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Social Media Decoded
Show Up, Sell & Scale: The Specificity + Simplicity Playbook w/ Steph Rubio
00:23:37
In this Social Media Decoded episode, strategist and “operations unicorn” Steph Rubio shares how to combine mindset + operations to stop undercharging, clarify your offer suite, and show up online with confidence.
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- [00:00]
A
At Capella University, learning the right skills could make a difference. That's why our business programs teach you relevant skills you can take from the courseroom to the workplace. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at Capella. Edu.
- [00:19]
B
All right, y', all, today's guest, she's a Southern powerhouse, a self proclaimed operations unicorn. Hello. And the queen of mixing mindset with execution. Today I'm talking to Stephanie Rubio, who went from couch surfing single mom to a no BS business strategist. Helping entrepreneurs simplify their offers, show up online, and stop undercharging for their brilliance. Hello, we need that. So if you've ever held yourself back because you were too humble, I know that's many of us too visible or too overwhelmed to streamline your business. This episode is your wake up call. So Steph's story is gritty, relatable, and full of wisdom. So you won't find your. You won't find this on your average business plan. So let's get into it. Welcome Steph to the show. I'm so excited to chat with you today.
- [01:09]
C
Hey, Michelle. Oh, my goodness, I'm so excited to be here. Conversation good folks.
- [01:14]
B
You went from couch to CEO, which I think is wild. Your story is wild in the best way, though. So take us back to that moment in your early 20s when you were at your lowest and what fueled your decision to keep going? Because I know many people listening to this podcast, they may be on their couch right now and they're like, I need a shift. So let's. Let's talk about it.
- [01:33]
C
Yes, great question. So in my early 20s to now, the clarity on the why has definitely evolved. So in my early 20s, in that moment, I would have told you my family, my son, without a doubt. And that is still true, right? We continue loving our kids. It's not like that stopped in the 20s. But the difference is that I didn't realize then what I do now is that it was for me too. It was for the future version of me, it was for the past version of me. The keep going has always been there. The grit has always been there. It's like my default. And that has served me well, like work, grind. But then I had a mouth to feed and I was a freshly single mom. I lived in a trailer with 300amonth rent, and I couldn't even make that rent one month. But I refused to move back in with my parents. I carried that determination and a little bit of stubborn with me, but it served me well. And I've never been afraid of work. And that's really what changed. Like, I put my head down. I want my kids to have opportunities I didn't have. That has never changed. I want opportunities I never had. That has not changed. What did continue to evolve was my hustle and how I hustled and who I hustled for.
- [02:37]
B
Ooh, this is good. Because I know so many people can relate to your story. It's like you have that grit, and sometimes you just have to keep going. And like you said, being an entrepreneur is not. Is not easy. So everyone listening. It's not easy, but I also think it's very rewarding. So I love your story. I love talking to other entrepreneurs who, like you said, put your head down and work hard to really make it to where you are. And so I think that's very inspiring. So thank you for sharing that.
- [03:05]
C
Thank you.
- [03:05]
B
You're welcome. And I know that you turned down a big title opportunity. A lot of people are into the titles. You already know I'm not. Go back and listen to a few episodes back, I shared, like, why I'm not into titles. And so you turned that down because it wasn't aligned with your life as a single mom. And I think that that is a bold move. So what's the lesson in that for women? Trying to choose between what it looks like for success but what it actually feels like.
- [03:30]
C
You just said it. I mean, truly, at the end there, success, what it looks like and what it feels like can be two different things. Now, you have to remember what I just mentioned. Like, my early 20s, where I was at, but also predating that, I just grew up poor as dirt. Like, I didn't have opportunities. I couldn't just easily go to college. No one was supporting me. I didn't know how to fill out a freaking fafsa. Like, it was just a struggle continuously. We were really poor growing up. So everything I've done I had to claw out of and kind of get myself here. And this is also a part of that. So a title and money that comes with that title is huge to me. It was really validating to me of, like, look, you went from. From nothing to something, and your hard work got you there. So to be able to walk away with that title, the biggest, like, the hardest part of that was psychologically, and the only way I did it was with the support of my therapist. Let's be for real, because I'm like, am I crazy? How many times I have to ask myself, am I really crazy? Because the grind is the same. This magic picture that people get painted with, like being an entrepreneur and running your online business and finding all of this success. Yeah, you can follow the success, but as you know, Michelle, you're going to work your butt off to get there. Like, it's not just to, like, try this framework and boom, the money rolls in. We're going to work and we're going to grind the differences. We're doing it for ourselves and our dream. My dream definitely is going to take some money. It's not going to take titles. I don't care about those. It's not going to take credentials. I don't care about those. It's going to be spending a little bit more time with my kids over the summer. Just a little bit. Some people do the full thing. My kids, they need to go, I still need to work. I enjoy what I do, but that's the difference. So while the dream, it was just getting more clear on that I didn't need the title. Yes, I need the money in certain ways, but it's because of what I want to give my kids. I also want to give them me. Like, I want to give them more of me. And it's not just a time thing. It's a mental space. I need to be able to take care of myself. I need to not be able. Not burning out every other week because of the demands that are put on me for someone else's dream. It needs to be my dream. It needs to be our dream. That's the difference.
