamline their own client onboarding and to save time and money in the process.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
Web development is one of those services that is a little bit of a mystery to many people so when they come to me looking to get a specific job done I take the time to understand their needs in relation to their objectives. If there is a way to save them time and money in the long term or just generally a better, easier way to get the job done then I will bring it to their attention and review their options with them – even if that means they may not engage me or my services.
When I build a website for a client I create a custom dashboard with links to all the important areas of their site and tutorial videos on how to manage their site moving forward (because it is easy to forget how to update your website when you don’t do it every day).
What areas do you serve?
My services are primarily online so I am able to serve clients from anywhere in the world.
How can people contact you?
