This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly.
This week, we spoke to Dan Simpson, co-owner of Harrogate Organics in Harrogate.
Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.
We sell products that can help solve problems such as sleep, anxiety and stress. Sleep is the number-one wellness product on the planet. If you’re getting sleep, you’re regenerating; if not, you’re degenerating.
What does it require to be successful in business?
Nerve. It’s cliché, but if it were easy, everybody would be doing it. Everything in business is a test, a lesson, and you just have to hold your nerve and keep persevering.
What drives you to do what you do every day?
It’s a cheesy answer, but customer feedback. This is the best job in the world, because we get such profound feedback. It’s not unusual for a customer to tell us “You’ve changed my life”.
What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months?
Finance: the acquisition of capital. Logistics are tough, but the headwinds of opening in a UK business market are really difficult. Banks make it nearly impossible to borrow money to invest in the business.
Business rates are archaic too – it’s just unreasonable the way high-street companies are charged they way they are, compared with online companies.
Which other local firms do you most admire and why?
I like Harrogate Spring Water and what they’ve achieved. I like the brand and what they’ve done with it.
I admire NEOM too – they have a nice, clean brand.
Who are the most inspiring local leaders?
I don’t have any. I was a Harrogate boy from the age of nine to 17, but moved to London for four years and then spent the next 20 years away in Dubai. Since I’ve got back, I don’t feel like my feet have touched the ground, so I’m going to abstain from that one!
Dan Simpson
What could be done locally to boost business?
More could done to market Harrogate externally. We have Harrogate BID and it does things like the Christmas Market very well, but I think more could be done in terms of encouraging more pop-up shops in unused locations. There are loads of small businesses out there that would be fantastic doing that.
Parking too. Not much is done to encourage people to come into town. I know we need to encourage a green ethos – taking the bus and cycling – but the reality is that Harrogatonians are relatively lazy. I don’t mean that critically, but it’s quite a wealthy town, most people have multiple cars, and it’s easier just to drive into town than it is to hop on a bus.
People just don’t want to pay for parking. If they have to, they’ll just shop online. But online is great if you want to buy a spanner, but you need to be able to browse around towns.
The other thing is: business rates have got to go. I wouldn’t usually vote Labour, but it’s in their manifesto, so I would this time.
Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?
The best: the Harrogate name has a respectability about it, which is why we used it in our name. There’s a kudos attached to it.
The downside: it’s a minor niggle, but connectivity. We only just connected to fibre last week, so it shouldn’t be an issue anymore, but it has been a big problem. We’ve had to shut the shop about 10 times over the last two years because the copper wires just couldn’t cope, so we couldn’t run our phones, computers, tills or music.
What are your business plans for the future?
The next step for us is more of a centralised distribution and logistical solution, because we’re growing at such an incredible rate. We’ll keep the shop because a) we like it, and b) people like to know they’re buying from an actual physical entity, but realistically, we’re going to need a a warehouse so we can get larger volumes of product out.
Once we’ve got to that point, then we’ll start looking at certifications like B Corp.
What do you like to do on your time off?
Time off? Good one! I work, and at weekends it’s chores – doing things and fixing things. I like golf when I play it, but I played twice last year!
Best place to eat and drink locally?
There are lots of good places in Harrogate. I like Spice Culture, the Little Ale House and Starling – anywhere independent and a bit different.
- If you know someone in business in the Harrogate district and you’d like to suggest them for this feature, drop us a line at [email protected].
Read more:
- Business Q&A: Sophie Hartley, Sophie Likes
- Business Q&A: Paul Rawlinson, Baltzersen & Bakeri Baltzersen
