Alton Peques | Episode 006 | The Rise of the Multi-Hyphenate
An In Good Company Feature | By JermConnects
"For years, people were incentivized to go deep into a particular topic. You stay in your particular lane and the structure of schooling reflects that. The structure of companies reflects that too. There's this whole ecosystem that was created and proliferated and maintained that kept people in silos."
THE STORY
Alton Peques doesn't believe in picking one lane.
He's currently in Product at LinkedIn as part of the Associate Product Builder Program. He's also the founder of Nexus Commerce—a platform helping Shopify brands turn their data into strategic action using AI. And he's Head of Product at Forefront, an Atlanta-based startup connecting Black brands with creators for influencer and UGC content.
Most people would call that scattered. Alton calls it strategic harmony.
"The nature of my work is all interconnected," he told me. "I've been working closer and closer to having more harmony between all the ventures I'm putting my time into so that I'm not context switching so much."
I've known Alton since before he even got to Carolina. He was a high schooler in Project Uplift Plus, and I was one of his counselors. I watched him get crowned Mr. UNC in 2018. I gave him one of his first real building opportunities—redesigning the Black Student Movement website. That project is still live today.
And I watched him turn that first taste of building into a career that spans BBDO, Amazon, Apple, LinkedIn, and two companies of his own.
THE DEATH OF "PICK ONE LANE"
The conversation shifted when I asked Alton what he believes that most people in his industry would disagree with.
His answer: The "pick one lane" era is over.
"The full-stack builder is arising. AI is collapsing things in terms of traditional roles that existed. They may evolve into not existing in the format that they do today—or at all."
For years, the system incentivized specialization. Engineers went to engineering school. Nurses went to nursing school. You stayed in your lane. Companies were structured that way. Schools were structured that way. And if you wanted to transition? You paid for an MBA or a master's program just for the opportunity to switch.
"People were literally paying just for the opportunity to transition into something new," Alton explained. "There's this whole ecosystem that kept people in silos. And there's an economic outcome to that."
But that's changing. AI is collapsing traditional roles. The future belongs to people who can be creative, strategic, AND build—all at once.
And here's the thing: most people are already doing it. They just don't see themselves that way.
"There's a subset of people who already are multi-hyphenates. They're already doing multiple things in the flow of their work. Whether you're an urban planner who also generates Excel spreadsheets, manages projects, designs programs, interacts with superiors and interns... people already do that. They just don't claim that badge for themselves."
CHOOSING SAN FRANCISCO OVER LONDON
The turning point in Alton's journey came during COVID. He'd finished his coursework at UNC and was ready to enter the workforce. He had job interviews lined up. He could have started making money.
Instead, he stayed.
"I had the opportunity to stay for another semester—not because I had to, but because I could through Carolina Covenant," he said. "I ended up applying for a program through Shuford, the minor in entrepreneurship. And Bernard Bell at UNC was a huge part of helping me get that in at the last minute."
Then came another choice: London or San Francisco.
London seemed exciting. He'd never been that far before. But San Francisco ended up being the decision that changed everything.
"Coming here was my first time ever being in California. It opened my mind so much. The culture, the pace, the companies—it allowed me to think and create in a way I hadn't been able to do before."
What really transformed him? Proximity to builders.
"I had roommates who were young professionals in the Bay, working on their own companies. I watched someone stay up late building their startup while working a full-time job. I watched their entire journey towards getting into an accelerator—having that real moment, crying about it, celebrating about it. You can't manufacture that by exposure or veneer."
THE STRATEGY BEHIND THE BUILD
People see Alton's end products—the apps, the platforms, the designs. What they don't see is the process that feeds everything he builds.
"The part that I enjoy the most, which is the strategy and the research that goes into it—I think that's a part of what I do that people may not be as familiar with."
He learned this framework at BBDO: competitive research, user interviews, text analysis on reviews and comments to identify themes, understanding what's happening in culture. All of it converges to generate an insight that then shapes what gets built.
"What's the truth with the customer? What's the truth of the business? What's the truth of the moment? How all these things come together to converge at one point and generate an insight—that's the process that feeds into all the work I do."
THE PROBLEM HE'S OBSESSED WITH
When I asked Alton what problem he's trying to solve that no one's talking about, he lit up.
"Information retrieval and connected intelligence for businesses when they're leveraging AI to do their work."
The problem: businesses have rich data about their customers, orders, competitors, and performance—but it's all siloed in different apps and dashboards. There are tools that unite it into a single dashboard. But Alton's vision goes further.
"What I'm working on with Nexus Commerce is building a framework where businesses can pull that information in, reformat it, and use it inside an LLM or AI tool. So if your team is naturally using ChatGPT or Claude to do their work, how does having a companion that has all that rich insight transform what you do and what you prioritize?"
It's strategic AI—not just task execution, but decision-making informed by real business intelligence.
WHO ARE YOU BEYOND YOUR TITLES?
The question that hit hardest came at the end.
If you could ask the world one question and get an honest answer, what would it be?
Alton's answer: "Who are you?"
Not your job title. Not your role as a partner, friend, or employee. Not even your name. Who have you actually become?
"We're interacting through these titles, through these characters that we are playing a role in. Even if you try to extract yourself from a job or a company, you're still defining yourself through the lens of a role or labor or responsibility—not just who you are as a person."
It's a question Alton asks himself daily through affirmations.
"I try to affirm myself through 'I am' statements. It helps me take a step back and strip away. I reframe my day not through the paradigm of being a product manager or a CEO or a friend or a partner—just who I am."
Summarized Talking Points
Managing multiple ventures — Alton uses Airtable to manage tasks across LinkedIn, Nexus Commerce, and Forefront. But the real key is harmony: building ventures that require similar skills so you're not constantly context-switching.
"Pick one lane" is dead — AI is collapsing traditional roles. The future belongs to multi-hyphenates who can be creative, strategic, AND build all at once.
You're already multi-hyphenate — Most people already wear multiple hats at work. They just don't see themselves that way. The mindset shift is claiming it.
The San Francisco decision — Choosing SF over London changed everything. Being around builders, watching roommates grind on startups, proximity to the culture of innovation.
The strategy behind the build — What people don't see is the research, competitive analysis, and user interviews that feed into everything Alton builds. He learned this framework at BBDO.
Connected intelligence — Alton's current obsession: building systems that consolidate business data into a companion that can inform AI-powered decisions.
Identity beyond titles — The most revealing question you can ask someone: Who are you without your job title, without your role, without your responsibilities?
CONNECT WITH ALTON
Instagram: @altonpeques
Nexus Commerce: nexuscommerce.co
Forefront: forefrontatl.com
LinkedIn: Alton Peques
In Good Company is hosted by Jeremy McKellar. Real conversations with builders, thinkers, and operators. Honest insights from people worth knowing.