When Ronda Bellefontaine found herself tackling house chores instead of barn tasks as a teenager on her family鈥檚 dairy farm in Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotiq, she knew that becoming a farmer herself wasn鈥檛 her calling. What she didn鈥檛 realize was this was actually an early indicator of the role she would go on to play in agriculture over the course of her career: providing much-needed business management support to farmers.
鈥淭here are some very good farm business managers out there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚ntuitively, farmers know what their financial situation is. However, in my experience, the focus tends to be more on production and production technology, and less on the financial management side. I think farmers can underestimate the value that lies in good record keeping and analysis of their information 鈥� financial, production or other.鈥�
Ronda did set out on a different path following high school, starting her post-secondary studies in business administration. However, it wasn鈥檛 long before she felt a pull back to agriculture and as a result, drawn to agricultural business and economics at Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) 鈥� now Dal's Faculty of Agriculture.
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting to look back now, because I was never someone who had a grand vision of what I wanted to be in my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just followed my nose and that鈥檚 how I ended up at NSAC.鈥�
A first
Ronda is a member of a special class in Agricultural Campus history 鈥� the class of 1985, which was the first cohort to complete the full degree program offered on campus. She recalls completing an intake interview after applying and at the end of the program, she was one of the first women to cross the stage with a full NSAC degree during Convocation.
She credits the wide range of learning opportunities provided during her studies for setting her on a path to success in her career.
鈥淲hen I look back, what really stands out for me was the breadth of the program,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 think I took a course in every discipline: animal science, plant science, engineering, humanities and of course the core courses. I was interested in everything, so I took as many electives as possible. It wasn鈥檛 really intentional, it just happened organically.鈥�
Ronda鈥檚 interest in everything would serve her well in the years following. A self-proclaimed generalist, she has worked in most areas of the agriculture industry. Whether in government or industry positions in the early years of her career first in Nova Scotia and then in Prince Edward Island, or when she launched her own business in 2007, being able to speak to all facets of the industry gave her more credibility.
Modernizing ag-based businesses
Following graduation, Ronda spent time working with 4-H, the beef industry, in marketing and in farm business management, which covered a wide range of projects, including supporting farmers in adopting computer and internet-based practices. This is where she found her niche.
In 2007, Ronda took a two-year leave of absence from her position with the PEI Department of Agriculture. Seeing the need for support for financial management on farms, especially in the rapidly changing era of the computer, Ronda launched her own venture to help address this challenge.
Like Nobody鈥檚 Business was born.
鈥淚 started out with major project contracts,鈥� she explained. 鈥淏ut then I started training people in computerized accounting and it became clear that lots of farmers didn鈥檛 have knowledge in accounting. I built up a clientele fairly quickly, and what happened was many of those clients would just stay with me and I would go back two or three times a year to help them iron out kinks, deal with CRA, or whatever their question was.鈥�
As Ronda puts it, she works in a space between bookkeeping and accounting. Like Nobody鈥檚 Business educates and guides owner-managed, owner-operated businesses in subjects related to the financial management of their operation. This can include setting up computerized record-keeping, helping to understand financial statements, prepping year-end documents for accountants and more. Ronda takes on the bookkeeping for a few clients as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 supporting farm owners and managers on the financial side of things,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 help them make their decisions, but I help them get the best information about their finances to make good decisions for themselves. I ask lots of probing questions.鈥�
Unexpected entrepreneur
Technology has played a huge role in her work.
鈥淚 think I was lucky to come through university during the time when computers were being developed,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hanks to my professors, who brought in the first computers on campus, I got the opportunity to understand how things worked behind the scenes. If we wanted it to do something for us, we had to write the program. I think that really set me up for success in using computer technology and has allowed me to adapt as the technology has progressed over the years.鈥�
Ronda loves her job, but couldn鈥檛 have predicted it鈥檚 where she would end up at the beginning of her career.
鈥淭he word entrepreneur wasn鈥檛 even in my vocabulary,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I look back now, I can see that I was leaning towards it in the opportunities I took. But I didn鈥檛 have the confidence, or the network required.鈥�
For this reason, Ronda is a big believer in women supporting women.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see many examples of women business owners when I began my career,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he support system and the network weren鈥檛 there. I think it was definitely more common for men to go into business because the support system had long been there. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important for women and men alike to support women in business, and especially startups, so that we can keep growing that network and support future generations of women entrepreneurs.鈥