For Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Evolve Business Solutions Inc., Avia Maria Lindie, a quality management system is not optional; it is essential for any business.
With an extensive background in leadership, inventory control, document reproduction, and stationery, the company CEO, Lindie, is a strategist in utilising technology for business solutions with a vision to establish her own company.
“… I had this vision…I wrote the core values and some ideas about things that I wanted to do, and then I just left them there. I said, ‘You know what, I’ll just go ahead and maybe incorporate a company, because I was always thinking about sustainability and scaling, longevity and legacy, because I’m also a mom of four…” she explained.
In 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic solidified her entrepreneurial path when she envisioned a company dedicated to nurturing talent, recognising greatness and helping businesses work smarter, not harder. That vision gave birth to Evolve Business Solutions Inc.
As the pandemic eased, Evolve came to life, addressing the growing need for structured, technology-enabled business support in Guyana’s evolving economy.
Today, this technology-driven business consultancy uses digital technologies, organised procedures, and continuous improvement to help businesses operate more efficiently. This strategy was reinforced by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) certification, which the company received at the recent National Quality Awards ceremony.
In November 2024, Evolve decided to pursue the GYS 901:2024 – Quality Management System for medium, small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs), recognising that certification would not only strengthen its own operations but also enhance credibility and trust with its clients.
The CEO further explained, “If you’re a solopreneur, it’s important for you to have systems. Otherwise, you are the business, and everything revolves around you. And if that’s the case, then you won’t be able to scale or enter partnerships, because you don’t have any systems.”
Through the GNBS’ certification programme, Evolve formalised its workflows, monitoring processes and quality controls; tools that it now applies directly in helping other businesses strengthen their operations.
Evolve CEO describes the GNBS certification process as professional and supportive, noting that the guidance and monitoring helped her company apply the quality management principles in real time.
“I was happy that the GNBS certification actually helped me even in managing the product project [Silvie AI] and also being able to meet those requirements…It was so surreal that this certification programme aligned perfectly when I landed a major project, and I was able to see in real-time how effective and how useful it was. It’s not just something that you’re saying that you have, but you’re actually using it in real time. I thought that was like really profound and useful”, Lindie added.
Silvie AI, which is Silvie’s Industrial Solutions’ virtual assistant, replaced a long-standing employee who held most of the inventory knowledge. The project was completed in half the estimated time, underscoring the efficiency that comes from having strong management systems in place.
With plans to expand regionally, Evolve sees GNBS certification as the foundation of its growth and a key enabler for MSMEs seeking to compete locally, regionally and globally. Evolve joins GNBS in encouraging businesses to view standards and certification as tools for empowerment rather than obstacles.
“I’m really impressed that with their [GNBS] focus on helping MSMEs to grow and develop so that we can compete with the rest of the world,” Lindie emphasised.
While encouraging other businesses to pursue GNBS certification, Lindie emphasised, “This is something that I think all companies in Guyana should not sleep on – the services offered by the GNBS. I think our country needs it.”
Evolve believes that certification, systems, and standards are not barriers; they are enablers of excellence, noting, “The GNBS will definitely be one of my strongest recommendations to any size company to get on board, to get one of these certifications, to get the quality management systems, and they’ll tell me better [and] thank me later.”
Businesses thinking about applying for the 901 certification or any other GNBS Certification can contact the GNBS’s Certification Services Department. The application forms, along with detailed requirements, can be found on the GNBS website https://gnbsgy.org/certification/
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