The Consultancy Life - 9 June 2024

What's been going on this week?

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Partnering with Assent Risk Management

This is a process that began February 2024.

Whilst on the ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Course (delivered by Capable People) I read that consultants can be hired by companies to help build and manage their Quality Management Systems (QMS).

A lightbulb came on in my head. Perhaps this was the career path I was searching for as I was leaving the Royal Air Force. An opportunity to help multiple companies strive for better working practices through continual improvement.

A good friend of mine, also on the course, ran a google search of organisations that have ISO Management System Consultants in my home city, Oxford. Many came up but only one truly stood out - Assent Risk Management.

The CEO of Assent Risk Management and his team strive to Champion International Standards.

After searching around their site, reading their blogs and listening to their podcasts, I knew it was time to reach out and see what opportunities, if any, I could get involved with.

The wonderful Head of Consultancy Services and Talent explained that they run an Associate Consultancy Scheme whereby independent ISO Consultants offer their services to analyse, build and help maintain various ISO Management Systems on behalf of Assent's many clients.

So, then I had a decision to make...

Do I continue on my path to conventional employment, after taking steps to leave the RAF after a 15-year career, or do I take the ultimate risk and start my own business?

A month later and OneSystemMgt was born.

The excellent team at Assent, over the course of several months, have assisted with transferring the skills and knowledge I had built up - as a Senior Line Manager for a Quality Assurance Team within the RAF - into practical application for the ISO industry - specifically clients requiring the assistance of an ISO Consultant.

And so here we are, officially partnering with Assent Risk Management - I couldn't be more thrilled!

This is only the beginning and I'll have more to share as the weeks progress into months!

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Finding an Accountant

This part was relatively straight forward.

Once I had decided that setting up my own consultancy business was the way, I knew I needed an accountant.

I'm good with money, but HMRC are a whole different story.

I spoke with a close friend that owns her own hair salon and she recommended Tax Assist.

As it turns out, they are all over the UK.

After a quick google search, I found one in Oxford.

The process is really simple. They set up a free call to go through what your aspirations are for your company, your financial requirements for the business and discuss the best way to structure your company.

This week saw me make the decision to commit to making OneSystemMgt a limited company.

As such, a proposal was drawn up by my accountant - which has now been signed - alongside payment to set the company up and register it as a limited company.

Prices vary, depending on the financial structure required for your business.

Tax Assist were very reasonable on price and the access I now have to their experts around the country was what really cemented the decision for me to choose them over others I had researched and spoken with.

More to follow as I go through the process of running the company and working through my system of documenting expenses!

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Developing Strategies with my CQI Mentor

One of the benefits of registering for professional status with the Chartered Quality Institute, is the network of mentors on hand to assist you.

I'm grateful that I jumped at this opportunity in the early stages of the business development.

My mentor has an incredible amount of experience in the ISO field and has himself created an ISO Management System business that has Consultants on hand to deliver ISO Consultancy services to their clients across the UK.

This week, under his expert guidance, we worked on developing strategies that would allow me to widen my net for income.

We decided that it would be best for me to venture into other aspects of the ISO sphere to continuously develop my knowledge and understanding of all things Quality (ISO 9001) and Environmental (ISO 14001) Management Systems.

Part of that strategy is to work with United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) Certification Bodies.

A quick word on UKAS. Their website states:

"UKAS is the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom. We are appointed by government, to assess and accredit organisations that provide services including certification, testing, inspection and calibration".

As a qualified Charted Quality Institute (CQI) Lead Auditor, under the International Register of Certified Auditors (IRCA), for both ISO 9001 and 14001, I am able to work with UKAS accredited Third Party Certification Bodies to conduct Third Party Audits for their clients.

In order to do that under the banner of UKAS, I am required to conduct additional training.

More on this to follow in the coming weeks!

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Another Week Down!

Thank you if you made it this far! I hope you found it useful?

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What's Ahead?

My First London Corporate Event - The Shard!

Initial Discussions with a UKAS Accredited Certification Body

Strengthening Industry Understanding with Assent

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