Rooted & Relentless

In this episode, Steph pulls back the curtain on the most overlooked growth strategy in your business: you.

If this episode hit, here’s where to go next:

1. ✉️ Get on Steph’s email list because it's the real real about life & business in a way that you can actually absorb & implement like all the time:

   https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

2. The place to start is getting crazy clear on what you actually want (and why it feels terrifying):

   https://www.stephrubio.com/your-terrifying-vision

After powerful conversations at Power Table Live, one truth kept surfacing—most women are building businesses that rely on them… while completely neglecting themselves. Steph breaks down what it actually looks like to treat yourself as a stakeholder in your business, why “self-care” isn’t fluffy—it’s foundational—and how prioritizing yourself directly impacts your revenue, relationships, and long-term sustainability.

This is the episode that will challenge how you think about productivity, success, and what it really means to build a business that lasts.

Key Takeaways

1. Why your reputation = your revenue (and how your experience shapes both)
2. The concept of stakeholder experience—and why you belong in that category
3. How neglecting yourself quietly sabotages your business growth
4. Why 30 minutes a day can radically change your life (and business)
5. The real reason you struggle to prioritize yourself (hint: it’s not time)
6. How to communicate your needs without guilt—and actually stick to them
7. Why boundaries aren’t selfish—they’re protective

Memorable Moments

“Your reputation is your revenue.”

“If you can’t sustain, the business can’t sustain.”

“I give my kids what they need 23 and a half hours a day. The other 30 minutes? That’s mine.”

“Boundaries aren’t the point. They protect what you value.”

“You’re not lacking time—you’re lacking permission.”

Collaborations aren’t just a “cute visibility play”—they’re one of the most powerful ways to accelerate trust, authority, and revenue in your business.

In this episode, Steph pulls back the curtain on what actually makes collaborations work—and why most people are leaving massive opportunities on the table.

We’re talking about:

1. Why borrowed trust is more valuable than new eyeballs
2. How collaborations shorten your sales cycle (yes, really)
3. The systems that make you easy to work with (and rebooked)
4. And the secret sauce that turns a one-time collab into referrals, intros, and bigger rooms

Because getting invited into the room is one thing…But what people say after you leave? That’s the game changer.

Continue the Conversation

If this episode hit—don’t just nod your head. Let's do something with it.

💥 Audit your collaboration workflow or build one that actually converts:

👉 https://www.stephrubio.com/small-business-consulting

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Key Takeaways

1. Collaborations = credibility exchanges, not just visibility
2. Borrowed trust gives you instant authority by proximity
3. Warm leads from collaborations convert faster than cold audiences
4. Being “easy to collaborate with” is a system, not a personality trait
5. Reliability gets you invited back—but intentional EXTRA makes you unforgettable

Memorable Moments (Soundbites)

“Collaborations aren’t just about visibility—they’re about borrowed trust.”

“When someone collaborates with you, you’re being introduced, not discovered.”

“Being easy to collaborate with isn’t a personality trait. It’s a process.”

“Reliability gets you invited back… but it doesn’t make you unforgettable.”

“It’s not about getting in the room. It’s about what people say after you leave it.”

In this episode of Rooted & Relentless, we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the most underleveraged growth strategies in business: how you treat the people who have already paid you.

Because your clients should be your best marketers, easiest sales, strongest social proof and most reliable revenue stream. Instead, most business owners are stuck chasing new leads while ignoring the goldmine sitting right in front of them.

We’re talking about how to:

1. Turn client experience into a referral engine
2. Re-engage past clients (aka the easiest money you’ll ever make)
3. Create “extra” moments that make you unforgettable
4. Build a business where your reputation walks into rooms before you do

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels with marketing, this episode will change how you think about growth—completely.

And if you want the original episode introducing this entire concept, you can listen in here:

On Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/22-introducing-stakeholder-experience-your-client-experience/id1821487374?i=1000745924692

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Udhvkv2383IHqPlaVCe5j?si=yqw97TgqQPOXQraB9YhBfQ

Key Takeaways

1. Client retention is 5–25% more cost-effective than acquisition
2. Referrals are free, high-converting marketing
3. Your current clients are your most powerful social proof
4. Past clients are one of the most overlooked revenue opportunities
5. “Delivering what you sold” is the baseline—not the differentiator

Memorable Moments (Soundbites)

“Delighting the hell out of your clients makes your marketing easier—and cheaper.”

“Your clients should be saying your name in rooms you’re not even in.”

“Delivering what you sold is the bare minimum.”

“Your reputation is your revenue.”

“You have a pool of people who already trust you… just sitting there.”

“People that are remembered get referred.”

Strategic Links & Next Steps

If this episode lit a fire under you, here’s where to go next:

✨ Decision Intensive (BEST FIT for this episode)

If you’re sitting on too many ideas and not enough clarity, this is your move.

