The Narrative Group

What The Narrative Group does

The Narrative Group is a Toronto-based IT consulting firm that provides technology strategy, fractional executive leadership, managed services, and cybersecurity advisory to mid-market companies in North America, typically those with $20M-$100M in revenue. The firm's core differentiator is its "Financials First" methodology, a structured assessment that begins with P&L analysis and maps technology investment against business outcomes to produce a board-ready set of priorities covering what to fund, what to fix, and what to stop. Service lines are organized around four pillars: IT Strategy & Investment Consulting, Fractional CTO/CIO-as-a-Service, Managed IT & Cybersecurity, and AI & Automation Consulting, with supporting offerings in cloud migration, technology procurement, and digital transformation. The firm explicitly avoids vendor bias and emphasizes financial outcomes over technical features.

The business operates on a professional services revenue model that combines fixed-scope Financials First assessments with recurring monthly advisory subscriptions (fractional CTO engagements typically run ~18 months) and managed-services contracts with a 24x7 operations team. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; client acquisition begins with a free 15-minute discovery session booked through Cal.com and is supported by a content-led marketing stack including a blog, YouTube channel, LinkedIn presence, and the "What the Tech" podcast. A free IT Investment Prioritization Scorecard serves as a mid-funnel qualification tool.

The Narrative Group was founded in 2018 by Bruce Fairley, formerly CTO at Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart, and is organized as The Narrative Group Inc. under Ontario law. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional investment, and reports a core team of 30+ advisors, engineers, and strategists serving 50+ clients across North America with a stated 98% client retention rate. Named engagements include Xtiva Financial Systems, HomeEquity Bank, a national retail chain (IT spend cut from 3.5% to 1.5% of revenue), a professional services firm (40% software spend reduction), and a mid-market retailer (labour share of IT budget reduced from 70% to 50%).

Name

The Narrative Group

Legal name

The Narrative Group Inc.

Website

https://narrative-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Narrative Group is a Toronto-based IT consulting firm that provides technology strategy, fractional CTO services, managed IT, cybersecurity, and AI/automation advisory to North American mid-market companies with $20M-$100M in revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Turnaround, Restructuring & Crisis Management Consulting (BPAHACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Intelligence, Reporting & Visualization Services (BPAEAHAD)

Keywords

• IT strategy consulting
• Fractional CTO services
• Managed IT services
• IT business alignment
• Mid-market technology advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. IT Strategy Consulting: Strategic technology advisory including roadmaps, prioritization, and investment decisions tied to business goals, financial performance, and growth capacity. Engagements begin with Financials First assessment.
2. Fractional CTO / CIO-as-a-Service: Executive technology leadership for mid-market companies needing senior technology leadership without full-time cost. Delivered at 60-70% less than full-time executive hire.
3. Technology Operations & Managed IT: Managed technology environments, cybersecurity, cloud modernization, and automation aligned to strategy. 24×7 operations team paired with fractional CIO leadership.
4. Cybersecurity Services: Security strategy, risk assessment, and managed security services for mid-sized companies treating risk as financial and operational concern.
5. Cloud Migration & AI Automation: Cloud modernization strategy and AI/intelligent automation consulting with proof-first approach — pilot, validate KPIs, then scale.
6. Technology Procurement: Advisory on technology purchasing decisions, vendor selection, and contract optimization without vendor bias.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Narrative Group is a Toronto-based IT advisory and managed services firm that serves North American mid-market companies ($20M–$100M revenue) through its Financials First methodology. It begins engagements with a P&L-led assessment to identify which technology investments to fund, fix, or stop, then delivers IT strategy roadmaps, fractional CTO/CIO-as-a-Service, managed IT and cybersecurity, cloud migration, technology procurement, and AI/intelligent automation consulting. Services are sold directly to CEOs, COOs, CIOs, and Heads of Operations via a vendor-neutral consultative model.

