We were lucky to catch up with Emma Fabros recently and have shared our conversation below.
Emma, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
For as long as I can remember I’ve always been someone who craved security. I was the girl with the well-used planner, the one who followed the step by step instructions, and the one who was expected to follow the path paved out for her. In other words, I wasn’t the one who pushed the boundaries, made impulsive decisions, or made choices that invited the risk of the unknown.
That life long narrative had a major plot twist in September of 2020 when I decided to start an online business. The decision itself was somewhat of an impulsive, and I’ll be honest, random one. At that time I was a junior in college doing school online due to the pandemic and was looking for ways to work whilst being under certain covid restrictions.
At the moment it felt so small and casual, but I remember I was sitting on my parent’s living room couch watching Tik Tok when I came across a video of a girl sharing that she had built the life of her dreams by working as an online business owner in the Virtual Assistant industry.
Up until this point I had never even heard of virtual assisting, let alone dabbled in the idea of pursuing entrepreneurship, but the truth is that as soon as I saw that video, I knew there was adventure out there and a slight possibility that my story could one day resemble hers.
What stood out to me the most was this idea that I could create a life in which I actually enjoyed what I got to do for work. I didn’t have to settle for a job I hated or work a nine to five if that isn’t really what I wanted for myself. This girl was living proof that you could take risks that may change the trajectory of your life in a way that results in more joy, abundance, and purpose.
What started as a suggested fifteen second Tik Tok video turned into hours of research that only pushed me forward into wanting to pursue this role as an online business owner. I realized that not only did I have the skill sets to at least start and the hunger to learn everything else along the way, but perhaps this was the kind of adrenaline rush adventure my soul had thirsted for for so long.
As a junior in college, it was the time to start narrowing down what I wanted to do with my life. It was the time where adults loved to ask the big overwhelming questions and pry about my future career plans and goals, and so entrepreneurship definitely raised some questions and doubts. This was something I was just beginning to see clearly for myself so it was difficult to expect others to understand or even encourage what seemed to them as just a fun hobby or experiment.
And yet here I am, three years later still pursuing entrepreneurship and building a life for myself along a road that is least traveled by most twenty somethings. I can honestly say that entrepreneurship is not just a one time risk, but an every day risk at that.
I risk losing money as I make investments in myself and business.
I risk my mental well being by taking on types of work that require constant adaptation and impromptu pivoting.
I risk the platform and community I built on social media because Instagram is not mine to control or own.
I risk community by choosing to pursue a career that lacks in-person connection.
I risk falling short and even failing at the big goals I set for myself and business.
And yet despite all of that, these three years of entrepreneurship have given me the most security in myself, faith, support system, and life than I’ve ever had. This life changing jump, this life changing risk, enabled me to find and truly live out my greatest passions and purpose, and what could be a greater reward than that?
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Emma Fabros, a 22 year old college graduate, living in Southern California, creating a life as an entrepreneur. I began my online business in September of 2020 as a Virtual Assistant, and then niched down into doing social media engagement for online business owners and creatives. In other words, my role as an Engagement Specialist consisted of me supporting other business owners by adapting their brand voice, creating and nurturing relationships with their ideal clientele, and building communities in which both brands and target audiences have a mutually beneficial relationship.
At the core of that craft, I thoroughly enjoyed the element of connection, intimate conversation, and simply getting to know other human beings and their stories. Although that service is near and dear to my heart, I felt like I was called to do more, as though the Lord had more planned for me in this journey of entrepreneurship.
In January of 2023 I launched an online ministry brand called Because She’s Whole.
BSW is an online community for the young woman who doesn’t want to walk alone in this life-long journey of learning how to own all the intricate and beautiful layers of who she is.This brand aims to lead young women to own their own radical value by reminding them of their unique purpose, bringing them back to biblical truths that are fundamental to understanding their worth, and giving them a community where they can rally alongside others no matter the season of life they’re in.
BSW serves young women by providing consistent positive, inspiring, and honest content and education that makes them feel less alone. This online community and platform provides connection, conversation, and creativity. Ultimately, at Because She’s Whole, the goal is to serve by setting an example for young women of what it means to lead with love and walk with Jesus.
As the years go on and this brand expands and builds out, I consistently envision the foundation of Christ-centered community, honest conversations influenced by culture and lifestyle, and biblical education to help lead and walk alongside the women of today and future generations.