→ https://www.stephrubio.com/small-business-consulting

✨ Your Terrifying Vision (Lead Magnet)

Get clear on what you actually want to build—and stop playing small.

→ https://www.stephrubio.com/your-terrifying-vision

✨ Join My Email List (Steph’s Shenanigans + The COO Edit)

For strategic thinking + unfiltered insights twice a month.

→ https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

If part one cracked open the identity shift from “I'm just a VA” to CEO, this episode is about what it actually takes to build a business that doesn’t depend on you doing everything.

Because the truth is, you don’t scale by working more. You scale by working differently, more efficiently.

In part two, Fran Moore and I break down what it really looks like to grow from VA to agency owner without becoming the bottleneck in your own business. We’re talking niching (ew, yeah, I know), systems, delegation, and the hard (but necessary) shift out of “everything queen” energy into something that’s actually sustainable.

If you’ve been feeling stretched, stuck, or like your business can’t grow without you… this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

1. Why being an “everything queen” is blocking your ability to scale
2. How to choose a niche that actually supports growth (not just trends)
3. What makes a business repeatable—and why that’s the key to scaling
4. How to delegate without overcomplicating it
5. The difference between growing a business and scaling one
6. What it really takes to build an agency that doesn’t rely on you

“If it’s not repeatable, it’s not scalable.”

“You can’t be an everything queen and build an agency.”

“Delegation is a skill—you just have to practice it.”

“Nobody dies. Everyone is fine.”

“Your business does not have to be your hobby.

Apple:

Spotify:

If you’re sitting there thinking, “okay… but how do I actually do this?”—this is exactly the work we do inside my Mastermind so join us & let's do this shall we?

https://www.stephrubio.com/themastermind

Twice a month, I send out what I’m loving, learning, and what’s actually working behind the scenes in business:

👉 https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fransmoore
2. Podcast: Franly Advice

Hit that SSR:

Subscribe. Share. Review.

And if you know someone stuck in “everything queen” mode… send this their way.

In part one of this conversation, I’m joined by Fran Moore, who went from booking 7 clients in 2 months to scaling a $50K/month agency —and we’re breaking down the identity shift that has to happen before any of that growth is even possible.

We’re talking about what it actually means to step into a CEO role, why delegation feels so hard (even when you know you need it), and the leadership standard most people are getting completely wrong.

This episode isn’t just about VAs, it's about identity. Because the biggest bottleneck in your business isn’t your systems, your offers, or your clients—it’s the version of you that still thinks your value is tied to doing the work.

And until that shifts:

1. You’ll struggle to delegate
2. You’ll stay stuck in execution
3. You’ll cap your own growth

Part one is about breaking that pattern. Part two? That’s where we build. And it's dropping tomorrow.

1. Why “I just…” language is quietly limiting your growth
2. The real difference between a doer and a CEO
3. How to start letting go of how without losing control
4. What it actually means to lead a team (hint: take the fall, pass the praise)
5. Why your ego might be the thing keeping you stuck in execution
6. The mindset shift required before you ever scale into an agency

“You take the brunt and you pass the praise—that’s leadership.”

“At some point, it becomes none of your business how it’s getting done.”

“I just… statements will ruin you.”

“You don’t get to be the CEO and the doer forever.” (paraphrased from discussion)

“You put the right butts in seats—that’s the win.”

If this episode hit a nerve—in the best way—it might be time to stop figuring this out on your own. Because that's costing you time, energy, and money, three things I bet you'd love more of.

Inside The Mastermind, we go beyond mindset and into real strategy:

1. Leadership development
2. Scalable systems
3. Decision-making at a CEO level
4. Building a business that doesn’t depend on you doing everything

👉 Apply here:

https://www.stephrubio.com/themastermind

Get on the email list for behind-the-scenes strategy, honest insights, and the occasional chaos:

👉 https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fransmoore
2. Podcast: Friendly Advice

Hit that SSR:

Subscribe. Share. Review.

And if this made you rethink how you show up in your business—send it to someone who needs to hear it too.

If your clients are taking forever to book or disappearing mid-process or maybe you're wondering why they aren’t referring you, the good news is, it’s not random.

In this episode, I’m joined by Erin Wiley, a client experience strategist, and creator of the DREAMY Client Experience Framework. We break down where trust is actually being lost in your process—from inquiry to onboarding—and how small fixes can make your business easier to run and more profitable.