Product overview

The Narrative Group is an IT consulting services firm offering a portfolio of advisory and execution services for mid-market companies (revenue $20M-$100M). The core offering is the Financials First methodology, which begins every engagement with P&L analysis to determine technology investment priorities. This methodology anchors four primary service lines: (1) IT Strategy & Investment Consulting, which provides roadmaps and capital allocation frameworks; (2) Fractional CTO Services, offering executive technology leadership without full-time hire costs; (3) Managed IT Services & Security, covering infrastructure, cybersecurity, and cloud operations; and (4) AI & Automation Consulting, providing proof-of-value pilots for workflow automation and AI initiatives. Supporting services include IT Business Alignment Consulting, Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity Services, Cloud Migration Strategy, and Technology Procurement. A complementary tool, the IT Investment Prioritization Scorecard, enables companies to self-assess technology investment decisions. The portfolio is unified by a 'follow the money' philosophy that connects every recommendation to P&L impact, revenue growth, cost structure, risk reduction, or enterprise value.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financials First A structured IT value alignment assessment starting with the client's P&L, mapping technology investment against business outcomes, and delivering board-ready priorities on what to fund, what to fix, and what to stop, plus a 2-3 year IT investment forecast for mid-market leadership teams.
• IT Strategy Consulting Technology strategy and investment consulting that delivers roadmaps, prioritization, and investment decisions tied to business goals, financial performance, and growth capacity for mid-market companies.
• Fractional CTO Services Fractional CTO and CIO-as-a-Service providing executive technology leadership to mid-market companies at approximately 60-70% less than the cost of a full-time executive hire, typically delivered through 18-month recurring advisory engagements.
• Managed IT Services & Security Managed technology environments including infrastructure, end-user support, cloud modernization, automation, and 24×7 security operations, paired with fractional CIO leadership and aligned to the firm's strategic roadmap rather than stand-alone reactive IT.
• Cybersecurity Services Cybersecurity consulting and managed security services for mid-sized companies that treat security risk as a financial and operational concern, including risk assessment, governance frameworks, security strategy, and controls implementation.
• Cloud Migration Strategy Cloud migration and modernization consulting that helps mid-market companies move workloads to cloud infrastructure with cost optimization and governance frameworks aligned to the broader IT strategy.
• AI & Automation Consulting AI and intelligent automation consulting including workflow automation and AI pilots run as 30-60 day proofs of value, with KPIs validated before scaling, for mid-market companies evaluating AI adoption.
• IT Business Alignment Consulting Consulting engagements that align technology decisions with business strategy, operations, and finance, connecting IT spend directly to P&L impact and measurable business outcomes for mid-market leadership teams.
• Digital Transformation Consulting Services Business-led digital transformation consulting that addresses operational inefficiencies, scaling challenges, and technology modernization for mid-market companies undertaking multi-year transformation programs.
• Technology Procurement Vendor-neutral technology procurement advisory that helps companies evaluate, select, and negotiate vendor contracts for hardware, software, and services without preferred-partner bias.
• IT Investment Prioritization Scorecard A 10-minute self-assessment quiz that scores whether technology investments are tied to business impact, risk reduction, implementation complexity, strategic alignment, and financial value, available as a free lead-generation tool on the company website.

Quantifiable outcome

• IT spend reduced from 3.5% to 1.5% of revenue for a national retail chain
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte: Deloitte is a Big Four consulting leader with deep IT strategy, cloud, and cyber practices serving enterprise and growth-stage clients. TNG's founder pedigree from PwC positions Deloitte as both a feeder and a competitor.
• Accenture: Accenture is the largest global technology and management consulting firm with full-stack cloud, cyber, and transformation practices. Competes for the largest enterprise transformation mandates TNG aspires to grow into.
• Huron Consulting Group: Huron is a professional services firm with strong IT, digital, and managed services practices serving mid-market and enterprise clients. Comparable advisory and managed services overlap, though at much larger scale.
• PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers): PwC is a Big Four professional services firm with a large technology and management consulting practice that competes for enterprise IT strategy and transformation engagements. Operates at significantly greater scale but overlaps on mid-market advisory.
• Insight Enterprises: Insight is a large IT solutions and services provider offering managed services, cloud, and consulting globally. Its broader portfolio competes with TNG's managed IT and cloud migration streams at scale.

Direct peers

• Slalom: Slalom is a global technology and business consulting firm focused heavily on mid-market and enterprise clients, with deep IT strategy, cloud, and analytics practices. Comparable size and mid-market orientation make it a close structural peer to TNG.
• Kforce Inc. Kforce is an IT staffing and solutions firm with a professional services arm serving mid-market technology buyers. Competes for similar fractional technology leadership and IT consulting mandates.
• West Monroe Partners: West Monroe is a business and technology consulting firm historically anchored in mid-market clients across financial services, healthcare, and energy. Its technology operating model and digital transformation practices overlap directly with TNG's Financials First methodology.
• Cask: Cask is a boutique IT consulting firm serving mid-market clients across cloud, data, and digital transformation. Comparable size and mid-market focus with similar fractional technology leadership offerings position it as a direct peer.
• North Highland: North Highland is a management and technology consulting firm serving mid-market and enterprise clients with strong IT strategy and transformation offerings. Similar engagement model and mid-market orientation make it a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NarrativeGroupTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/narrative-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/technarrativegroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Narrative Group