A CEO journey: From rebellion to vision

How breaking the rules led to building a business with heart

By Rebecca Brooks

When people ask me why I started Alter Agents, I usually joke, “I’m allergic to authority.” It gets a laugh—and it’s not untrue—but the fuller story is a little more layered.

I didn’t start this company with a grand vision or a five-year plan. I started it as a rejection of the kinds of places I and my friends had worked before, which were exactly like all the other companies in the market research industry: workplaces that didn’t care about people, especially women, and certainly didn’t prioritize work/life balance or empathy. I was exhausted by the 60-hour workweeks, frustrated by the grind, and deeply disillusioned with leadership cultures that prized profit over people. So I walked away.

In the beginning, my goals were simple: I wanted freedom. Freedom to pick my clients, freedom to manage my own time, and—most importantly—freedom to build my family. With the support of long-time colleagues, trusting clients, and a few brave friends who joined me, I built a small lifestyle business that gave me just that. It gave me space for my costly and emotional journey through both IVF and adoption. It was enough.

And then… things shifted.

Once my kids were a little older—4 and 7—I felt the itch. That old ambition came back, the drive that used to fuel my career before I stepped away. And I’ll be honest: I was bored. The same clients. The same revenue. The same work, year after year. I knew I wanted more, but I didn’t know what “more” looked like.

So, I started to experiment. We rebranded as Alter Agents in 2015. Shortly after, we began publishing ebooks and writing about ideas like brand narcissism and shopper promiscuity. I started to get hungry for new business wins and elevating our work. I leaned into marketing and growth. It helped, but still—it didn’t light the fire. Something was missing.

That “something” finally clicked into place during my time in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. I went into it thinking I’d come out with a sharper business plan. I came out with something much deeper: clarity.

What I realized was this—yes, I built a company to give myself space to grow a family. But the bigger mission, the one I hadn’t fully articulated until then, was that I wanted to give that same opportunity to others. To create a workplace where people didn’t have to choose between their careers and their personal lives. A place where dreams—whether professional, personal, creative, or parental—didn’t have to be sacrificed for a paycheck.

That’s when everything changed.

I parted ways with my original partners (with lots of mutual respect), restructured the business, and redefined Alter Agents to align with this mission. I finally knew why I was doing this—and who I was doing it for.

Now, in our 15th year, I can say with full confidence: this is the company I was always meant to build. A place that does meaningful work with clients we respect, surrounded by people who are empowered to live full lives in and out of the office. We’re profitable. We’re growing. And we’re doing it on our terms.

It’s been a journey—from rebellion to clarity to purpose. And if you’re someone who’s out there trying to figure out what’s next in your own story, my advice is this: start with what matters to you. Follow it. And don’t be afraid if your “why” changes along the way. Mine did. That’s what made it real.

Here’s to the next 15.

—Rebecca