View from the top '“ what Yorkshire's Fastest 50 companies really think

1. What are the biggest challenges you have faced in growing your company?

As you might expect from such a diverse range of companies, there are a number of different challenges the Fastest 50 have had to encounter.

“The biggest challenge is attracting good people to the business.”

“Keeping ahead of the competition. Over a number of years we have changed the focus of the business and that has proved really successful but we need to maintain this.”

“Managing cashflow is our biggest challenge because we are sub-contractors and the money comes from the customer to the main contractor and then to us.”

“Internal complacency from success and keeping staff motivated and keen to stay with the company.”

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2. As a place to do business, how healthy do you think Yorkshire is at the moment and what’s the one thing you would do to change it?

There is quite a lot of pride about coming from Yorkshire, as these answers demonstrate:

“We perceive Yorkshire as fairly healthy. We have received two grants to help with the purchase of machines.”

“We think Yorkshire is fairly healthy. We are a national business and Yorkshire is very good for motorway links to other parts of the country.”

“Yorkshire is healthy, but I think it would be good if the local authorities here could do more to support local businesses in terms of who they buy goods and services from.”

“It is a healthy place for business, but ours is very much a national business. Local difficulties surround the local politics of the local authority and perhaps an unwillingness to help businesses succeed.”

3. Is it difficult getting in people with the right kind of skills and expertise for your business and how do you go about retaining them?

Opinion appeared divided to some extent on this question. A number of businesses did find it a challenge:

“It is hard getting in the right people and retaining them is even more of a challenge. It’s not just about money either – you have got to offer more than money, you need to offer a place to work where people want to come to work.”

“We are in a challenging sector and it is difficult for us to attract skilled and experienced people despite us offering training, profit-related bonuses and career development opportunities.”

While other companies found things less of an issue, they agreed that providing the right working environment was crucial:

“When we get a new member of staff, we put a lot of time, effort and money into them. We have got a fantastic workforce with people who have been here for years and years. It’s a really happy place to work.”

“It is hard to get the right people in but our retention has been very good as staff are kept trained, motivated and happy in this niche market.”

4. What are your thoughts on the availability of finance for businesses in Yorkshire and what can be done to improve that?

Again, this question brought about mixed responses:

“It was harder for us to secure finance in our early years which coincided with the recession. It is much easier now but at the end of the day, it is all down to the bottom line.”

“After the financial crash, we found it difficult to get banks interested in backing the business.”

“We haven’t got any external borrowings, our bank has been very helpful and we have had no problems.”

“We are self-financing; it was very difficult at first, but we have kept a good relationship with our bank.”

5. Do you think the Northern Powerhouse agenda will improve things for your business and Yorkshire as a whole?

It is fair to say that this question brought about a degree of cynicism amongst some businesses, albeit not all:

“Leeds is a strong base anyway so arguably, the Northern Powerhouse already exists. Whilst employees who commute between the centres of the different Northern cities may benefit from an improvement of the transport infrastructure; our business, which is based on the outskirts of the town, is unlikely to benefit from this.”

“It is political and I think very little will come of it.”

“It is all just a political game.”

“I think it is just a ‘political stance’ by the parties concerned.”

View The Yorkshire Post’s Fastest 50 supplement in full