- [05:22]
B
This is so good and so relatable, and I can definitely, you know, relate to a lot. I didn't grow up with anything, so I know many people may see us online and be like, oh, my gosh, they have all these things and it's so easy for them.
- [05:34]
C
No, that's one of my biggest fears, truly. Like, well, biggest fear, that's extreme, right? But I say that, like, if you get to know me now, you'll be like, wow, nice house, nice pool, nice jeep, nice clothes, nice earrings. I didn't have any of that 20 years ago, 15 years ago. So don't mistake the person I am now and what I have for who I have been and what I'll do to get here.
- [06:00]
B
No, that's. That's inspiring. And I'm sure many people listening again can relate. Like, let's talk about strategy for a minute because, you know, I'm the strategic girl, but also, like, self worth. I think it's so important. And I know you talk a lot about mindset. And that isn't enough alone, right? And I think neither is strategy. So what does it actually look like to blend both and build a success, successful business?
- [06:22]
C
I love this question. This is what I find myself like repeatedly telling people when we go to conferences. Like we met, right? I'm like, yeah, my elevator pitch is not two sentences. That's not going to cut it. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about it. And there's the reason why. Again, it comes back to me like my past self several years ago. I'll just paint the picture for you. I knew a lot about business. I know a lot about the different areas. That's why you don't see me saying like, I'm a messaging strategist, I'm a sales strategist, I love operational support. I'll come and set up your systems because I understand how each of these functions need to work together for you to have have a successful business. Right. That's your strategy component, but it's also where you want to go. What are you trying to do? What's that end result? What's that day to day look like? What are you doing every day in your business and in your life? What's the big, scary, audacious goal of the future? What are you doing right now? The strategy is that gap in the middle to get you there. What are you doing? That's how you don't get distracted. That's how you don't create offers that you throw at the wall that actually aren't aligned with where you want to go. Different things like that, that's the strategy component. The difference going back to again, me a couple years ago was that I knew these things. I didn't believe that I didn't have anything to say that someone didn't already know. I didn't belong in that room. It really clicked for me. The mindset component and why this is so important is because if you don't believe in yourself, if you don't believe that you have knowledge that someone will pay for, you'll undercharge yourself. You'll show up scary and calls or in the dms, you won't actually charge your worth. You'll be scared to even ask them to work with you and make the seller so you can have these big scary dreams and you can always miss them because you don't believe that you have what it takes to get there. And that's a big make or break for you. When that clicked for me, I was showing up in a room of C Suite executives. So if you're not familiar with that, that's again, titles. Your CEO, your CEO, your Chief Operating officer, your Chief Technology officer. The big names, the folks with all the knowledge in an organization. And I was first, like, what am I doing here? They got the wrong person. Not supposed to be me. I don't have anything to share with them they don't already know. That's a mindset issue. Because, yes, I did. I just didn't believe in that. And my own mentors in that space would very easily drop little tidbits on me throughout that. When I would speak up, when I would get the courage to be like, actually, here's my thoughts around that. It would be very smart. But someone would tell me, that was really smart. You should do that more often. And then I was like, oh, they. They're right. I do know. It was that belief just with my mentors pouring in me. So I was like, cool. I have the knowledge. I understand strategy. I understand how to build. Peel back these layers and actually build something. And also, if I didn't believe any of that, I would never use that. Right. And I wouldn't be able to build a business. So you have to both. It's a difference in pricing. Right. And showing up like you've priced. Right. That's just one example. Obviously, there's a lot more to it.
- [08:57]
B
No, this is. Ooh, I just love. This is good, y'.
- [09:00]
C
All.
