Growth is a Relationship, Not a Tactic

Tactics expire; trust endures.

I've been digging into what sets apart groups growing sustainably—those thriving without burning out or flaming out—and it always circles back to one crucial element:

Trust.

Humans are exceptional pattern seekers. We spot something fishy from miles away; we sense when something feels off, even subtly. Despite all the buzzwords around "authenticity"—so overused that our collective eyes have permanently rolled back—the truth beneath the cliché is simple:

Authenticity is just another word for trust.

Ironically, social media, designed for connection, has often eroded trust. The pressure to curate, polish, and engineer our interactions created a glossy but hollow veneer. The exhausting performativity of corporate life seeped into our online personas—highlight reels replacing genuine human moments. Keeping up with the Jones' and the pseudo cool kids....or competitors.

No wonder it feels fake.

So how do we build trust in this messy, lacquered world?

The best trust-builders I've observed share a few essential qualities:

Transparency​
Openness and honesty, even—especially—when it’s uncomfortable. This is likely why the build-in-public trend caught fire. It clearly sets expectations about where a company or creator is on their journey and invites others into the narrative.

Reliability​
Consistent actions that reflect integrity and accountability demonstrate trustworthiness. And crucially, reliability means owning up when mistakes happen, openly and humbly.

Vulnerability​
Real vulnerability—not "crying CEO" theatrics. Genuine humanity. Imperfection embraced openly, mistakes owned sincerely. Showing others it’s okay to be figuring things out as you go along.

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Maybe—just maybe—we’d all benefit from admitting more openly that none of us has everything figured out.

Trust, marketing, entrepreneurship, creating: at their heart, they’re about sharing the journey. They're about collaboration and support, not proving you're the coolest kid on the playground.

None of us are getting out of here alive. So let's ease off the polish, ditch the facades, have some fun, and genuinely help each other along the way.

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What’s one thing you can do to optimize for the real sh…stuff?

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Me?

I’m going to start sharing more of the messy little chronicles of building 3 too many things, and finding my way out from so much client work.

You in?

See you soon for the real stuff,

Kate