diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e3a4653bce9a5e3fb2e4523c35bcf44b7bc2bcaa..eb465514edd12f1f2c3aebe661da10303ac28322 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ docker load -i *tarball*
 kubectl create ns active-mq
 ```
 
-2. **Modify _jetty-realm.properties_ in the 'deployment' directory of this repo to use your own custom usernames and passwords:**
+2. Modify _jetty-realm.properties_ in the 'deployment' directory of this repo to use your own custom usernames and passwords. **This file MUST be configured with proper values in order to deploy**:
 ```
 # Example admin account:
 admin_username: <<<ADMIN PASSWORD GOES HERE>>>, admin
diff --git a/deployment/activemq-deployment.yaml b/deployment/activemq-deployment.yaml
index 0fc2e08568380652f3de90546de3001f145d5759..004b75c1f425e9c3ddf2d1d7e1b917683a8eddc0 100644
--- a/deployment/activemq-deployment.yaml
+++ b/deployment/activemq-deployment.yaml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ spec:
               cpu: 400m
           volumeMounts:
           - name: active-creds
-            mountPath: /apache-activemq-5.15.13/conf/jetty-realm.properties # *** Modify jetty-realm.properties to use your own custom usernames and passwords FIRST ***
+            mountPath: /apache-activemq-5.15.13/conf/jetty-realm.properties # jetty-realm.properties MUST be configured with proper values first in order to deploy
             subPath: jetty-realm.properties
       volumes:
       - name: active-creds