Spark: Take Your Business From Struggle to Significance Paperback – November 1, 2016

Reading David’s new book “Spark” brings back memories to me: I have experienced struggle and realized fantastic success, much like the hero “Jack”.After college I started working in my parent’s sports equipment store – the proverbial Mom-and-Pop shop. At the time the Big Box Sports stores were taking a toll on our small, local business. We just could not compete with their ability to offer a wider selection at lower prices. I wanted to be more than a small town business and more importantly, I wanted to save our family business from a slow demise.To increase revenue, we took a chance with the then new concept of on-line ordering. The business grew but fulfilling online orders detracted from providing the level of service in-store customers deserved. A new business model was needed. We sought answers, read books and received advice. I was very fortunate to become a client of David Hilton at this time. His advice and our ability to take action launched our business like a rocket. While there were challenges along the way, David was there to guide us. We still had to do the work, but I was not alone, experimenting with solutions.In short, we focused on the on-line business, simplified the product offering and maximized the customer experience. We learned how to hire the right people for the company culture, and provided our people (employees) clarity of expectations, with the resources and training to excel in their job. We also learned the power of systematization for the business.Though there has been a lot of luck on this road, I know that commitment and unwavering effort combined with great advice (at the right moments) is a no-fail strategy. I believe the principles in this book can help others do the same.

This book is a great read AND informative: a must for all business owners (regardless of company size or industry) and entrepreneurs just starting out. Heck, the story is soo good that even folks who are employees would enjoy reading it because they can personally relate the story to the foibles of their bosses."Spark” is essentially a Business- Fiction- Drama, which seems like an oxymoron, but the authors have successfully pulled it off. The story is about Jack, a young man who decides to launch his own business and the troubles he encounters along the way to become successful.Want the inside scoop? The story, written by Alexander Hilton (David's son!), is wrapped around the business principles taught by David Hilton, a successful business coach (that part you knew).The story is so compelling, you may have to go back and re-read the book to pull out the business lessons. Which you will want to do if you want to save yourself time and trouble by relearning lessons already available to you in this book. You will enjoy and benefit from Jack's journey. I did.

Excellent business advice woven into a fictional story for an easy, yet educational, read. As the story unfolds, we see both bad and good decisions and the impact they can have on a business. I will be opening a medical practice in the next year and have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with where to start and with all I have to do. This book, recommended to me by my partner who Mr. Hilton is working with on business coaching, helped to settle some of the anxiety and make me see that it is doable after all. It is a short four to five hour read and because it is written as a novel, the time flies by. In fact, I got so engrossed in the story that I had to stop myself several times to go back and highlight pertinent passages. I found this to be a very effective way for Mr. Hilton to deliver his message and I definitely recommend this book to any business owner or future business owner.

David Hilton's Book - Spark reminds me of the familiar journey taken by most entrepreneurs who are technicians in their fields but often fail.This business narrative puts the character Jack wanting to do his own thing in construction and finally gets the opportunity, illustrated by a series of mistakes and fortunate corrections that result in success for Jack.Having seen and even made the same mistakes myself, I can definitely relate to many of the problems in this book and valued my advisors, friends and even family that help me.One of the characters is Vern, who acts as a mentor for Jack and provides some of the most critical solutions that in my opinion that cause businesses to fail aside from a bad idea or cash flow. Communication and ability to hire the right people.Spark is an incredibly exciting story packed with valuable business advice, and I’d recommend this book to anybody struggling with communication and hiring.

A great book for anyone who dreams about creating his/ her own business but does not know how and from where to start with…up to the experienced entrepreneurs who will pick up nuggets to keep improving.From the first pages, I felt drawn to Jack’s journey, waiting for his next step or move. The great part is that I started to think of ways to apply the strategies, recommendations, points to my own business. And I have already implemented some.I am definitely more knowledgeable about the keys to success in business after reading David Hilton new book. More importantly I have the step by step resources, in the book, to put them in practice in my own small business.

A great book to help any business owner over come obstacles that we see on a daily basis. I'm a small business owner and identified very well with Jack. I read it in two nights because I was rooting for Jack and wanting to see what he would do next. This book helped me understand better how to grow a business without sacrificing quality and customer service. How to find the right people and make sure they fit well with their strengths and in the business as a team. I have referred this book to many of my business friends and they have all loved it!

Read this. You’ll learn a lot

This book is thought provoking and encouraging. Written as a fictional story, I found myself identifying with Jack on several occasions. I like books that teach through story telling and this one does just that.

Good read on managing employees and overall business.Definitely sets some good values for starting any business on the right track