This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. This week, we spoke to Al Baker, co-founder and CEO of Harrogate-based Infinity Blue.

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

We're a global accelerator partner for brands wanting to expand domestically in their own markets or internationally.

We've been focusing over the last five years on building partnerships with big platform retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart and Tiktok Shop, and our success in doing that has made our propsition quite unique.

We employ about 60 people at offices here in Europe, the US, South Africa and Australia.

What does it take to be successful in business?

A lot of determination, resilience and drive.

But the main thing is having really good people around you, who are better than you. I have my business partner, Andrew Donoghue, who is like a rock, as well as some exceptionally good people heading up different parts of the business.

What drives you to do what you do every day?

I enjoy helping the businesses we work with expand and grow into new markets. There are lots of challenges involved, but we've been through them all with most of the brands we've worked with, so we know what to do.

We mostly work with SMEs, and the sweet spot is companies turning over between £2 million and £30 million. We do work with start-ups that have backing too, but also with giants like Pepsico and Britvic, so our clients are very varied.

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

I would probably say the biggest problem has been the tariffs that have hit our clients who were either selling into the US, or who weren't but wanted to. The tariffs had a real impact on our clients, and that's had an impact on us. Some have had to come out of markets, and others have had to go into other markets instead.

Another problem has been managing expansion. I'm very impatient – I always want us to grow more quickly than we can. Ultimately, it comes down to money – if we had a bottomless pot of cash, we could expand a lot more quickly!

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

I respect companies like [Harrogate-based home fragrance firm] Neom – they've grown really quickly and successfully.

The Black Sheep Brewery in Masham has got a real aspiration for growth, and we're helping them with that.

Similarly, we've also worked with [Harrogate-based] Lights4Fun, and their management team is brilliant.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

I was at a trade fair at the Houses of Parliament last week, and I thought some of the things that Tom Gordon [MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough] was saying were really positive for the district. So now that I've met him and heard what he has to say, I'd have to say him.

Apart from him, I'd say all the brilliant entrepreneurs in Harrogate – and there are a lot of them here.

What could be done locally to boost business?

I do a few roundtable business get-togethers every quarter, where business leaders share their pain points and others chip in and give them advice from their perspective. But those events tend to be focused on Leeds and Manchester. Considering how many people there are in business in Harrogate, it'd be good to have something like that here. It may already exist, but I'm not aware of it.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?

The best thing is that it's Harrogate. I love the fact that I can work in the town centre, and the Stray and my home are still very close by.

The worst thing is recruitment – there's only a certain amount of people we can recruit from here. Then again, we run quite a hybrid operation, and have people working from London, Manchester, Preston, Norwich and other places, so it's perhaps not so much of a problem for us, but it could be a big problem for a lot of companies.

Transport into and out of Harrogate to the major cities can also be difficult. There are not enough direct trains to London.

What are your business plans for the future?

We want to build the teams in the offices we've opened over the last few years, and we're growing further partnerships with the likes of Walmart in the US and Europe.

We're also looking for our first investment round, which will fund our expansion.

And we're building our own proprietary AI tool that will be able to inform brands which markets will be best for them to go into.

What do you like to do in your time off?

Playing padel, running and spending time with my family, when not travelling.

Best places to eat and drink locally?

I do love Pranzo [the Italian restaurant on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate]. My wife is vegan, and it has one of the best vegan menues around.

For a drink, I like North Bar. The atmosphere's good and the beer's great.

If you know someone in business in the Harrogate district – including Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Masham and Nidderdale – and you'd like to suggest them for this feature, drop us a line at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.