SPARK's 4-Year Evolution: Q&A With Founder Matt O’Donovan
Acquired by Volaris Group in 2020, SPARK® TSL (formerly WiFi SPARK) was founded by Matt O’Donovan decades earlier, in 2002. This family-run business provides managed guest Wi-Fi solutions predominantly in the UK healthcare sector.
Since joining the Volaris network, SPARK has experienced immense growth, including acquisitive expansion and consistent double-digit growth year-over-year. Now approaching their fourth anniversary since the acquisition, we caught up with Matt to hear more about their journey.
"The stability and process provided by Volaris, along with its well-established model, have exceeded my expectations. I feared acquisition would be restrictive, but it turned out to be the opposite."
-- Matt O'Donovan, CEO & Group Leader, SPARK TSL
Q: What was your mindset when selling to Volaris? What hopes and reservations did you have about the transaction?
Selling your business is an emotional journey, especially when you’ve spent two decades building it. My hopes and reservations were centred around one question, “What was going to happen to my company after the sale?”, and my hesitations were centred around 3 pillars:
- Employees: As business owners, we feel responsible for our employees. I’ve always said that people don’t work for me – they work with me. When you see people grow and develop, not just from a talent point of view but also in their personal lives, you see a wide spectrum of life. My team had built a great community and culture over the years, and when considering acquisition, I refused to turn my back on that. On top of all the relationships I had built, my daughter and son also worked within the business. All these factors combined meant a final home for SPARK had to be right. I appreciated the importance that Volaris placed on talent and people, and the dedication they highlighted towards employees’ learning and growth.
- Legacy: Another buyer had offered me a cash offer for the business as an outright purchase. Essentially, I would exit the business, and they would likely strip the company – get rid of all the bits they didn’t need, and just take the software. If I went forward with this option, the buyer would have likely fired two-thirds of the employees, some of whom had been with SPARK since our inception. This reality was very concerning for me. In contrast, Volaris’ buy-and-hold philosophy and dedication to autonomy were very appealing – I could continue growing my legacy with autonomy and my team by my side, all while having a new support system in my corner.
- Customers: Ensuring our customers would be well taken care of was paramount. I was impressed by Volaris' strong focus on customer experience and their expertise in vertical market software. I hoped that joining this network would enable us to offer more enhanced product offerings while growing further organically.
“All my conversations with Volaris leading up to the sale were very positive and reassuring, but I was worried Volaris might not deliver what they had promised. Now, looking back, there was nothing to be worried about – Volaris delivered exactly what they promised and then some.”
-- Matt O'Donovan, CEO & Group Leader, SPARK TSL
Q: How has SPARK grown over the past few years?
As part of Volaris, SPARK has achieved double-digit growth every year. We have become significantly more profitable and organized.
We now have a highly skilled team contributing to our success: our talent within SPARK, who have received substantial resources for their professional development, and experienced professionals in the broader Volaris ecosystem who directly support our growth. Additionally, we've expanded our team and offerings through acquisitions like Hospedia and, most recently, Sentean. Most importantly, our employees and customers have experienced the numerous benefits of this growth.
Q: Can you tell us more about how the acquisition has impacted your employees?
Our employees have benefited significantly, particularly in the realm of talent development. We now have structured talent reviews, which were initially a shock to our team. However, with some time, we realized the immense benefits this brought to everyone, individually and collectively.
We have a better understanding of what SPARK is trying to achieve, improved communication, and more opportunities by being part of a much larger organization. The wider Volaris network has been incredibly powerful, allowing us to connect with tens of thousands of people and leverage vast resources and support.
Q: Can you expand on how your customers have benefited post-acquisition?
Our customer focus has since strengthened – we are more organized in how we communicate with them, and they’ve benefited from a much more robust product. We now have better processes for measuring customer satisfaction because we know it feeds into our business performance – as a result of this focus, our customer service reviews have improved significantly. With the backing of Volaris, we can also lean on the name of a bigger company, which has helped to derisk and build more credibility with our clients.
Q: How do Volaris' best practices, benchmarking, and availability of data affect SPARK?
It’s been incredibly useful. Being able to lean on the operational expertise within Volaris - utilizing functional metrics and best practices from hundreds of companies – has allowed us to streamline our operations and enhance our overall performance.
I can speak to any number of CEOs and receive genuine, honest support; they share not only their triumphs but also their defeats, which is something rare in the business world. The honesty and information-sharing are refreshing. Additionally, we have access to a wealth of other resources, including dedicated support from our Strategy Team.
Q: Has joining Volaris lived up to your expectations?
Absolutely yes, and more so. The stability and process provided by Volaris, along with its well-established model, have exceeded my expectations. I feared acquisition would be restrictive, but it turned out to be the opposite. While it might come as a shock at first, you soon realize the measures, the ratios, and the way they assess your business are proven through immense experience gained over many years. No business is identical to another, but in the types of businesses that Volaris acquires, there is a tremendous amount of common ground.
“It has opened my eyes, and it’s been a great home for the SPARK team including myself. Now that things are settled and I have a great management team, I have a lot more quality time to focus on my priorities and personal interests.”
-- Matt O'Donovan, CEO & Group Leader, SPARK TSL
Looking Ahead: SPARK's Continued Growth and Innovation
As SPARK® TSL approaches its fourth anniversary with Volaris Group, it's clear that the journey has been transformative. In a relatively short amount of time, the company has achieved significant growth and made a substantial impact in the healthcare sector. With multiple acquisitions of its own and a strong focus on customer experience and employee development, SPARK continues to thrive. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this innovative company under Matt O’Donovan’s leadership.
