About Northline

Built different.
By design.

Our premise is simple: we offer expert marketing, system design, and financial analysis well below market rates. We've done this by eliminating the overhead that defines traditional agencies — not by cutting corners. You get the same qualifications, the same quality of work, at a price that makes sustainable growth a reality rather than a luxury.

We focus on outcomes, not outputs. No vanity metrics. No 15-page reports full of data but devoid of direction. No cookie-cutter systems that look good but don't convert. Our work is judged by one metric: does it drive profitable growth for your business? Every hour we work and every dollar you invest is directed toward a tangible result for your bottom line.

We work with businesses at every stage — startups building their first foundation, established companies that have outgrown their early systems, and scaling businesses that need a team capable of keeping up. Whatever the stage, the standard doesn't change.

Our model isn't a discount. It's a smarter way to grow.

Our Story

Where we came from.

Northline didn't start as a big idea in a boardroom. It started after years of sitting across from business owners who were working hard, growing steadily, and still wondering why the numbers felt tighter than they should.

Before this company existed, we were inside financial consulting firms — reviewing books, rebuilding pricing models, and walking through cash flow with owners who were great at what they did but didn't always have time to zoom out. Revenue would go up. So would expenses. Marketing was "working." The website looked good. Ads were running. But when you stepped back and looked at the full P&L, the margins weren't improving the way they should have been. No one could confidently say which pieces were driving real return and which were just there.

We also saw how larger consulting firms operated. Big retainers. Layers of meetings. Senior advisors presenting work often built behind the scenes by overworked junior teams. The pricing made sense from a corporate standpoint, but it rarely made sense for small and mid-sized businesses trying to grow responsibly.

That's where Northline came from. Instead of separate vendors working in silos, we operate as one connected team built around three departments: Technical — handling systems, websites, CRM, automation, and infrastructure. Marketing — research, creative, campaigns, and demand generation. Financial Strategy — pricing, margins, cash flow, and long-term planning. The goal isn't just to grow revenue. It's to make sure that growth actually strengthens the business.

Our CEO

Ethan Barchard.

Ethan founded Northline after building his career inside both lean and large consulting environments across Western Canada. He started in Abbotsford, British Columbia, working alongside his father in a financial consulting firm serving larger clients — before taking on many of the smaller businesses in the portfolio. That's where the real education happened. Sitting with owners, walking through their books, helping them understand pricing decisions, and watching how growth played out in real time.

After moving to Calgary, Ethan joined a large consulting firm as a junior advisor — and saw the other side of the industry. Clients were billed at premium rates while detailed work was handled by junior teams managing heavy loads. There was a clear gap between what clients thought they were paying for and how the work was actually being delivered.

Around the same time, he began consulting independently while working two bartending jobs in the evenings to support himself. Days were spent building financial models and reviewing P&Ls. Nights were spent behind the bar. It was demanding, but it gave him something invaluable: direct exposure to business owners without corporate layers in between.

The turning point came while reviewing a client's financials and spotting an $8,000 monthly marketing retainer tied to a single campaign and minimal execution. When asked, the client admitted he wasn't sure what he was paying for — but didn't want to risk pulling the plug and losing momentum. That moment brought everything together. The issue wasn't that marketing didn't matter. It was that no one was tying it back to financial structure in a clear way.

Northline was built from that realization. Ethan remains closely involved in strategy and direction, focused on making sure growth isn't just impressive on paper — but sustainable in practice.