Van Halen & the Brown M&Ms: Details Matter

Most people have heard the story about Van Halen demanding no brown M&Ms in their green room. On the surface, it sounds like pure rock-star diva energy — the kind of thing you’d laugh about while imagining giant hair, leather pants, and a fog machine in the background.

But here’s the truth: it wasn’t about the candy at all.
It was their secret litmus test.

If the venue missed that one tiny detail, then what else did they miss?
Did they skip over the electrical requirements?
Did they gloss right past the safety specs?
If you can’t be trusted with a bowl of M&Ms, how can you be trusted with a stage rig that hangs a thousand pounds of equipment over people’s heads?

Details matter.
They always have. Ask any entrepreneur who’s been around long enough to earn a few gray hairs and war stories.

And when it comes to showing up online — representing your brand, your dream, your story — those “brown M&M” moments matter even more.

Sure, you can grab AI images, toss some products onto a site, use PhotoRoom to clean things up, and flip the password off. I’ve seen plenty of those sites. I’ve rebuilt plenty of those sites. And let me tell you… That’s not the first impression you want floating around in the wild.

Back in the day, we were told:
“Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”

The same goes for your brand.

Spell-check your copy.
Use Grammarly or — yes — ChatGPT.
Write thoughtful product descriptions.
Choose one consistent image aspect ratio.
And for the love of all things pixel-perfect, don’t build a “luxury fashion brand” with ten colors, three fonts, and a black hole of a background.

If you want to inspire confidence, shop the competition — not to copy, but to notice.
What draws you in?
What feels polished, calm, and intentional?
Is it their colors? Their navigation? Their clean, uncluttered vibe?

Take notes.
Build with intention.
Mind the details.
And don’t forget to check your “brown M&Ms.”

Because how you show up online isn’t just design — it’s your story, your reputation, and your future. And those things deserve more than a quick toss-together and a prayer.