He lays two business cards out on the Coffee Bean table. Different companies, distinct personalities, both cards bearing the same name:
“Richard Doyle, Founder and President.”
“I have three others somewhere in here,” says Doyle, pointing to a small portfolio. “I keep all cash and cards in here for my businesses. I’m always on the move.”
Doyle’s been on the move since his first entrepreneurial endeavor: a Facebook security application called Portcard, which landed him meetings with the executives of MySpace, Facebook and Disney before he was old enough to get into the 9-0. A recent USC Spring ’09 grad from Marshall’s Entrepreneurship program, his parents gave him six months to get an e-career off the ground… or find, y’know, “a real job.”
Today, Doyle is managing three full-blown companies at once – not counting a few pending projects.
“They’d call me a serial entrepreneur,” says Doyle, sighing but smiling at a plight that has obviously paid off. “I have a lot of great ideas, but I so much have trouble with staying with one thing – I just can’t sit still.”
Which explains why this energetic entrepreneur has his hands in a few big jars – two of which started on accident.
Doyle's easy-to-follow decks
SPEAKING GREEK
American Cherry was an idea born out of a fraternity trip to Tahoe, where his brothers wondered out loud why there was no retail market for their favorite drinking games. Doyle went home and, out of curiosity, sent some why-not inquiring e-mails to manufacturers in Asia. Then he had a graphic design buddy play around with designing a 52-card deck of official King’s Cup cards. Three months later, Doyle’s decks sold out at the USC Bookstore, the infamous Greek Escape and several retail stores in Southern California.
His latest idea was, again, another joke: Ten vulgar tanktops printed for his frat brothers to mock their friends’ Pi Phi shirts. Seeing that students loved them, he printed a few more to sell. Their use of a certain 4-letter word outraged the sorority and the university, and the tanks were outlawed.
“That’s when sales went absolutely out of control,” reflects Doyle. He made $2000 in 3 weeks.
Doyle even tried to stop so he could focus on other pursuits, but demand called from Greeks across the country – spreading simply through word of mouth. Six months later, Doyle is crafting a line of themed Greek-targeted clothing for FratTanks.com, including the popular “Party with Trojans” tank and mascot-themed shirts for future football games.
“Our next goal? Urban Outfitters,” says Doyle simply, taking a sip of coffee.
“I CAN DO A BETTER JOB”
One of FratTank's more PG options
Though he clearly possessed the energy and drive to sustain both start-ups, Doyle didn’t ask to be juggling both at once. But according to Doyle, serial entrepreneurs like him just can’t help it.
“The minute you start something, it goes in a hundred different places,” says Doyle, gesturing animatedly with his hands. “You build off it like a tree, with little limbs into every different part of the market. As you can see I have these, and three more business cards in my wallet. And I always have a million ideas, one after another, every day.”
He manages the three companies with the help of a few tech friends, sales reps and an intern, but the bulk of the work comes from Doyle himself.
“I ship everything on my own: my apartment’s a mess, full of tank tops, cards; I have a postage machine there, I do all my own graphic design,” says Doyle. “It’s great because I don’t like having to rely on someone else. I believe that I can do a better job than someone else can – If I can do it, I’d much rather do it.”
But even do-it-all serial entrepreneurs like Doyle have a limit.
“You realize that you only have so much bandwidth,” admits Doyle. “It’s the hardest thing to find out that you have a limit. As hard as it is, you gotta find someone else to do it. “
Realizing weakness is hard for many solo business owners. But here, says Doyle, is where the hurts-so-good of serial entrepreneurship kicks in.
“All my weaknesses those are things I could learn. The great part of it is that you always learn, you continue learning.”
This article is part of a series of features on Richard Doyle – his most embarrassing moments, his craziest stories and the advice that has saved his businesses.
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