This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. This week, we spoke to Dogus Yildirim, director of Golden Stitches in Harrogate.

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

We do kinds of tailoring, alterations and repairs on all kinds of fabrics and garments.

What does it take to be successful in business?

You have to do the best job you can at reasonable prices, and you need to have good customer communication skills.

What drives you to do what you do every day?

My goals for the future.

What are those goals?

To be a good and successful person. To be good to my family, friends, neighbours and the local community.

And to be successful by doing the best job I can, without cutting any corners. People have to believe that you're trying to do the best for them.

Even if it's a small alteration, I take it seriously. When people know that you respect their custom, they respect your business.

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

People! It's difficult to make everybody happy.

Apart from that, price increases – bills are increasing all the time: rent, rates and wages.

That said, if the economy is bad, that can be good for me, because people don't buy new – they prefer to have things repaired.

The quality of new garments is very bad at the moment, so a lot of people prefer to alter their old clothes to suit the new fashions. Sometimes, people buy cheaper things and have them altered to make them fit exactly.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

Bettys is always good. But mostly, I admire the business customers we have in town – I Iove working with them. A lot of the clothing retailers bring their alterations to us. We have a good name in Harrogate.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

I don't know. The owners of the businesses I mentioned in my last answer!

What could be done locally to boost business?

That's a really difficult question. It might be a good idea to have more publicity for Harrogate to attract more visitors here.

It would also be good to have more events in the convention centre – it's a really positive thing for Harrogate.

It would help to have a bigger college or university here too, to attract more people to the town, especially young people, which Harrogate lacks.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?

The best thing is that there are quite a lot of people in Harrogate, so you have a big community, with lots of friends and neighbours.

There isn't really a worst thing.

What are your business plans for the future?

I'd like to open businesses in other sectors – maybe retail or hospitality. Not instead of Golden Stitches, though – this is a good business, and I want to carry it on.

What do you like to do in your time off?

Spend time with my family, and I also play seven-a-side football once a week at Rossett.

Best places to eat and drink locally?

I like Cardamom Black, just across the street, and Brio on King's Road is good too – it's a proper Italian restaurant.

The Ivy on Parliament Street has a good selection of steaks too.

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.