Small Business Getting ISO 9001 Certification? Everything is Possible (Demo)

It may seem farfetched, but even the quality of a small business can be ramped up to earn itself the coveted ISO 9001 certification label. A Quality Digest article by Nancy Callaghan and Les Schnoll dated August, 1997 says:

The number of small businesses has increased dramatically with the downsizing of corporate America. Many former Fortune 500 employees have been given early retirement packages, incentives or large separation bonuses and are now able to strike out on their own to form their own companies. Within the last 10 years, registration to the ISO 9000 series of quality standards has become a growing trend in the United States and has had an impact on a large part of the business community. Larger companies saw the immediate benefits of becoming registered, particularly those expanding into the global marketplace.

As the global marketplace becomes more multi-faceted, the onus on keeping up quality of products and services takes added importance, whether it’s about customers within your community or processing international orders. The power of the Internet already opens up more options for tapping unknown client pools. If you operate a small business in your town but want to tidy up your operational standards first before going state-wide or national, you need help from quality auditors like the team at International Standards Authority, Inc. A consultation with your preferred ISO auditor will help address cost issues that come with the accreditation. Callaghan and Schnoll claim that the supposedly large (yet inaccurate) costs of the entire process– around $50,000, plus $25,000 annual maintenance- made small business owners wary of it, even after talking with fellow operators. However, the authors stress that a small company will only need to pay a quote according to their asset and labor size. A check of your business model and target markets also warrants scrutiny during the auditing– even customers and clients place higher importance on companies that adhere to stringent industry standards. The article cited the case of a small Northern California printing company that supplies various products to a popular semi-truck maker. The officials decided to have the company certified for ISO9000 in an effort to expand their operations without compromising product quality. Attaining ISO certification 9001 may be the beginning of greater fortunes for your company. According to Callaghan and Schnoll, a company with such distinctions can train employees to be more accountable in the workflow and output, lower production costs, and increase competitiveness in the market, among others. Don’t you think it’s time your small business aimed higher? (Source: ISO 9000 for Small Companies, Quality Digest)