I won a Small Business Sunday award from Theo Paphitis and here’s what it means for Kent businesses
This month, Theo Paphitis chose Next Step Compliance as a winner of his Small Business Sunday award. When I found out, I wasn’t surprised that a Dragon’s Den investor was choosing winners. I was surprised he was choosing me.
I’ve spent the last 3 years helping small businesses in Maidstone, Aylesford, and across Kent win contracts, pass audits and grow. I do it in person. I do it the way my dad (an ISO consultant for decades) taught me. And I do it because outsourced compliance management done properly changes how businesses operate.
But getting recognition from Theo Paphitis for doing that work, that landed differently.
Where this started
My mum and dad ran a compliance consultancy in Kent for 30 years. They built it one relationship at a time. Local businesses in the area knew them. They trusted them. When something changed in their ISO standards or a new regulation came in, they would call them because they understood their business, not just the framework.
When he started thinking about retirement, I started training. I left my teaching career in Medway teaching Food Studies and Deisng and Technology as well as being Head of Design and Technology. Eventually they retired and I started my new business.
I inherited his philosophy: compliance isn’t something you hand off to a remote consultant and hope for the best. It’s something you build into how your business actually works. And you do it with someone who understands your business.
That’s still how I operate now.
Why I started Next Step Compliance
When I launched Next Step Compliance officially in January 2026, it wasn’t because I wanted to build another compliance consultancy. There are plenty of those. London-based ones, national ones, firms that will talk to you over Zoom and email you a 200-page manual.
I started it because the businesses I was already working with in Kent, office fit-out companies, electrical contractors, food manufacturers, needed something different. They needed someone who: –
- Understood their sector and their growth plans
- Showed up in person and stayed involved
- Built compliance systems they could actually run, not ones that lived in a filing cabinet
- Helped them win contracts, not just pass audits
That’s what I do. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, BRCGS, SSIP, FORS, I help Kent businesses implement these standards in a way that works for their operations. And I do it on-site, in Kent, not from a contact form on a national website.
What the #SBS award actually validates
When Theo Paphitis picks Small Business Sunday winners, he’s looking for businesses solving real problems for real customers. Not businesses that look good on LinkedIn. Businesses that are actually doing something.
The #SBS award says: what I’m doing works. The compliance management approach I’ve inherited from my dad, adapted for modern Kent SMEs, is valuable enough to be recognized at a national level.
But here’s what it really validates: there are small businesses in Kent who need this, and they are willing to work with someone local who understands them.
I’ve got a 100% client certification pass rate. Every single client I’ve supported through an ISO audit has passed first time. That’s not luck. That’s because the systems we build are practical, embedded into how the business actually works and actively maintained throughout the year.
My clients include:
- An office fit-out company that needed dual ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification to win larger contracts
- An electrical contractor who rebuilt their entire compliance framework after a bad prior experience, and whose feedback was: “refreshing to be listened to rather than dictated to”
These are real Kent businesses that are now winning work they couldn’t win before.
What this means if you are a Kent business
If you’re running a business in Maidstone, Aylesford, Tonbridge, West Malling, or anywhere else in mid-Kent and you: –
- Need ISO certification to win contracts or satisfy customer requirements
- Are unsure where to start with compliance or what standard applies to you
- Have tried compliance management before and it didn’t stick
- Have an upcoming audit and want to be genuinely ready, not just compliant on paper
Then you are exactly the type of business I work with.
I don’t send templates and hope you figure it out. I show up in your office, understand how you actually operate and build systems that work for you. I’m also on the end of a phone or email when something changes or you need guidance.
That’s not how every consultancy operates. But it’s how I operate. And apparently, it’s what Theo Paphitis thinks small businesses need.
What’s next
The #SBS award is validation that this model works. But validation doesn’t mean I stop. It means I keep doing what I’ve been doing: building relationships with Kent businesses, helping them implement compliance properly and making sure they stay audit-ready year-round.
If you are a business owner in Kent and you have been thinking about ISO certification or compliance management, this is a good time to talk. You can request a callback, call me on 01732 711674, or message me on WhatsApp at 07792 362737.
I’m based in Ditton, and I work on-site with clients across Kent. Let’s talk about what compliance could do for your business.
Next Step Compliance – Taking compliance off your plate entirely.
IRCA Lead Auditor qualified across ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. Based in Ditton, Aylesford, serving businesses across Kent
