Anthony Wilson, 38

Anthony Wilson, a Sarasota entrepreneur who hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is like a cowboy on a horse who cannot quite explain why he likes the grasslands, the cattle runs and the sunsets.

Business is in his blood, and has been since he was a teen in the Sooner State. Wilson started a window-washing operation for commercial businesses at 16. He didn't want a regular job, and noticed his father, Don Wilson (also his mentor), working on his own after being laid off by an airline company.

"From 8 years old on, I wanted to be my own boss," says Wilson, who hit the bricks at 16 to sell. "I picked up a bucket and brush and went door knocking. That kind of helped me to talk to people and start soliciting."

His business was a hit, even as he found time for football and classes. His book of business grew to 55 accounts. When he left for Oklahoma State, he advertised selling his business, and despite being asset-light, he sold his book of business for an impressive $5,000.

But when asked why he worked so hard and what he wanted to buy with the money as a teen — a $500 guitar maybe? —  Wilson says he liked work. And he doesn't necessarily have a favorite industry, as his current group of companies shows. Blucoast LLC is an umbrella company that oversees BluWater Club of Sarasota, a pool-cleaning company; Blue Agua, an under-development swimming pool and home construction company; and a software application company, Blucoast Media LLC.

In between college and his move to Florida, Wilson was a constant operator and seller of businesses. Wilson built homes; bought and sold three restaurants; and purchased a high-volume convenience store, selling it for double the price.

Wilson migrated to Sarasota in 2020, after his father moved to Venice, in south Sarasota County. He sought a business during the third quarter of 2020. But he did not find too many businesses to buy right away. Later, he found the pool-cleaning route, and set up his latest business.

Now a father too, Wilson is asked what drives him, if not money. The answer is simple.

"I like building things," says Wilson. "I like value-adding. I enjoy doing that. … I like looking at different businesses and their financials and finding ways to improve it."