Mel Blackmore, How to Improve Business Performance with ISO Standards – InnovaBuzz 489
Mel Blackmore, Blackmores ISO Consultancy
In this episode, I’m really excited to have as my guest, Mel Blackmore, of Blackmore’s ISO Consultancy. Mel has been involved with the creation, development, and implementation of British and International standards for over 17 years. With her passion for improving business performance through the implementation of Management Systems, Mel founded her first business in 2006, Blackmores, a consultancy firm that implements and maintains management systems for clients ranging from SME’s to blue-chip organisations.
Blackmores rapidly grew to be an award-winning, leading provider of consultancy services, specialising in environmental, quality, and risk standards. Blackmores work in over 27 countries globally and has had a 100% success rate in helping clients achieve certification.
In our discussion, Mel talked to me about:
- Running, systemising and growing your business with ISO standards
- Enabling businesses to be more sustainable long term with ISO standards
- A membership platform to learn about systems and processes and ISO accreditation
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
Listen to the Podcast
ISO Standards help businesses develop operational controls that will enable them to systemise their way of working and continually improve what they do. Mel Blackmore @Blackmores_UK on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Mel Blackmore of Blackmores ISO Consultancy
Key points and takeaways from this episode include:
- Blackmores work with their clients to help them optimise and systemise their business using ISO standards. They offer expertise on the widest range of standards including:
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management
- ISO 50001 Energy Management
- ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management
- ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety
- ISO 9001 Quality Management
- ISO 20000-1 IT Service Management
- ISO 27001 Information Security
- BS 10012 Personal Information Management
- ISO 22301 Business Continuity
- ISO 22716 Cosmetics GMP
- ISO 14064 Carbon Verification (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard)
- PAS 2060 Carbon Neutrality
- ISO stands for International Standards Organization. These standards are tailored to help improve business performance.
- ISO 9001 (Quality Management) provides the foundation for running any type of business regardless of the industry. It helps businesses design their objectives in relation to delivering high-quality products and services. It is one of the most popular ISO Standards with over 7 Million organisations that are certified globally. It is a common business language adopted by many countries across the globe.
- ISO Standards help businesses develop operational controls that will enable them to systemise their way of working and continually improve what they do.
- ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) helps businesses become more sustainable.
- Businesses can also seek ISO certification. It’s a badge that many organisations take a great deal of pride in because they’ve been independently assessed against these standards.
- It’s a great exercise to look at the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities within your business and develop better ways of working.
- ISO Standards help you create a blueprint of your business operations which can be a great asset to any organisation.
- One of the main benefits of ISO is that it clearly communicates to your employees and key stakeholders what your purpose, vision, and values are. It gives you the opportunity to put a mark in everything that you created (blueprint) that provides a scalable model for growth as well.
- ISO provides a framework for your business. It helps you document your processes and capture how things are done in your business. It enables you to create a transparent process and have clear communication across different levels within your business. It makes it clear to people what their roles are and builds accountability across the business.
- ISO provides your business with specific targets and objectives. It provides a framework and structure on some of the key requirements to help you monitor how successful you are being in achieving your business objectives.
- ISO 27001 (Information and Security) is a step-by-step process that walks you through the things you need to do in order to protect your business from loss, theft, and damage. It provides a systematic approach to help you manage sensitive company information and ensure best practice.
- ISO enables you to demonstrate credibility and confidence to your clients by showing them that you are professionally meeting their requirements.
- ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management) is the standard that fully meets the requirements for GDPR. It gives businesses that competitive edge when it comes to data privacy.
- ISO is applicable to any organisation regardless of size and industry.
- Continuous improvement is key to delivering exceptional quality products and services.
- Mel is also the Business Development Director of EduTrips, an easy to use, on-line educational visits system that meets the highest standards in quality and Health & Safety. She is also Co-founder of Standards International, a certification body specifically for financial services.
- ISO Standards were not just created for the sake of it. Each ISO standard has a compelling reason and purpose behind it.
- The ISOLOGY Hub is a membership platform that provides users with essential training and support to implement ISO without necessarily having to pay a consultant to do it for them.
- It’s important to have somebody that can act as a project manager and a team of dedicated if you want to implement ISO in your business. You need to have somebody who’s accountable and can champion that project internally.
- Employees love to get involved in making the business more sustainable and impactful. They can be your eyes and ears in making these changes happen.
- The key to successfully implement any new policies and changes is to bring people onboard and get their input. It makes them feel empowered to take responsibility for making those changes within the business.
- ISO is a team effort. There’s power in people working in synergy together to make change happen.
- The ISOLOGY Blueprint is a free checklist that organisations can use to help them achieve ISO certification. It covers everything from the resources that you already have in place and through a step-by-step process, everything you need to plan, create, launch, and get certified to an ISO Standard.
Delivering exceptional quality services or products is all based on continuous improvement. Mel Blackmore @Blackmores_UK on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Mel’s answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Take a step back and look at how you could do things differently and effortlessly.
- Best thing for new ideas – The ISOLOGY Hub
- Favourite tool for innovation – Podcasts, Loom, Monday.com
- Keep project/client on track – Start with an end goal and work back from it. Have a very clear plan and get other people involved as well. Make them part of that journey. Keep the momentum going through effective communication. Measure your progress and celebrate successes along the way!
- Differentiate – Take a step back and look at what your unique abilities are. Think differently about how you can make things effortless.
To Be a Leader
Look at what your key strengths are as an organisation and capture those in a unique blueprint. It would help you scale up and share your message with other people. Be proud of your achievements.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Mel through their website and on LinkedIn.
Suggested Guest
Mel suggested we have a conversation with Matt Garmin, author of Learning the Ropes. So Matt, keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation from us to the InnovaBuzz Podcast, courtesy of Mel Blackmore.
Links
- Website – Blackmores UK
- ISOLOGY Hub
- Behind the Scenes – ISOLOGY
- Podcast – The ISO Show
- Twitter – @Blackmores_UK
Learn everything you need to plan, create, launch, and get certified to an ISO Standard. Download your free ISOLOGY Blueprint now to get started on your ISO journey.
Cool Things About Mel
- She’s the host of The ISO Show, a podcast that dispels some of the myths around ISO and helps people achieve certification.
- She managed the implementation of ISO for the first law firm and travel company in the UK that were accredited by ISO.
- She holds a BA Degree in Maritime Leisure Management from Solent University in Southampton.
ISO enables you to demonstrate credibility and confidence to your clients by showing them that you are professionally meeting their requirements. Mel Blackmore @Blackmores_UK on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet