This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. This week, we spoke to Jon Peters, owner of Ripley Store.  

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

We are a small village store with an ice cream parlour attached to it. It's not a typical village shop – you can't buy your groceries here, because there is too much competition from local supermarkets, but we do sell a lot of hot and cold food to the local tradesmen.

What does it take to be successful in business?

A lot of hard work – that's the key factor. I'm very fortunate – this is a family business, and my wife Kirsty and two daughters work in it, so we've always got each other's back.

And you need some luck! A bit of rain can have a massive effect on the business.

What drives you to do what you do every day?

I've always worked for myself. I'm quite a positive person, and very self-driven. It sounds awful, but I don't know if I could work for someone else – I might not be good as part of a team.

But actually, being here doesn't really feel like coming into work, because we're all together.

I work seven days a week, so it is physically and mentally tiring, but we do get away three or four times a year, so it's fine.

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

Probably the decision to relocate. We're moving at the end of September across the road, to larger premises that used to be the home of [gin distiller] Harrogate Tipple.

That's been very tough – it's difficult to make decisions without any historical data to look at.

There's also a huge amount to do before we can open the new place, but it's going to be a positive move – it'll be a lot bigger, and we'll be able to improve our service to our customers.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

It wouldn't be fair to not mention Bettys. It's such a fantastic business. It looks amazing, and it's obviously not profit-driven – they put loads back into the community. If it came up for sale and I had the money, it'd be an amazing purchase!

Apart from that, we're just very lucky in Harrogate that we've got so many owner-managed businesses, and we do try to support as many of them as we can.

We're very lucky to live in Harrogate. I've lived here all my life, and I love it.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

I'm not a big politics fan, so I'll say just people in business generally who drive and make things happen. It's one thing to talk about things – there's a lot of that goes on – but quite another to actually do something and make a difference.

What could be done locally to boost business?

A while ago, they introduced a pay-and-display carpark in Ripley. Some of the businesses didn't like it, but I thought it was a good idea. 

The problem was that they didn't complement it with parking restrictions in the village, so you can sometimes get here in the morning and there's nowhere to park – people have taken a spot and gone off for the day.

There should be a one-hour limit. That would benefit residents, because they'd be able to park, it would benefit businesses, because people could make a quick stop to buy something, and it would benefit the estate, because more people would have to use the carpark. I've suggested it numerous times, but it hasn't happened. I don't see what the problem is.

Best and worst things about running a business from Ripley?

The best is that Ripley is just a beautiful place to come and work every morning.

The worst is on-street parking and congestion.

What are your business plans for the future?

Overall, we just want to improve the service we offer. So we're relocating, and we'll be opening a coffee shop, and we'll have an alcohol licence too. So maybe next year, we'll look at serving alcohol and perhaps offering pizzas or barbecue food. It just gives us the freedom to explore more options – although we need to be careful we don't step on anyone else's toes in the village.

What do you like to do in your time off?

I like to train in the gym and do anything outdoors, really. We like to keep fit – it's good for your mental health, although it may not seem like it at the time!

Best places to eat and drink locally?

We went to Brio [on Kings Road in Harrogate] last night. I absolutely love it there. The service is very good, it's family-run, and the food is excellent.

We went to the Cold Bath Brewery Co too, which I really like – it's quite rustic and has good beer, of course!