We’re talking:

1. Where trust is lost (before you even start working together)
2. Why speed matters more than you think
3. How friction is quietly killing your conversions
4. The systems that save time and increase revenue

Key Takeaways

1. Why great deliverables does not equal great client experience
2. The silent way you’re losing trust (and referrals)
3. How slow response times are costing you ready-to-pay clients
4. The exact moments where friction kills conversions
5. Why your onboarding process is either building trust or breaking it
6. How automation can save hours without sounding robotic
7. The underrated strategy that increases client lifetime value exponentially

Memorable Moments & Soundbites

“If it sucks working with you, they’re not going to refer you, even if your deliverables are great.”

“When someone is ready to buy, they’re ready yesterday. If you’re slow, you’re losing them.”

“Your systems should support the experience, not replace it.”

“Silence creates stories. And those stories are rarely in your favor.”

“You don’t need more leads, you need a better experience for the ones you already have.”

Who This Episode Is For

1. Service providers who feel overworked and under-referred
2. Creatives with inconsistent client pipelines
3. Entrepreneurs ready to scale without burning out
4. Anyone tired of doing everything manually

Connect with Erin Wiley

1. Instagram & Threads: https://www.instagram.com/wileystrategicsolutions
2. Website (coming soon): https://www.wileystrategicsolutions.com

Keep the Momentum Going

If this episode hit a nerve (in the best way), here’s where to go next:

1. Join my email list for strategic insights + unfiltered thoughts:

   https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

2. Clarify your next move with my Decision Intensive:

   https://www.stephrubio.com/small-business-consulting

3. Get eerily honest about where you want to go by defining Your Terrifying Vision:

   https://www.stephrubio.com/your-terrifying-vision

In part two of this deep dive, we’re getting real about what it actually looks like to give yourself a damn good experience inside your business—not just for your sanity, but for your sustainability, growth, and leadership.

This episode covers:

1. How your support system might be quietly sabotaging your growth
2. Why protecting your energy is directly tied to your revenue
3. The difference between being busy and being a self-led CEO
4. How to stop abandoning yourself while building a business you love
5. Practical ways to systematize your capacity, energy, and decision-making

Because the truth is, you cannot build a sustainable business while draining the person responsible for carrying it.

1. “You cannot build a sustainable business while constantly draining the very person responsible for carrying it.”
2. “Avoiding a decision is not making a decision. That’s not leadership.”
3. “Protect your energy like it impacts your revenue—because it does.”
4. “No one should hold the responsibility for your happiness more heavily than you.”
5. “I’m not living to live—I’m living to sell at that point. And that’s not the goal.”
6. “Set the stretch goal to care about yourself.”
7. “Your business is not separate from you—it’s an extension of you.”

Catch up on part 1 --

On Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/34-the-missing-stakeholder-in-your-business-strategy/id1821487374?i=1000755989653

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7znW6n0CdracR2Z3p54Fm4?si=eOnr1EexQNKpOyST_wo1JA

✨ Clarify your vision before you try to scale it:

https://www.stephrubio.com/your-terrifying-vision

✨ Ready for deeper support in your leadership & business strategy?

https://www.stephrubio.com/themastermind

✨ Get Steph’s Shenanigans + The COO Edit (aka the emails you actually read):

https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

In this episode of Rooted & Relentless, Steph wraps her stakeholder experience series by digging into the most overlooked experience in business: your own. Because you can have the best strategy in the world, but if you’re burned out, over capacity, second-guessing every move, and chasing shiny objects, that strategy is going nowhere.

This episode is a sharp, honest conversation about self-leadership for entrepreneurs, what it actually looks like in real life, and why it’s a non-negotiable part of sustainable business growth. Steph breaks down how to define your real capacity, make cleaner decisions, protect your energy, build better rhythms, communicate your needs, and stop building your business around a life you don’t actually live.

If you’ve been craving more clarity, better boundaries, and a business that supports your life instead of swallowing it whole, this one is for you.

1. Why your business is an extension of you
2. How burnout affects leadership, consistency, and reputation
3. What self-leadership actually looks like as a founder
4. Why defining your real capacity changes everything
5. How boundaries protect your values and reduce resentment
6. Why indecision is expensive in business
7. How to build decision hygiene and cleaner CEO rhythms
8. The role your support system plays in your business growth
9. Why “me time” is not fluff, it’s part of the strategy
10. How to create a sustainable business around your real life

“Your reputation is your revenue.”

“Your business is not separate from you, it’s actually an extension of you.”

“You don’t just run your business, you model it.”

“Indecision is expensive.”

“Structure creates freedom, not the other way around.”

“You don’t outgrow your business. You grow into it.”