- [09:00]
B
I hope you are taking notes. You know, on the social media, decoded podcast gems are always dropped. So I hope that you have your pins and notepads out. And you mentioned something. So me and Steph met at the Power Table Live, and you're probably listening to this. Like, Michelle, you've been repeatedly talking about people that you met at the Power Table live, because, yes, you have to get in the rooms. Right. I did not know Steph before April of 2025. I didn't even know that she existed. But I put myself in rooms. She put herself in rooms, and opportunities come from that. I want to talk about that for a minute, because there are a lot of people on here who are afraid to get in rooms. They're playing small. So what do you say to the women who are out here playing small? Because, number one, they don't believe that they're the expert even when they clearly are like, let's talk about that.
- [09:45]
C
Okay, let's talk about it. I love this. Let me. We talked about strategy, mindset. You hear what I do. Let me just left field it. Right. Let's talk about cooking. You might put something together. You might put a cook for your family yourself, maybe, and it's really delicious. And you put together a beautiful plate of food. And you assume you don't need to share that if you're a content creator or thinking about it or something like that. Right? Because other people know how to do that. You don't need to tell someone how to make this tuna salad. You're making the wrong assumption here. People do need to know that you do have knowledge. You have learned something over the years from watching food network for 20 years. Like, whatever it is, you have something that people. It could be your personality, it could be your knowledge, your expertise. You have to show up and you have to talk about that. You have to show that in how you show up for people to understand that. So first you got to just quit assuming that people know what you know. That's the first thing. Second, you have to believe that you belong in the room. I actually told Taylor this and I've seen her quote it when we. We did a live several months ago leading up to Power Table, which was incredible. And she asked specifically. Something I said was, you belonged in the room when you bought the ticket to be there. So you're concerned about sewing up and there's. And why should you? Like, there's power names. Can I actually go live and talk to people in person? That's terrifying. I've worked from home from three years. I can sit here in pajama pants. Like, whatever your reasoning is, yes, it might be a little bit scary the first time you do it, but it's going to be extremely impactful for your growth and your business. It's so hard to quantify. Like, you and I will be able to quantify it. We'll be able to look at some roi. Right? But like, what about the growth yourself? Not just, just the connections you've made, but the excitement that came from it for you for being in that room. I will say being in the room like there's a component to it. When I talk about strategy, where are you going in your business will dictate what rooms you should be in. But you have to be in rooms so good.
- [11:31]
B
You have to be in rooms. You have to put yourself out there. Because if you don't, right. What's on the other side of that if you don't? Network networking has been a major component of my business, and I cannot sit here and lie like, it just hasn't from the start. I put myself in rooms and started networking even When I was a natural hair influencer, I put myself out there because if I didn't, then what? Right? And so I'm so glad you brought that up. We are experts and I love that cooking analogy. It's like, yeah, you know, you belong in the rooms. No matter what you think. If there's people, bigger numbers, like, what does bigger numbers mean? Like, social media numbers. That means nothing. I want to tell you all, like, that doesn't mean anything. So get out there, put yourself in rooms, connect with people, and you will see your business flourish. 100% connection.
- [12:22]
C
What you just said right there is the numbers. The big numbers don't matter, but the connection matters. You can have 800 followers and connect with your people. You can have a million and not connect and put your pretty content out there. And your impact is wildly different. Networking too. You know, someone told me last year that networking got a bad rap. And I'm like, what? Why? Networking is connections. It's just building connections and growing internally and externally.
- [12:47]
B
Facts, facts. So let's talk about a little, some strategy a little more. I know you help people simplify their offer suites, which is so important, right? And so, so many people overcomplicate this. And me recently, I, I will say I have simplified my offers, my funnel and everything because I was just tired of being all over the place. And this actually happened right before I came to powertable Live. I got this epiphany and I'm like, I am doing too much. Like, this is too many offers. It's too many things. People are confused. So what do you say to the people who are over complicating it and how do they fix it?
- [13:20]
C
That's a great question. I think first, like, if we get to do this the fun, real woo woo way, you have to figure out why you're doing that. Why are you overcomplicating it? Are you looking for validation in your business still? You have so many offers because you're like, I'm gonna help all the people. Because when I help all the people and I sell all these things, that means I actually have what it takes and I can do this. You could do that with one to two to three offers. So when I talk about simplifying offers, I mean one funnel, so it doesn't mean like one offer necessarily. Some people will say there, but like my offers, I have a couple different ways you can work with me, but they're all one track with kind of one purpose. Right? That's what I mean by simplifying your offers. And Making sure they are what you want to be doing right now, but also where you're going because you can have one offer and you can still overcomplicate it. So let me give you an example there. Like I work with a lot of service providers based on the way I came up in this business, in this online space, like online business managers being one of those people that want to grow into a bit more and they're like I did this thing and it worked but like what does growth actually look like? And I'll come in and they'll have one offer, right? They're an obm. So they do like back end setup support and systems. But they have over complicated that in a few ways they're not pricing themselves right. They're still undercharging because they undercharged from the beginning because they didn't believe in their self or they, they showed up in rooms in these cells and discovery calls really nervous, really paranoid. That' one way that it's over complicated and it backs them to a hold that chases them for a very long time and we have to back them out of the other is these different tiers of the way you package it. So it just has to without going into too much detail on pricing and things like that as aligned with where you want to go. And you have to quit being scared of where it is you want to go and that you have the authority right now. So some people are coming and they're letting people work with them for 5 or 10 hours a month. No, do your minimum at 20, do your minimum at 6 months commitment to work with you so you can actually come in and affect change in their business. But people play small because they, they still believe down here and they haven't removed the ceiling yet, they haven't built their own table yet and started showing up in the way they really want to.
