This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. This week, we spoke to Tiffany Snowden, director of Blue Willow Heritage in Harrogate.  

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.

We are a historic environment consultancy. We help people get planning permission for works on listed buildings, and we also carry out archaeaological surveying and fieldwork on behalf of developers.

Often, our role is effectively to act as an intermediary beween the developer and the council.

What does it take to be successful in business?

You've got to be able to make connections with people, because 'people buy people'.

I don't think we'd have been able to celebrate our third anniversary back in August if I hadn't had all those coffees with potential clients and been to all those networking events.

What drives you to do what you do every day?

I'm an archaeaologist through and through. I love history, and I love what I do.

I also want to create a different image of what we do. We're an all-female team in what is still a very male-dominated field, and it can be quite rewarding to show we can do this too.

What’s been the toughest issue your business has had to deal with over the last 12 months?

If a client doesn't pay, I always wonder where they get the audacity from.

But more common than that are the clients who don't understand what our role is. We're the messenger – we don't make the rules – and we can be the bearer of bad news, which clients sometimes blame us for. 

The most common situation is where a client with a listed building wants to replace the original windows with double-glazing. That's not allowed, so we can point them in the direction of good alternatives – but it doesn't always go down well.

It can be a thankless job, because we're often caught in the middle.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

27 West Park Antiques, because they provide space for a lot of individual dealers, and it gives them all a higher profile in a very prominent spot.

I also admire Portofino, because they gave out food to people during lockdown, with no questions asked, which I thought was amazing.

I had two Ukrainian refugees living with me, and when the owner of Portofino found out, he offered them jobs on the spot. Incredible.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

Jackie Crozier of Little Bird Markets. She started just before lockdown and managed to keep it going despite the difficulties, and her markets are now a fixture.

I used to make art from archaeological pottery sherds and had a stall, and she was so supportive. A lot of people have been able to give up their day jobs and follow their dream in art or baking, or whatever, because of her. And she does it all very quietly and humbly.

What could be done locally to boost business?

Regenerating the high street. It's a crying shame it is the way it is. There are lots of examples elsewhere of crowdfunding to save businesses, and I'm sure that could be done in Harrogate too, since it's a place with a lot of deep pockets.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?

The best thing is that it's a really recognisable name. People know it and like it. It's very convenient for us too, because it's in the middle of the country, so it's easy to get to places to the north and south. There are lots of historic properties here too, so we can practise what we preach.

The worst thing is probably the parking. We thought of moving from our offices on Station Parade because it's so bad, but we like the building too much. It's difficult.

What are your business plans for the future?

Like any business, we want to grow. We want to be able to take on larger and longer projects, so like any business we want to grow – but not so much that we lose the personal relationship with the client, because without that you don't have a business.

We have a very close relationship with the University of York, which offers two really good master's degree courses: historic building conservation, and cultural heritage management. We have a couple of students from there with us on an 11-week placement. 

We want to bring in more graduates, to give them a foot in the door into this industry, because it's not an easy one to enter.

There are lots of jobs we could be tendering for, but we just don't have the capacity. There are currently three of us here at Blue Willow; maybe two more full-time employees would be the sweet spot.

What do you like to do in your time off?

I have two dogs and I live in Nidderdale, so we do lots of walks around Pateley Bridge.

I also scuba dive. I haven't been anywhere warm recently, though. I've been up to a lake in Northallerton where they've submerged some old cars to make it interesting, but it's a bit murky!

Other than that, I like looking around country houses and archaeological sites. You might think I'd do enough of that in my job, but I don't.

Best places to eat and drink locally?

For a drink, I love Three's a Crowd, on West Park – and it's close to work, which helps.

For dinner, I like Pranzo on Cold Bath Road, because the menu changes with the seasons, so it always seems so fresh.

For lunch, I like Caffé Lago di Como on Beulah Street, and for brunch I love Farm Bistro on Oxford Street. The owners are so lovely, and the food's amazing.

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 contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.