A proud Yorkshireman with 20 years of selling, and the scars to prove it.
I'm Daniel Hodgson. I've sold for two of the biggest brands in the world, built my own business past £2 million in online sales, and learned the most expensive lesson in business the hard way. Urban Spark exists so you don't have to learn it the same way.
From knocking on doors to £2M+ online, and the lesson that built Urban Spark
At adidas I was on the phones, selling to 94 independent sports retailers across Northern England and Scotland, and on the stand at the quarterly sports shows, selling to rooms full of buyers at once. At AB InBev I walked the streets, selling brands like Stella Artois and Beck's into the on-trade (pubs and bars) and the off-trade (retail). FMCG is where I really learnt the art of selling. It is a culture of sales and leadership, built on training its people to perform and get results.
Then I built my own business. Pro-Am Kits grew from zero to ten employees and over £2 million in lifetime ecommerce sales. By every outside measure, it worked. We sold B2B and B2C across multi-channel, which meant mastering a different skill set for each.
Two decades, more than 30,000 sales conversations, and pitches from shop counters to six-figure proposals.
But I built it so it could not run without me. Every sale went through me. Every problem came back to me. And in 2023, when I stepped back, it stopped. That is not a sales problem. That is a system problem.
That experience is why Urban Spark exists. I teach business owners, founders and salespeople the system I wish I had: The Trust Sales System, covering the mindset, the skillset and the toolset. Not theory. Not motivation. A system that works whether you are having a great week or a terrible one.
20+ years selling, leading and building
adidas
Account Manager for 94 independent sports retailers across Northern England and Scotland.
AB InBev
Key Account Manager for the world's biggest brewery, selling brands like Stella Artois.
Pro-Am Kits
Managing Director for 13+ years, grown from startup to over £2M in online sales.
Urban Spark
Founder and Sales Director, helping owners and salespeople sell with confidence and a system.
Why people trust me with their sales
Fellow, Institute of Sales Professionals
Recognised at Fellow level by the UK's professional body for sales.
Lead Sales Partner, University of York
Lead sales partner at the Phase One Incubator, working with early-stage founders.
Growth Hub delivery partner
Delivered six funded sales programmes across York, Harrogate and Northallerton for the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub.
20+ years in sales
B2B, B2C, ecommerce and face-to-face, from global brands to scaling startups.
30,000+ sales conversations
Real pitches, real objections, real closes. The system is built from the field, not a book.
£2M+ built from scratch
Founded, grew and ran an ecommerce business to over £2M in lifetime sales.
To help 5,000 owners and salespeople grow their revenue and build a business they love.