Thomas Wilkinson '98 MBA began his entrepreneurial life when he was 12, selling golf balls at a local course. In college he worked for a small cleaning company. That's when he had the idea of starting his own cleaning business. He's been starting businesses ever since.

By the time he graduated from college in 1989, the cleaning firm, Advantage Maintenance, had nine employees. It now employs more than 300 people and serves Connecticut, southern Massachusetts and Westchester County.

Over the last 12 years, Wilkinson has started numerous businesses that offer a range of services, including commercial real estate purchasing and rental; indoor air quality services; and fitness equipment repair and maintenance.

Wilkinson is as enthusiastic about sharing his entrepreneurial expertise and philosophy as he is about starting companies. He served as an adviser to the School of Business free enterprise program from 1999-2004 and is currently a member of the school's advisory board.

"I like the excitement of discovering opportunities and helping others succeed," he said. "One of my favorite sayings is 'A rising tide lifts all boats.' If my company does well, that happens because of a lot of people, and in turn, the decisions I make affect them."

Wilkinson says that while a good plan is necessary to start a business, you can't plan for everything. "You have to make sure that you're capitalized and that you're realistic, but at a certain point, when an idea excites you, you just have to move ahead and see what happens."