- [15:18]
B
This is good. This is good. Yeah, I'm, I'm all for that because I believe we all have such valuable skill sets, especially women who have come from working a 9 to 5, right. And we are need to stop playing small. And so if you're thinking about like your offers are over complicated, just hit up Stephanie, okay? It is going to be transformational in your business. Okay. So I want to talk about showing up even when it's scary because this is a lot of people. Of course I help with visibility online, right? And showing up and really getting people to see you and work with you. But you teach entrepreneurs to stop hiding online, which I absolutely love. And so why do you think that so many women think that, that showing up, it's bragging, right? I don't think it's bragging at all because if you don't show up, nobody will work with you. So let's talk about that.
- [16:05]
C
Yes, we'll need a whole other episode to talk about the bragging component. Specifically, we think that because we're women and we're talking generations and centuries of being conditioned that caring about ourselves or putting ourselves first or being visible is a problem. So how would that come naturally to us? We're not visible. We're historically in the kitchen or taking care of the kids. We are behind the scenes of we're operationally running the entire family unit. Right. Historically. We're not talking about right now because we're changing some of this and we're partnerships around here. But that, that's really the part of why it's difficult to brag because that's what it feels like. You have to flip it on its head. You have to remove the emotion from it just a little bit and make it a part of your business. You need to show up to be successful. Especially on social media these days. Just carousels are just not going to cut it. People are going to buy from folks they trust and they're not going to trust you because you post carousels. They're going to trust you because they see your face. You also have to remember there's a remote component to our world. So we're all still working remotely, even we're going to in person conferences. And it's harder to develop trust. So don't forget that you need to show up for people to trust you. You need to be yourself a bit for people to trust you and not only spit business at them, they're going to buy from people they trust. I'm not putting my credit card in for anyone unless I trust you. Huge names that are backed like Nike. We're like, cool, they've been around, they got something going on. We trust them naturally, right? Because we know them. How are they going to get to know Michelle James? How are they going to get to know Steph Rubio? Because we're going to show up and we're going to give them a little look into our lives. And I think there's a other part that's fear because there's a vulnerability to showing up and fear of judgment and what you put online can live forever. Right? You just have to get past that fear and understand that it's a part of the bigger goal. And the people that Judge you aren't your people. They're not going to buy from you one way or the other, right? I have those people like that I'll work with, and they're still worried about the family members following them, right? Or the distant friends from high school or something. So this is the way I presented them. I'm like, you got one of two options. Either they're going to see it and they're going to judge the hell out of you and they're not going to buy from you, so they don't matter, or they're going to see it and they're not going to judge from you and they don't need what you're selling, so they're still not going to buy it. And then there's maybe the chance that they need it and they'll buy it. So, like, with all of them, don't matter. They're either not buying from you because they're judging from you or they're not judging you. So get rid of that fear and show up anyways.
- [18:17]
B
Get rid of the fear and show up anyway. Right? Because, like, I do not care. And I'm sorry, if anyone is here, it's my family and you're listening to this podcast. I'm sorry, but, like, I don't care if you all buy from me. You are not my client. Potentially probably are not my client, right? So me worrying about you and what you think and anyone for that matter, worrying about what people think, you're going to keep putting yourself in a box every day and you're never going to hit that post button. So hit the post button and just post the content because what you have is valuable and somebody is waiting on you to post. Okay. Waiting on you to post.
- [18:53]
C
Exactly.
- [18:53]
B
So I'm so glad you said that. You're breaking people free.
- [18:56]
C
Steph, please. That's what this is all about. Time, freedom, location, freedom, mental freedom. We ain't talking about that one up. We all admit, we all want to work from wherever we want. We want more time. But I want to be free up here. Ooh.
- [19:07]
B
And that is.
- [19:07]
C
Which is in my head, definitely.
