Certification Partner Intake — First State Growth LLC

1

About your firm

Basic details so we know who we are speaking with.

Name of your firm *

City

Country

Year the firm started A rough year is fine.

How many consultants work there? Counting only people who do certification work.

Website, if you have one

Your name *

Your role

Email *

Phone or WhatsApp

2

What your firm can deliver

Tick every standard your firm has actually helped a client get certified in. Not ones you could learn — ones you have done.

Any other standards

Which one standard is your firm strongest in? The one you would be happy to be judged on.

Roughly how many clients have you helped get certified in the last two years?

1 to 5 6 to 15 16 to 40 More than 40

3

Qualifications

Buyers in the US and Europe ask about these before they hire anyone. Having them is a real advantage, so it is worth answering carefully.

Do any of your consultants hold a Lead Auditor or Lead Implementer certificate?

Yes, several of us Yes, one person No Not sure

Who issued those certificates? It is usually printed on the certificate itself.

Does anyone in your firm hold these security qualifications? Only relevant if you do ISO 27001 or SOC 2 work. Skip otherwise.

CISSP CISA CISM CRISC

Is your own firm certified to any standard? For example, your own ISO 9001 or ISO 27001 certificate. This helps a lot with US buyers.

If a serious client asked, could you send copies of these certificates?

Yes No

4

Certification bodies you have worked with

The certification body is the organisation that audits your client and issues the certificate — not you. We want to know which ones you have dealt with.

Any others

Out of every ten clients you prepare, how many pass their main audit the first time? Please be honest. Nobody is at ten out of ten, and a realistic answer tells us you know your work.

All ten Eight or nine Six or seven Fewer than six

5

Working with clients abroad

We need to understand what is realistic for your team, not what sounds impressive. A "no" here does not rule anything out.

Have you ever worked with a client outside India?

Yes No, only Indian clients

If yes, which countries?

Could someone on your team take calls during US working hours? US morning is roughly 6:30pm to 11:30pm India time.

Yes, regularly Sometimes, if arranged in advance No

How do you normally work with a client?

Mostly visiting their office Mostly online A mix of both

Would you sign a confidentiality agreement (NDA) with a client?

Yes Depends on the terms No

How do you keep client documents safe? Foreign clients will ask this, because you see sensitive internal documents. Tick whatever is true today.

Staff sign confidentiality agreements Only assigned staff can open client files Files are password protected or encrypted We use a business cloud account, not personal email Nothing formal yet

6

Real project costs

This is the most important section. We are building a tool that tells companies what certification really costs. Every other website guesses. You actually know. Real figures from real projects are what make this worth building — even two or three examples help enormously.

We combine your numbers with those from other firms and publish only broad ranges. Your firm's name is never shown next to a figure, and neither is your client's.

How do you usually charge?

One fixed price for the whole project A daily rate A monthly retainer It varies

Your usual fee for a small company Under 50 staff, one office, one standard. A range is fine.

Your day rate, if you use one

7

Working together

Nothing here is a commitment. We are only checking whether this is worth both our time.

If we introduced you to a company in the US or Europe, would you want that work?

Yes, definitely Probably, but I would want to discuss it first No

Which arrangement would suit you better?

You bill the client directlyYou handle the contract and payment, and pay us a share for the introduction We bill the client, you do the workOur US company signs the contract and pays you. Simpler for the client, less paperwork for you Either is fine I do not know yet — let us talk

What share for an introduction would feel fair to you? A percentage, a rupee figure, or just "let us discuss".

Could you give two past clients as references if a serious buyer asked?

Yes Probably, I would need to ask them No

How quickly could you start on a new project?

Straight away Within a month We are quite busy right now

8

Anything else

Is there anything we have not asked that we should know? Industries you specialise in, languages you work in, anything at all.

I am happy for these figures to be used anonymouslyCombined with other firms and shown as ranges only, never with our name or our clients' names