About Applied North

Two founders, one practice, built around honest technology advice.

Applied North is an independent advisory firm for small and mid-sized businesses navigating technology decisions. We work where the budget is real, the team is small, and the next decision matters.

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Our story

A practice built for the work we actually wanted to do.

Applied North began with a simple observation. Small and mid-sized businesses often face technology decisions that would benefit from senior judgment, but the only options on offer are either large consultancies priced for enterprise budgets or freelance engineers who only see the small slice of the problem in front of them. The middle was missing.

We started the firm to fill that gap. Our work is independent (we are not a reseller for any vendor), it is project-based by default, and it is outcome-led (we measure ourselves by the recommendations clients act on, not the hours we bill). The first hour with us is always free.

We are based in Windsor, Ontario, with most of our clients in the Great Lakes region, Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, Buffalo, and the rest scattered across North America. We work remotely as the default and meet in person when the engagement calls for it.

The team

The two founders behind the practice.

Applied North is intentionally a small firm. Every engagement is led by one of the founders, not handed off to a junior team.

Mohammad Saqib Shah

Co-founder · Create & Learn practice

Saqib leads the technical side of Applied North. He owns Create engagements end to end, proofs of concept, full implementations, embedded team work, and runs the hands-on side of Learn: workshops, hackathons, and the deeper trainings. He is the engineer in the room when a technical answer is needed.

Harjeet Singh

Co-founder · Advise & Inspire practice

Harjeet leads the advisory and outward-facing side of the firm. He owns Advise engagements, consulting, strategy, assessments, and the Inspire family: demos, webinars, and speaking engagements that introduce AI to leadership teams and boards.

What we believe

Four principles we hold ourselves to.

We commit to these on every engagement. They are the reasons our clients refer us; they are also the reasons we sometimes turn engagements down.

Independence

We do not resell anyone's software, take vendor referral fees, or hold partner certifications that incentivise a particular answer. Our recommendation is shaped by what fits the client, not what pays us best.

Plain language

We write every recommendation in language a non-technical decision-maker can act on. Acronyms are explained on first use. If a trade-off matters, we spell it out rather than burying it in jargon.

Fixed pricing

Engagements are quoted at a fixed price with a named scope. We carry the risk of being wrong about how long the work takes, which is what motivates us to scope the work properly up front.

Project-based work

Every engagement has a defined beginning, deliverable, and end. Retainers are available when there is a real ongoing need we can name on the call; the default is to engage us afresh for the next piece of work when it arrives.

How we work

Every engagement follows the same four steps.

Whether it is a one-hour consulting session or a six-month implementation, the shape is the same. The depth changes; the shape does not.

Free first consultation

We start with a one-hour conversation at no cost. You walk us through the problem; we walk you through how we would think about it.

Written recommendation

Within a few business days we send a short written recommendation. It names what we would do, what we would not do, and roughly what it should cost.

Fixed-price engagement

If you decide to engage us, we agree on a fixed price and a named delivery date before any work begins. Scope expansions get re-quoted as separate fixed-price lines.

Handover and follow-up

Every deliverable is documented so it survives our involvement. We are available for a follow-up check six to twelve weeks after delivery.

The practical details

Where we work and what we focus on.

Geography

Windsor, Ontario is our base. Most engagements run remotely with travel for kickoff and key on-site meetings. We focus on the Great Lakes region, Southwestern Ontario, Michigan, and the broader cross-border corridor, and take work from anywhere in North America when the fit is right.

Industries

We work across sectors with a particular comfort in professional services, manufacturing, non-profits, and small-to-mid B2B software. We turn down work in regulated spaces where we cannot bring deep prior experience , healthcare, financial services, and similar , and refer clients to specialists instead.

Engagement sizes

Inspire engagements run from a single afternoon to a half-day. Learn engagements range from a half-day workshop to a two-week training intensive. Advise engagements run from a single consulting session through a twelve-week strategy. Create engagements are scoped individually and rarely exceed nine months of calendar time.

What we do not do

We do not do open-ended body-shopping or sell ongoing call-options on our time. Hire-an-AI-Team is always scoped to a fixed block, not an indefinite seat. We do not run procurement processes on behalf of clients, and we do not bid on RFPs that are essentially pre-decided in the spec.

Want to talk through a specific decision?

The first hour is free. Bring the situation, the constraints, and the people who need to be in the room, we will spend the hour working through it with you.

Schedule a free consultation

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