At the end of the day, I am most proud of the fact that BSW has only just begun, and yet it is already impacting and positively influencing countless women. In this lifetime, it is a gift to walk alongside others, empathize with their stories, and connect with their journeys, and BSW allows me to do exactly that with people from all around the globe.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I grew up thinking that there was a traditional “right” trajectory to life. In other words, there was a specific mold to a successful lifestyle that looked like this:
Graduate high school, go to college, find a job, work for the next handful of decades, and then you’re free to rest and do what you love.
It wasn’t until I turned twenty where I fully began to understand that I didn’t have to live to work, rather I could work to live.
The lesson in question that I had to unlearn is that creating a life based on pursuing what you enjoy isn’t realistic.
Up until my young twenties I was constantly told the narrative that I may have to settle for a job I don’t like to pay the bills, and that if someone actually finds a job they love then they are considered “lucky.” It became quickly evident to me as I interned in the nine to five industry that the people I was working under didn’t truly love their lifestyle nor what they were pursuing as a career.
At the time I remember it felt so backwards to me. The question continued to run through my brain of “why should someone spend the majority of their time and energy building a life they don’t actually enjoy?”
As children we are encouraged to dream big and to believe in the possibility that we could create a living doing something that felt like a passion to us. However as you enter middle school, then high school, and especially college that pep talk changes.
The pep talk that once consisted of encouraging the belief that you could do anything quickly turns into “pick something that’s good enough and pays the bills.” In the midst of that shift of putting dream jobs and aspirations on the back burner, it becomes second nature to settle. It becomes second nature to dismiss the possibilities of what your life could look like.
And I am here to tell you that this lesson we’ve been taught time and time again is one you can, and I encourage you, to unlearn.
Your twenty somethings are years where you are meant to experiment, adventure, fail, and succeed in finding the purpose, work, and calling that sets your soul on fire. Look around and realize that everyone is in a different stage of life and that all stories look unique, and there is no “right path” and no “correct timeline” to life.
Rather, you have the choice to spend your time and energy figuring out what it is you are gifted at, what it is you love to do, what brings you the most joy and fulfillment and find ways to pursue it. We spend a good majority of our lives working to pay the bills, building a future, providing for our loved ones, and I believe you should be able to do all of that whilst doing something you love.
How sweet would it be to realize you could wake up in the morning with excitement to do the work laid out in front of you? What a restful life you would have knowing you were pursuing your God-given purpose.
Of course that can change throughout your years and what you do can look different, just as your life seasons do, but the hope is that you learn this fundamental lesson now with me:
Your dream job doesn’t have to be just a dream.
You get a say in the kind of life you create.
You can choose to build a life you enjoy.
Even if I’m the only one who told you so.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
The key to building a social media presence lies within the name:
Be social.
Nowadays there are a million and one ways that strategists will suggest you adapt in order to grow a following and high engagement.
“Post every single day.”
“Engage with other accounts for at least fifteen to thirty minutes a day.“
“Use captivating imagery and eye-catching hooks.”
While those strategies and methods won’t hurt in the pursuit of building an online presence, they are only layers to a foundation that is actually quite simple.
I started my social media presence with this plain strategy:
I wanted to share what I knew and I wanted to connect with other human beings.
That’s it.
As I began to build out my online presence I heavily focused on making sure I was treating social media as a tool to impact and connect with others and as a creative outlet. Social media looks incredibly different than it did even three years ago, and in the midst of that time, trends, updates, modifications, and applications have evolved and changed priorities, and will only continue to do so.
However, the one thing that has stayed and will stay consistent is this: the people.
Social media is a life-altering global phenomenon because it connects strangers from across the world and turns them into life long friends. Relationships are the core of social media and truly the main purpose of any social platform.
Of course online business owners, including myself, use it to market and build our businesses but it has become so clear to me that I spent far too long over thinking and over complicating the process of building a social media presence.
My advice to those just starting is this:
Consistently share content that inspires, educates, and relates to people and get into conversation with others. Intentionally get to know the people in your online community, and that authentic process of persistent relationship nurturing, sharing, and trust building will construct a loyal and engaging community.
Sure, one can get tied up in the amount of minutes to engage and how many pieces of content to post a month, but as long as one leads with the intent of connecting and a heart of serving, your place in the social media world will only continue to flourish.
Contact Info:
- Website: becausesheswhole.com
- Instagram: @itsemmafabros
Image Credits
Bell Sarian Wong