- [19:10]
B
So I know one thing about you, and you like simplicity, which is the key to standing out. What is a quick audit that listeners can do right now to make sure their message is strong and clear, especially in this online space of everybody else doing the same thing. So let's talk about that.
- [19:25]
C
If you want quick and actionable, it's go find someone else and ask them to look at it and offer to do the same. For their messaging, truly, because you're in your head so much. Like I'm attached to my messaging and then because I wrote it myself, like my entire website is not chatgpt, so I'm attached to it in a way and I find joy in some of that. Right. And like talking about me and you heard the passion and I'm very proud of what I've built. And I'm only a few years into talking about myself, it's not bragging, but talking about it. And so writing the website, writing the copy, that's personal to me, I got it shredded by Lucy last week, who you're familiar with our right hand woman, my right hand woman from the power table. And like one of my sales pages, for instance. And that was the most helpful thing to me because I'm attached to it, I'm going to be, but just getting outside eyes. And so I'm not saying you have to go pay for it and you have to get real fancy yet if that's not where you are, but I am saying that you can find someone at a similar stage in business to you and just ask for their eyes and offer to do the same and take their suggestions and feedback. That's for like specifically that zone would be helpful.
- [20:28]
B
That was good. And Lucy was a guests on the podcast, so if you're listening to this, you probably listened to her episode as well. And if you haven't, go back and listen to the episode because it was really amazing about copy. And I agree, like we're a lot of us are super attached, but someone needs to go to your website or your social media and know exactly who you help. They should not be guessing. And especially the first nine boxes or whatever boxes on your social media. They should know you should not be guessing at that point. Like what the person does. So I'm so glad you said that. And sometimes we need an audit. Sometimes we need somebody else to look at it and say, does this make sense to you? Like, does what I do make sense? Because I know if anyone is listening is like, me, I've changed my Instagram bio so many times. I'm like, no, this isn't it. I need to redo it. No, this isn't it. I need to redo it. So I'm glad you said that because we might just need Steph or someone to take a look and say, this isn't hitting right.
- [21:23]
C
Yeah, would you buy from me if you read this? Just ask them that, you know, hopefully someone you have a relationship with and that you trust their Advice, but it doesn't. Don't over complicate it for the audit piece. Otherwise, look at it through your own lens and the, the being specific is again, the only way you're going to sell. When I came online in the space a couple years ago, people were saying things like, I help business owners get 10 hours back.
- [21:43]
B
How?
- [21:43]
C
That's not specific enough. Yeah, like how what, what are they feeling right now? Why do they need 10 hours back? What are you going to do to give them that 10 hours? And then what are they doing on the other side? How are they feel? That's your. That's what I mean by being specific. Get really clear on who you help, why they need your help, why did they need it, what are they going through right now, what you're going to do about it, and then what they're going to feel and experience on the other side. What are they going to do with that 10 hours? Then get clear. If you're not clear, they're not clear. And then they're not buying from you.
- [22:10]
B
Facts, Steph. This was a masterclass. I'm just so appreciative of you for coming on the social media decoded podcast. I feel that your story is so powerful. But what I do like most is that you make strategy so real and human and is just amazing. So where can listeners connect with you and how can they work with you? Because they need your genius, girl.
- [22:31]
C
Thank you. Before I give that. Michelle, thank you for having me. I love real women and real business, having real conversations and you check all that and this is like gold. People need to hear what we have to say too. Right? And everyone that has a dream out there, it's possible. You just need to find the answers and keep going. You can keep up with me on Instagram hands down. That's where I'm most active. That is my platform of choice. The handle is virtually Stephrubio. Pretty easy to find. My website also stephrubio.com but that is going to be a living document that stays stagnant and changes every couple months or so. Instagram is where you get the shenanigans is what I call it when I welcome folks to the page. You're getting the real. I spilled my coffee on myself, I stubbed my toe, my laptop, quit working. And also here's all the cool business advice. And I'm very active in my DMs, so come say hey.
- [23:16]
B
I love that. No, I love real people who share on social media. Like we're not robots, we're human. And I love when people share the human side of their business because it's not easy. So here's your reminder, y'. All. You don't need to wait to feel ready to show up. Take messy action. I love that because I am still in the messy middle. Okay? But I'm still taking action, right? Own your magic. And if you need a pep talk or a business reality check, go ahead and follow Steph. Her information is going to be down in the show notes. I know a lot of you don't check the show notes, but check the show notes, y'. All. It's powerful, okay? So thank you so much, Stephen, again for today. This was such an amazing episode, and I will see y' all next time. Bye.
- [23:57]
A
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