There were 184,671 start-ups in London in 2014 and I was one of them. Having no formal business training, I had long ago learned to run a business through the perseverance of high standards, thrown in with a bit of trial and error and with some well meaning but never quite relevant advice from family and friends. A lot worked well, but certainly there were other elements where my preferred modus operandi was ‘head-in-the-sand’.
I started SleepingGiant Consulting with a clear aim to work fewer hours, more efficiently and without loss of value for the client. Like a lot of working parents, balance and flexibility were crucial. Plus, as a coach working with clients in the area of efficient and appropriate decision making, it stands to have my own business in order.
ISO 9001 is a quality management standard that ensures my services meet client requirements; I comply with regulations, enhance client satisfaction and achieve continual improvement.
I'm really pleased to have achieved ISO 9001 certification as it underlies my commitment to my clients and my focus on quality. The benefits are many:
- Streamlining my procedures
- Greater consistency to my services
- Less errors
- Improved management practices
- Greater retention of clients
- Greater motivation
Harvard Business School has shown that ISO 9001 certified organisations perform better. I’m going to agree and celebrate – it’s 3pm and my working day is over!