Bigger customers ask harder questions. Be ready for them.
Enterprise and public sector buyers want proof that a small supplier is safe to work with. I help small companies build that proof honestly, and get through the questions that stall deals.
What buyers ask for
The same five things come up again and again. Here is what each one is really checking.
How I get a small company there
Enough to pass, and true when someone checks.
Step 1: Gap analysis
Where you stand today against what your buyers will ask for, in plain English.
Step 2: The minimum credible set
The policies and controls that matter for a company your size. No shelfware written to impress an auditor.
Step 3: Evidence
Proof that the controls work, collected as part of normal work so it stays current.
Step 4: Honest answers
Help answering questionnaires truthfully, including saying "not yet, here's our plan" where that is the right answer.
Good to know: DreamSolve prepares companies for certification but is not a certification body. The certificate itself comes from an independent certification body.
Track record
I took a small cybersecurity SaaS company through ISO 27001:2022 and held it with zero nonconformances across three audit cycles.
Alongside that, the business scaled to 200+ enterprise and public sector clients: exactly the buyers who ask these questions.
Guides for the questions buyers ask
- How much does Cyber Essentials cost?The certification fee, what it leaves out, and the reasons small firms fail first time.
- ISO 27001 for startups and SMEs: when it is worth itWhen it is worth doing, what certification involves and costs, and where small companies overspend.
- How to answer a supplier security questionnaireWhat the questions are really checking, and how to answer honestly without bluffing.
How to buy it
There is no separate price. Enterprise readiness is delivered through two services: one finds the gaps, the other closes them.
- 1. Find the gapsProduct ReviewA fixed-price review that shows what a buyer would find, ranked by severity, with a costed plan.From £5,000
- 2. Close themFractional CTOOne to three days a week of senior time to put the controls and evidence in place, and answer the questionnaires with you.From £1,000 a day
All prices exclude VAT.