By Emilie Williams, October 2008
Photo By Zachary Bennett
Some of the most legendary entrepreneurs have launched businesses from the comfort of their own homes. Steve Jobs created the first personal computer out of his garage, Martha Stewart catered lavish dinner parties in her own kitchen and Geoff Wilson started a Web-design company out of his fraternity house while attending the University of Florida.
Wilson, president and CEO of 352 Media Group, started his business for the same reason most college students find jobs — he needed money. By the time he graduated from UF with a telecommunications degree in 2001, Wilson had eight employees and more than 100 customers.
“I actually had a 1-800 number run into the fraternity house,” he said. “The other brothers living in the house would answer the phone with a business greeting and take messages for me.”
Discounted rates advertised on the Internet and at business trade shows lured customers to his burgeoning business. In the past decade, Wilson and his three top employees have designed more than 1,000 Web sites and provided interactive media tools for clients such as Microsoft, American Express, NASCAR, Harley Davidson and Outback Steakhouse.
With offices in cosmopolitan locales like Los Angeles, New York and Seattle, Wilson says he prefers to work in Gainesville because it doesn’t have crazy traffic and boasts world-class sports teams and great restaurants. In the next decade, he hopes to expand the company’s services.
“Just as the Internet is growing like crazy, we expect our company to do the same.”