Do small businesses need ISO?

Every organisation can benefit massively from acquiring an ISO certificate, and this impact is amplified if you are a small business owner. Think about it, if you are a customer, would you choose a product or service from an unknown/small brand? 

Chances are that you will be willing to try products/services from a smaller brand only if there was a guarantee about the reliability and functionality. This guarantee is provided by an ISO certificate. Let us explore how ISO certificates can benefit small businesses in the following article.

What is an ISO certificate?

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops a set of guidelines, known as ISO standards that are domain specific, yet flexible enough to be applied to any organization. Some examples of domains include quality management, occupational health and safety management or environmental performance management. 

Whenever an organisation follows these guidelines, they build an auditable management system. At this point, organisations are said to have achieved ISO compliance. To achieve certification, organizations have to present their management system to an accredited certification body for an audit.

 Evidently, ISO certifications are revered as the external auditing process is stringent, thereby transferring the prestige of the parent organization to the company that acquires ISO certificate.

 

Why do small businesses need ISO certificate?

ISO is one of the most recognised organisations world wide. So, when small businesses get the ISO certificate, they get a “stamp of approval,” warranting their services. As mentioned above, this helps to mitigate any customer scepticism, helping new entrants assimilate easily into the market. 

Customers are less hesitant to test the product of a new company when they see the ISO logo, as they have seen the logo on their other favourite brands. Hence, even without knowing about the prestigious history of ISO or the strict nature of the certification audit, customers feel confident in the new product/service because of the familiarity of the logo. 

Additionally, those customers who are aware of ISO and its credible reputation, would understand the specificities of the certification that you have acquired. 

So, for example, if you have ISO 9001 certificate, the customer will understand that you have quality assurance controls in place, thereby guaranteeing the quality of your products/services.

Best ISO certificates for small businesses

Although, all ISO certifications are beneficial, the following are the most popular ISO certifications for small businesses.

ISO 9001 for small business

 The ISO 9001 standard is a quality management standard that guides organisations to build a customised Quality Management System (QMS). A QMS essentially ensures that the quality of your products does not deteriorate by putting controls in place and urging the top management to conduct regular evaluations. Additionally, QMS helps companies enhance their customer satisfaction rates by putting in place processes that categories and addresses customer requirements. 

ISO 14001 for small business

 The ISO 14001 standard helps businesses prove that day are environmentally conscious to all their stakeholders. Essentially, the standard helps organisations build a customised Environmental Management System (EMS) that helps the top management take environmentally conscious decisions to reduce their ecological carbon footprint and the manner in which they interact with the environment. 

This is an extremely beneficial standard for small business owners, as it helps them attract environmentally conscious customers and produce green products/services.

ISO 45001 for small business

 The ISO 45001 standard is an occupational health and safety standard. This is an extremely beneficial standard for small businesses as it helps to enhance the safety, health and well-being of work sites, helping prevent work related injuries or illnesses.

The reason why this standard is lucrative for small businesses is because it helps to reduce down and time insurance premiums. The standard helps organisations build an effective Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) that puts in place safeguards which prevents common work-related injuries or illnesses.

ISO 27001 for small business

This is an extremely beneficial standard for any small business that deals with sensitive data as it helps to drastically improve stakeholder confidence through the implementation of a customised Information Security Management System (ISMS). 

The benefit of an ISMS is that it helps both stakeholders and customers understand that the parent organisation is putting in a lot of effort to keep data secure, integral, yet accessible to the 

appropriate parties. This is a must have standard if you are an information technology business.

Why small business owners should hire ISO consultants?

We know that as a small business owner, funds may be limited, but hiring an ISO consultant is an investment rather than splurging. ISO consultant with their intense training and experience will help you achieve certification in the first trial, saving your company both time and effort. Additionally, their expert advice will ensure that your management system is feasible, sustainable and continually improves, so that you keep reaping benefits, year after year.