START HERE - Introducing Stakeholder Experience

On Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/19-introducing-stakeholder-experience-making-your-reputation/id1821487374?i=1000744890010

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2D4ttT7uIJ1OjK01Tsbp4W?si=zm1n6RNwSy-RL247WkNsPw

Get clear on the life and business you actually want with Your Terrifying Vision:

https://www.stephrubio.com/your-terrifying-vision

Want support building better decisions, stronger rhythms, and a more sustainable business? Check out The Mastermind:

https://www.stephrubio.com/themastermind

Join Steph’s email list for strategic insights and a little chaos in the best way:

https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

Everyone wants a “sustainable business.” But sustainability doesn’t come from hustling harder for new clients — it comes from taking better care of the people already inside your business.

In this episode of Rooted & Relentless, Steph continues her Stakeholder Experience series and tackles one of the most overlooked stakeholder groups: your team.

Whether you have employees, contractors, or a single VA supporting you, they are not just vendors — they are stakeholders in your reputation and growth.

Steph breaks down why caring for your team isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a smart business strategy that saves money, builds referrals, and increases the quality of work happening inside your business. If you want your reputation to sell for you instead of constantly chasing new clients, add this episode is your playbook.

1. Your reputation is your revenue. Everyone connected to your business carries your reputation — including your team.
2. Contractors are still teammates. A CPA, VA, OBM, designer, or social media manager all have a stake in your business success.
3. Retention saves serious money. Replacing team members costs time, energy, and lost institutional knowledge.
4. Great leadership increases ROI. People who feel valued produce better work.
5. Communication is the foundation of team culture. Direct, respectful feedback prevents bigger problems later.
6. Little extras build loyalty. Celebrating milestones, offering growth opportunities, or sharing profit creates long-term advocates.
7. If someone outgrows you, celebrate it. Ending relationships with integrity keeps your reputation strong.

“In business, your reputation is your revenue.”

“Your teammates carry your name into rooms you’re not even in.”

“Candor is kindness.”

“If people feel valued, they’ll give you their best work.”

“If they outgrow you, be happy for them.”

“Your relationships become your growth engine and your reputation becomes your marketing.”

If you want to improve the experience your team has inside your business:

1. Communicate directly and clearly.

   Don’t avoid uncomfortable feedback.

2. Value their expertise.

   Your way isn’t the only way.

3. Show appreciation regularly.

   A simple thank-you goes a long way.

4. Remember they’re human.

   Mistakes and life happen.

5. Refer them to opportunities.

   Support their growth the way they support your business.

6. Add a little “extra.”

   Celebrate milestones, give bonuses, or offer education opportunities.

Hit Steph with a voice-note on IG: https://www.instagram.com/virtually_stephrubio

🧠 Want high-level strategy and leadership conversations? Join The Mastermind: https://www.stephrubio.com/themastermind

📬 Join Steph’s email list for leadership-level strategy and real-life shenanigans packed with "aha's" and action: https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

This episode is both a reset and a return. Steph is bringing the Stakeholder Experience series back after an unexpected pause following the sudden loss of her father. In this conversation, she revisits the core idea behind the framework and why it fundamentally changes how entrepreneurs should think about reputation, relationships, and sustainable growth.

Instead of focusing only on marketing or client experience, Steph introduces a broader lens: every person who interacts with your business is a stakeholder—and their experience shapes your reputation. And in business, your reputation is your revenue.

Steph also shares a candid reflection on grief, leadership, and what it actually looks like to care for yourself while running a business and serving others. Sometimes the most powerful example of stakeholder care is how you show up for the stakeholder that gets ignored the most: you.

1. What Stakeholder Experience really means and why it’s bigger than client experience
2. The five stakeholder groups that shape your business reputation
3. Why “your reputation is your revenue” isn’t just a cute phrase—it’s a business reality
4. How every interaction with your brand either strengthens or weakens your ecosystem
5. Navigating business leadership during personal loss
6. The role of self-leadership and personal care in sustaining a business long term
7. What to expect from the rest of the Stakeholder Experience series

Memorable Moments:

“Your reputation is your revenue.”

“Every person who has a stake in your business defines your reputation.”

“We either care for our stakeholders intentionally… or we neglect them. Both approaches have consequences.”

“You are the ripple effect for everything around you.”

“Knowing someone won’t live forever and experiencing their absence are two very different things.”

Need to catch every episode in the series? Start with the introduction:

On Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-relentless/id1821487374?i=1000744890010

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2D4ttT7uIJ1OjK01Tsbp4W?si=8520dbe2ca23469d

On YouTube: https://youtu.be/H3CBt1Jjikg

Join the Rooted & Relentless Mastermind if you're also on a relentless journey of living a real life while also scaling and sustaining a business. We have strategies for both: https://www.stephrubio.com/themastermind

Get strategies, tips & trips on leading your business straight to your inbox every few weeks: https://stephrubio.myflodesk.com/letsconnect

And subscribe to this podcast, duh! We try to keep it straight masterclass style around here so you'll leave with actionable ways to improve OR at least some belly laughs, but the goal is both.