Fast Compliance for Small Businesses: Myths, Facts, and Reliable Solutions

For small businesses, the pressure to get compliant quickly can be immense. You might have come across companies promising lightning-fast results. Claims like “SOC 2 in 2 months!” or “Instant ISO 27001 certification!” can be tempting. But are these promises realistic or are they just feeding on your urgency to achieve compliance?  

A potential deal might hinge on having the right certifications, and without them, opportunities can vanish overnight. The urgency to achieve compliance often leads businesses to seek fast solutions, only to fall victim to scams or unrealistic promises. These "quick-fix" approaches frequently result in wasted time, increased costs, and unpreparedness for audits, leaving businesses worse off than before. 

This article aims to help you differentiate between what's attainable and what's not when it comes to fast compliance. By understanding the realities of compliance timelines, you can prepare your business for success without falling into traps. 

Let’s break down the myths and explore how you can achieve fast, reliable compliance without falling for scams. 

Table of Contents:

• The Pros and Cons of Doing Compliance Solo as a Small Business 

• The Pros and Cons of Using Compliance as a Service (CaaS) 

• Best Practices for Fast and Reliable Compliance 

• Fast Compliance Myths 

• Achieve Compliance as a Small Business  

The Pros and Cons of Doing Compliance Solo as a Small Business 

When faced with compliance challenges, some small businesses opt to go it alone. While this approach may seem straightforward, it comes with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. 

Pros: 

• Full control: Managing compliance in-house allows you to oversee every detail of the process. 

• Cost-saving illusion: At first glance, doing it yourself might seem cheaper because you’re not paying for external services. 

Cons: 

• Time-intensive: Researching frameworks, drafting policies, and conducting audits take significant time away from your core business. 

• Higher risk of errors: Compliance involves complex requirements, and even minor mistakes can derail your progress. 

• Longer timelines: Without expert guidance, achieving compliance can take much longer than expected. 

Choosing to manage compliance solo often means navigating unfamiliar territory. While the control and perceived cost savings may appeal, the potential for missteps and delays can outweigh the initial advantages. 

The Pros and Cons of Using Compliance as a Service (CaaS) 

For many small businesses, partnering with a Compliance as a Service (CaaS) provider offers a more efficient path. By leveraging expert guidance and tools, businesses can achieve compliance faster and with fewer headaches. 

Pros: 

• Expert guidance: CaaS providers bring specialized knowledge to help you navigate frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC, NIST and HIPAA. 

• Time efficiency: Leveraging Compliance Automation for small businesses minimizes manual tasks and human error. Learn more about compliance automation in our article “Can I Automate Compliance for Startups?” 

• Streamlined process: From identifying the right framework to preparing for audits, CaaS providers offer end-to-end support. 

• Scalability: Managed Compliance for startups grows with your business as you expand into new markets. 

Cons: 

• Cost: Partnering with a CaaS provider requires upfront investment, though it’s often outweighed by the time and resources saved. 

• Vendor selection: Choosing the right provider takes careful consideration. Here are our top must-ask questions to ask a Compliance Provider, check them out. 

Transitioning from solo efforts to a CaaS provider can feel like a leap of faith, but the right partner can save you significant time and stress. Their expertise ensures that you focus on growing your business while staying compliant. 

Best Practices for Fast and Reliable Compliance 

Getting compliant isn’t something you can accomplish overnight. Much like running a marathon, it requires preparation, training, and execution. Compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST 800, HIPAA, and CMMC involve processes that ensure your organization’s security, privacy, and operational efficiency. 

While it’s possible to streamline the journey and achieve milestones like SOC 2 Type 1 certification in about six months, anything much faster often signals shortcuts that could leave your business exposed to risk.  

If you’re looking for the fastest way to get compliant without cutting corners, consider these best practices: 

1. Identify the right framework: Align your compliance efforts with your business goals and customer requirements. SOC 2 may be ideal for SaaS companies, while HIPAA is critical for healthcare providers. 

1. Use automation: Compliance Automation for small businesses streamlines tasks like evidence collection and risk assessments, reducing human error. 

1. Train your staff: Ensure your team understands why compliance matters and how to implement new policies effectively. 

1. Conduct regular pentesting: Penetration testing helps uncover vulnerabilities, ensuring your systems are audit-ready. 

1. Engage experts: A CaaS provider can guide you through audits and help you stay on track, saving you time and stress. 

Fast Compliance Myths 

Myth: Compliance can be achieved in two months. 

Reality: While you can make significant progress in a few months, proper compliance takes time to implement thoroughly. There’s a difference between being “fast” and being “in a rush.” Rushing can lead to gaps, errors, and audit failures. 

Myth: Automation replaces the need for experts. 

Reality: Automation tools can streamline tasks and help track progress, but they don’t interpret regulatory requirements or tailor security controls to your specific business. Expert guidance ensures your compliance strategy is solid and audit-ready. 

Myth: If you pass an audit once, you’re set forever. 

Reality: Passing an audit means you were compliant at that moment in time. However, achieving compliance is just the beginning. Regulations evolve, security risks change, and audits must be renewed. Maintaining compliance requires ongoing monitoring, updates, and continuous security improvements. 

Myth: Small businesses don’t need to worry about compliance. 

Reality: Many industries require compliance regardless of business size, especially when handling sensitive data. Not being compliant can lead to lost business opportunities, legal penalties, and reputational damage. 

Myth: Compliance is just about paperwork. 

Reality: While documentation is crucial, compliance is about implementing real security measures to protect data, prevent breaches, and build customer trust. Paperwork without action won’t protect your business. 

Achieve Compliance as a Small Business  

For your small business or startup, compliance is about building trust and protecting your operations, not just checking boxes.  

Before hiring a Compliance as a Service (CaaS) provider, always ask for proof of their track record. Request client references, success stories, or case studies that demonstrate their ability to deliver results. Additionally, inquire about expected timelines for achieving compliance and compare these with industry benchmarks.

A trustworthy CaaS provider will be transparent about what they can achieve and back it up with evidence. This step not only protects your investment but also ensures you're partnering with a provider who aligns with your small business's goals.  

By partnering with a reliable Compliance as a Service provider and using tools like automation, you can streamline your path to certification without sacrificing quality or security.  

At BEMO, we’ve experienced the challenges of achieving compliance firsthand. After obtaining our SOC 2 Type 2 certification, we set out to add ISO 27001 to our credentials. Within six months, we achieved our second certification—a significant accomplishment that underscores our expertise and realistic approach to compliance. 

Our success was built on careful planning, leveraging automation to reduce manual tasks, and focusing on the overlapping controls between frameworks. Automation played a critical role in streamlining evidence collection, risk assessments, and policy management, enabling us to move efficiently through the process.  

As our own customer zero, we test every strategy and tool within our operations before offering them to others. This ensures we only recommend approaches we know can deliver results. If it doesn’t work for us, we don’t pass it on to you. 

Remember, the fastest way to get compliant is through careful planning, expert guidance, and a commitment to the process—not shortcuts or empty promises.