altr just turned two, and our little experiment is working.

After 20 years in the industry, we started by asking many questions, but one in particular was unorthodox: Can the right talent organically organize around and collaborate with clients to create truly disruptive brands and products, without being tethered and slowed down by the traditional agency model?

The answer is yes. And the cult is growing, we’re not the only one’s paving this new way. IDEO, a company we’ve always admired, is cautiously converting. And it’s an idea who’s time has come even outside our industry.

Validation is nice. But the important question for clients is whether they are getting the most out of your current internal and external teams.

• Is their product experience more than a few years old?

• Has their MVP moved past viable?

• Is their brand saying the right things to the right people?

• How much of their fee pays for free-interns or meeting fluffers?

Some brands spend their money to simply maintain market dominance. They go to the big agencies that have been around forever, the Glorious Cathedrals: Lots of ceremony, pomp, and full pews. You might have met the priest once, but you probably don’t know the person sitting next to you week after week.

Some brands want to be more involved but still seek comfort in large numbers. These agencies come in as many flavors and philosophies as Protestants: Everyone is welcoming, no one gets caught up in formalities, they just want to get the job done, and about half of them will.

Then there are the brands that are more spiritual in nature, some because they just are (like Tesla), and some because they have to be (insert any start-up here). They’re driven by a calling, and seek out a handful of apostles instead of adorned walls and overflowing pews.

You just need to figure out what type of personality your brand actually is.