While Alterra launched this month, Alterra actually started years ago. Decades, even, I just didn't know it.
I’ve felt a stirring to build something of my own for most of my adult life. That pull to create differently. To work differently. To make space for myself and others who didn’t fit neatly into traditional molds.
In 2004—more than 20 years ago—I quit my full-time job to try my hand at consulting. I was full of ambition and hope. But the timing wasn’t right. I didn’t have the experiences, the network, or the clarity I needed. So I went back to work. But that stirring never went away.
Over the years, I kept finding ways to carve out space for my creativity and independence. Between 2007 and 2010, I took on a side hustle designing newsletters. Leveraging my degree in graphic design I was up late making things work after working a full day and momming until the kids went to bed. It was scrappy and satisfying. I loved it.
From 2020 to 2023, I found myself again working on the side—doing marketing and communications for local businesses and nonprofits. Helping them build a presence, tell their stories, and connect with their communities as the pandemic changed the landscape. Always in the margins of a “real” job. Always with that voice in the back of my head whispering, what if you just did this for real?
But life is complicated. Medical benefits are required. Bills need to be paid. Kids need to be raised. Stability matters. And so I tucked the dream away. Again. And again.
Until last year—November 2024—when the whisper became a roar. I opened ChatGPT and typed out a question: What would it look like to start a business focused on HubSpot and marketing strategy?
That was the start of this version of the story. The moment Alterra began to take shape.
And it didn’t come together overnight. It came in fits and starts, like most things worth building. I was still working full-time. Still managing other responsibilities. Still wrestling with all the usual fears—imposter syndrome, money anxiety, perfectionism, self-doubt. But something was different this time.
This time, I didn’t stop.
I kept showing up. Asking questions. Refining ideas. Seeking the advise of advisors, mentors, colleagues and friends. Exploring names and logos and services. I found myself drawn to the concept of the alternative—the idea that we could work differently, market differently, build differently. That we didn’t have to follow the traditional paths that so often exclude the people I care about most.
That’s where the name came from: Alterra. A blend of alternative and terra—earth, ground, foundation. It felt right. Like something solid and expansive at the same time.
So here we are—five months and many, many questions later—and Alterra Solutions is finally real. Not perfect. Not finished. But real.
And honestly? That is the whole point.
Alterra is a business built for people in motion. For founders in their beginning stages—when everything is a little messy and uncertain. For scrappy startups figuring it out one customer, one tool, one idea at a time. For people who don’t need another agency talking at them—they need someone who will roll up their sleeves and get in the trenches with them.
I built Alterra to be that kind of partner.
We offer HubSpot services—onboarding, custom builds, admin support, integrations—and strategic marketing solutions that meet businesses where they are. Not some idealized version of where they should be, but the real, gritty, inspiring place they’re in right now.
Alterra is about building a new system. A more inclusive, flexible, and collaborative way to grow.
It’s about helping people turn stirring into strategy. Dream into execution. Chaos into momentum.
This business is the culmination of every side gig I’ve taken on in the cracks and corners of a busy life. Every late-night brainstorm. Every failed attempt that taught me something. Every small win that reminded me I could do this.
So no, Alterra didn’t begin this month. Or last year. It began a long time ago.
And this? This is just the start.
If you’re a founder with a dream and a whole lot of questions, I see you. If you’re juggling day jobs or nap schedules or five other side projects, I get it. If you’re trying to build something that matters and you’re not sure where to start—I’d love to help.
We’re not a big agency. We’re not full of fluff. We’re a small, values-driven partner for people trying to do business differently.
Let’s build something better. Together.