Alec Rickard

Alec RickardAug 18, 2026

If I had to get promoted again from scratch, I'd do these 10 things differently. I was promoted 6 times in 8 years. From assistant manager on $40k to a global role on $200k. And after coaching 150+ professionals on getting promoted, Here are the 10 promotion secrets I wish more people understood: 1. Make Your Work Visible ↳ Great work unseen has zero impact. ↳ Track your wins and talk about them. 2. Demonstrate the Next Level Early ↳ Promotions are bets on future potential. ↳ Act like that role before it's official. 3. Make Your Manager's Goals Your Goals ↳ Understand what your manager actually prioritizes. ↳ Link your work to their priorities. 4. Build an Independent Team ↳ Strong teams outlast any single person. ↳ Mentor others and document your processes. 5. Get Seriously Good at Soft Skills ↳ Technical skill gets the job done. ↳ Sharpen communication, influence, and difficult conversations. 6. Build Genuine Relationships ↳ People promote who they already trust. ↳ Help others before you ever ask. 7. Become Known for Solving Problems ↳ Leaders spot problems nobody else owns. ↳ Find the gap and fix it first. 8. Make Your Ambition Visible ↳ Hidden ambition rarely earns a promotion. ↳ Tell your manager exactly where you're headed. 9. Build a Reputation Beyond Your Team ↳ Reputation stuck in one team stays small. ↳ Volunteer for visible, cross functional projects. 10. Act Like Your Next-Level Self ↳ Permission never arrives, so stop waiting. ↳ Act like that person right now. Your promotion is about becoming impossible to overlook. Make your impact visible. Solve bigger problems. Build relationships. Develop leadership skills. And start operating at the level you want to be promoted to. That's how I'd approach it if I were starting again. Which of these 10 do you think has the biggest impact on getting promoted? ♻ Repost this if it helped. ✅ Follow Alec Rickard for more on marketing, brand, and careers.

Alec RickardAug 21, 2026

Visual and brand identity are NOT the same thing. Confusing the two can leave you with a beautiful brand that nobody remembers. After 10+ years working across global brands and now helping founders build distinct executive brands, here's how I separate them: 1. Visual identity is what people see ↳ Brand identity is what people remember. 2. Visual identity uses design ↳ Brand identity uses perception. 3. Visual identity includes colours and fonts ↳ Brand identity includes beliefs and positioning. 4. Visual identity creates recognition ↳ Brand identity creates meaning. 5. Visual identity can change quickly ↳ Brand identity needs consistency. 6. Visual identity makes you look distinctive ↳ Brand identity makes you feel distinctive. 7. Visual identity supports your messaging ↳ Brand identity gives your messaging direction. 8. Visual identity is one brand moment ↳ Brand identity shapes every brand moment. 9. Visual identity answers what you look like ↳ Brand identity answers what you stand for. You don't build a strong brand by starting with the logo. You start with who you are and who you're for. Then what you want to be known for. What makes you different, and what people should remember. The visual identity comes after that. Looking good is easy. Being perceived correctly by the right people takes positioning. Which one trips up your brand? ♻ Repost this if it helped. ✅ Follow Alec Rickard for more on marketing, brand, and careers.

Alec RickardAug 19, 2026

A lot of people think marketing = advertising. It doesn't. Advertising is just one small part of the game. The best marketers I know see marketing everywhere: 1. Market research → Understanding what people actually want. 2. Knowledge → Knowing your market better than your competitors. 3. Networking → Building relationships that create opportunities. 4. Targeting → Getting your message in front of the right people. 5. Engagement → Earning attention instead of demanding it. 6. Relationships → Turning customers into advocates. 7. Innovation → Staying relevant as the market changes. 8. Growth → Turning all of the above into commercial results. And there's something here for founders, too. Your personal brand is marketing. Your LinkedIn profile is marketing. Your content is marketing. The conversations you have in your DMs are marketing. The people you surround yourself with are marketing. The way you explain what you do is marketing. Even the things you choose not to talk about are marketing. That's why I don't believe founders need to "post more." They need to become better at marketing themselves. Because if you have incredible expertise but nobody knows: Who you are What you stand for What you're exceptionally good at Why they should trust you When your expertise stays invisible. It doesn't create authority. The goal is to become more memorable to the right people. That's the difference between having a LinkedIn presence and building an actual personal brand. What part of marketing do you think businesses lack the most? ♻ Repost this if it helped. ✅ Follow Alec Rickard for more on marketing, brand, and careers.