Marketing by Design is a podcast where we learn how high-performing marketers and founders built their success and tell their stories... by Design.
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Hey Reader,
This week I’ve been thinking a lot about trust.
One of my friends called me "trustworthy" this week, and it made me a little giddy. Here's why: We all want to earn it, from clients, partners, and friends... but it’s not something that comes from one big action.
And for me, it tends to come down to three things:
Consistency, Transparency, and Design. Let's jam on this real quick.
Consistency
I’ve been doing the same things, in the same rhythms, for a long time now. My mornings look similar. My work and travel days look very similar.
A post I made over two years showing what I was being consistent with: running, doing outreach, and having "meaningful moments" (these were the days...)
And in business, I’ve shown up every week with this newsletter, with the podcast, with projects.
When we’re consistent with the promises we make to ourselves, that consistency becomes visible to others too, if we’re willing to share it (more on that in Transparency.)
It’s not glamorous, but the things you’re most proud of about yourself usually become the easiest to stay consistent with.
Transparency
For over a year now, I’ve been recording and posting monthly retros of my business on YouTube.
A screengrab from July's edition. The production quality on these is pretty embarrassing... but they tend to resonate the most.
I’ll be honest: it’s not easy.
Sharing my finances, mistakes, and personal struggles on video brings real friction.
But that transparency has created starting points for conversations with friends and clients. People bring them up. They congratulate me on progress. They ask questions.
Transparency, I’ve learned, doesn’t mean dumping everything out... it means giving people enough context that they can trust your intentions.
If you’re not sure how to start, figure out what you’re comfortable sharing and go 10 percent further than that.
Design
Good design is one of the fastest ways to earn trust. When something feels unpolished or off, it triggers doubt at a gut level.
People tend to trust (for better or worse what they see)...especially when they're acting on limited information. A redesign for Eli over at Stratax from a few years back.
That’s why I’ve built my entire business around it. Design is a signal more than it is a skill. It communicates who you are and whether people can feel safe working with you.
My advice to most people: if you don’t have the time or confidence for custom design, do less rather than more. Keep your emails plain text instead of forcing a half-baked layout.
Use a clean template for your website instead of trying to hack together something custom.
Simple design done well builds trust. Poor design erodes it.
Onward to Week 85! Feel free to hit reply and share some of your own recent conversations that fired you up... or just something you’re working on this week. I read and respond to everyone.
I hope my note today was some fuel to keep yourself to keep going.
Expect these short messages every Sunday with some (hopefully) tactical wisdom, updates from MMG, and a positive note to keep doing what you're doing.
MMG Design is my studio that’s helped 80+ startups clarify their business offering and express it through their website's design. If you or someone you know needs clarity here, I do free homepage breakdowns to help get you on the right track.
New Here? Who's this Andy Dude?
Here’s the 60-second version 👇
2018–2022 ⛳️ Signed to play golf at Methodist U in North Carolina 💡 Did an internship, discovered marketing, and began freelancing 🧠 Got obsessed with branding through working with local businesses and making content documenting what I was learning
2023 👨💻 Landed a full-time job in design after graduation 👿 Laid off suddenly on February 1st, 2024 🚀 Launched MMG Design as my freelance practice, doing branding 📈 Started networking a ton, making more content, and sharing on Linkedin
2024 🎙 Launched Marketing by Design, my podcast for marketers & creators 🏛 Joined the Columbus Chamber of Commerce 💼 Built the business and refined services, improving my craft 📹 Posted on Linkedin every day for a year sharing everything.
Today 📍Running MMG full time out of Columbus, OH 🤝🏻 Serving a building client base of founders and marketing teams, turning their websites and content into revenue. 💡 Still learning, iterating, and loving the process
