My company was in a somewhat similar scenario. We knew we wanted to become BRC certified, but no one really knew what to do until we got a consultant. Even after getting a consultant, most of our management didn't understand the depth and breadth needed to accomplish such a large undertaking, myself included.
We had an out of state auditor and based on her recommendations, we have pushed our audit back twice. It was difficult to have an out of state auditor and I wish we had looked for someone local. We are a week away from our very first BRC audit and I feel like we are now in a place where we need to be to pass the audit. We are a fairly sizable company, with over 100 employees and a 7 day work week. One of the biggest challenges for us was doing all of the training. The toughest thing for my company was remembering to document everything we do. We have been doing BRC required things, but up until halfway through this year had not been documenting it.
I don't know how large your company is and how many suppliers you have, but regardless of any of that I'd say it's almost impossible to do this on your own. My suggestion would be to look in your local areas to see if anyone else is BRC certified. Give them a call and see if they know of anyone local that can consult. They may even have someone at their own company that would be willing to consult on the side. I did this and found someone, but it was already too late into our process and too close to our audit. I wish I had done it sooner.
The next step would be to search this site for helpful links and documents. I would start with BRC 7 Gap Analysis that was created by mgourley on this site. Then I would use the BRC 7 Risk Assessment Analysis created by Charles.C. I would say these two documents have helped me the most and will help you follow the most important areas that BRC requires. Both of these users, along with many others, have helped prepare my company for our impending audit. I think we are going to pass with flying colors.
There are not many BRC questions/issues that are not covered on this website. Do a lot of searches. Watch and listen to webinars. Most importantly, get your management team involved. Without their commitment, you might as well not try to accomplish a BRC certification. You need their support for many reasons.
Good luck!
