Are the folks in Washington drinking water contaminated with a Pollyanna virus? Are they always so gosh-darn nice? Doyle doesn't think his behavior was all that nice -- just smart. "I don't burn bridges with anyone ever," he says. Good move. Following a short sabbatical with his wife and young son, Doyle began work at a major multinational public-relations firm in January 2001. Four months later, he was downsized once again.
"On April 23, two individuals entered my office at 10 AM, talked to me for 60 seconds, and removed my computer access instantly. I was dumbfounded," Doyle says of the sudden layoff. "So, on April 24, I secured my business license and started Doyle Public Relations."
One of the first clients to sign on was Altrec.com, which is, ironically enough, hiring. The majority of Doyle's clients are young entrepreneurs looking for startup savvy in addition to PR expertise. Twice bitten, Doyle is only too eager to jump back into the fight. Only this time, he's brandishing a few new tricks.
"I have a much stronger business strategist's mind now," he says. "I understand tactics, tough decisions, and the importance of dealing straight with people. Of the five RFPs I submitted after forming Doyle Public Relations, three were accepted. I think that's because I've learned to focus on the fundamentals -- the sound business solutions. If you cut to the chase, you will succeed."
Meanwhile, Altrec is emerging from beneath the rubble to find that the sun can still shine for dotcoms in 2001. Since November 2000, at least three of Altrec's major competitors -- Gear.com, MVP.com, and Fogdog.com -- have slashed jobs, sold out, and all but disappeared from the landscape. Major competition remains, but Altrec continues to pursue and bag meaningful deals and investments. Earlier this month, Altrec announced a partnership with Outward Bound that will make it the exclusive online retailer for the American wilderness school.
"The two people who brought that relationship home were involved in last year's layoffs," Stowell says. "They called Outward Bound before their departures to reassure the school that it should do the deal with Altrec regardless. That integrity really blew me away."
Altrec closed a round of funding totaling $1.5 million late last month, and Morford says that the company is on track to hit profitability by the end of 2001. He says that the company's sales have risen 260% since last year and that its traffic has more than doubled. And perhaps more tellingly, current employees and alums of Altrec who spent Memorial Day weekend hiking and mountain biking together are planning a river-rafting event for late June. Maybe they just really are that nice.
All of this camaraderie doesn't mean Altrec's wild ride hasn't caused some pain. But former employees like Doyle seem to believe that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger -- or, at least, more masochistic.
"However painful, frustrating, and unnerving, I wouldn't trade my experience with Altrec.com for anything," Doyle says. "Pain is a good learning tool. In essence, I got my MBA from the university of life during a social uprising."
Anni Layne (alayne@fastcompany.com) is the Fast Company senior Web editor. Learn more about Altrec and Doyle Public Relations. Contact Shannon Stowell (shannons@altrec.com) and Chris Doyle (cdbolt@rcsis.com) via email.
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