It takes village to raise a business, but there is no reason it shouldn’t be a global village. Sparkgeo started with the simple idea that it would be good to put maps on the internet. From there we have evolved into a geospatial consultancy providing generalized non-vendor specific geospatial advice, with an ability to back up what we say with code and data. This is a story about serendipity, intermingled with a pinch of good fortune with an occasional lucky break.