Your Brand Looks Perfect But Isn't Converting…Here's Why

I don't like arseholes.

Not literal arseholes (though also, the shoe fits because ew). I'm talking about people who are arseholes.

And something Lindsay McGlone said at Adventures in Marketing has been living in my head rent-free ever since: "People have stopped buying from arseholes."

You know what? Yes.

There are still arseholes out there making money. But people are SO much more careful now about where they're putting their money. What the investment believes in. Who's behind it.

For example, I learned ChatGPT is one of the big US wosit man's super donors, so I cancelled it. Say hi, Claude 👋🏻

I've stopped working with people because I got weird vibes.

It's true.

We've stopped buying from arseholes and started gravitating towards people we trust. People we connect with. People leading from real experience. More now than ever.

The Shift: Trust Is Built Through Humanity Now (Not Authority)

This is a massive shift from the bro marketing and mass energy we've been conditioned to follow for years.

The "look how successful I am" flex. The perfectly curated feed with zero personality. The credentials-first, human-LAST approach to branding. The "I made six figures in six months and you can too" bull.

That worked when people believed success = authority. When we thought the most polished, most impressive, most untouchable brand was the one worth investing in.

But now? People are smarter. They're more discerning.

They've been burned by the shiny things that turned out to be empty.

Trust is built through humanity now. Not authority. Not dominance. Not how perfect you look.

Through showing up as a real human who's behind the work. Through letting people see you, not just what you've achieved. Through connection, not perfection.

What Happens When Your Brand Has No Humanity

Without that human connection, your brand might look impressive. But it won't feel like anything.

Your brand looks picture perfect and business-only. Flexing credentials and financial wins. All polish, no personality. It's the corporate equivalent of someone who only talks about themselves at parties.

You're positioned as perfect—impressive, but not relatable. People look at your brand and think "wow, they've really got it together." But they don't think "I want to work with THEM." Because they can't see the human behind the work.

People scroll past because they can't connect. There's nothing to grab onto. Nothing that makes them go "oh, I like them." Just more impressive-but-cold content in a sea of impressive-but-cold content.

You attract people who want the shiny thing, not the real thing. The ones chasing credentials and clout, not connection and results. The ones who'll leave as soon as something shinier comes along.

The trust isn't there. And without trust, they're not buying. They might admire you. They might save your posts. But when it comes time to actually invest? They're going with someone they feel connected to.

You Don't Have to Be Messy to Be Real

Here's what I'm NOT saying: you have to overshare, post your whole life, or show up as a hot mess to have an authentic brand.

You don't have to trauma-dump or air your dirty laundry or share every unfiltered thought that crosses your mind.

You can still have boundaries. You can still be selective about what you share. You can still look polished and put-together.

But you CAN show up and be real.

Real looks like: sharing your actual thoughts, not just the safe ones. Letting your personality come through in your content. Admitting when something didn't work. Talking about the unsexy parts of your process. Making jokes. Having opinions. Being a human, not a brand robot.

The brands I build are exactly this, they're not messy, they're not overshared, they're not trying too hard. They're just undeniably, recognisably the person behind them. Rooted in their story. Built around who they actually are, not who they think they should be. Designed to make people feel something...not just scroll past going "oh, that's nice."

If your brand still looks corporate, just polish, no personality...you're gonna feel it. In the DMs that never come. In the inquiries that don't convert. In the audience that watches but never buys.

Your Audience Doesn't Want Untouchable. They Want Real.

Your audience doesn't want someone who looks like they have it all figured out. They want someone who's a few steps ahead but still remembers what it's like to be where they are.

They want to know the human behind the work. The mess. The wins. The weird takes. The full you.

Because that's where connection lives. And connection is what sells.

Not your credentials. Not your perfect feed. Not how untouchable and impressive you look.

Connection. Trust. Humanity.

That's the shift. And if your brand hasn't caught up to it yet, you're leaving money on the table with every person who scrolls past because they can't see YOU in it.

Because real doesn't mean messy. It just means YOU.

And building a brand that feels like you... properly, intentionally, all the way through? That's exactly what I do.