Black Business Spotlight: My Fab Finance
My Fab Finance
Tonya Rapley, Founder
![](https://facebook-cdn.exceedlms.com/uploads/resource_images/targets/401817/page_regular/tonya-turbo-034.jpg?Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOlt7IlJlc291cmNlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9mYWNlYm9vay1jZG4uZXhjZWVkbG1zLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzL3Jlc291cmNlX2ltYWdlcy90YXJnZXRzLzQwMTgxNy9wYWdlX3JlZ3VsYXIvdG9ueWEtdHVyYm8tMDM0LmpwZyIsIkNvbmRpdGlvbiI6eyJEYXRlTGVzc1RoYW4iOnsiQVdTOkVwb2NoVGltZSI6MTcyNTc3MTI0OX19fV19&Signature=Qm5urNcqrprxOMtKbMQCEjI84I4WA4nZoo6wpO8V3OyBzWC3851hUsXkd350tC98SifyEkPGkFgDYCzPC0iNmoLR7zl0B~JVpxjKitRNENv4F-beE~tKDO5uTbkMeUs8lbzBsmc5fIxnlkSxM4yh68zCxmcZDktEmjJ3a7hJjqY3SzMgQ9D42gG4-Fjx96GIpGaPI~SJ6nUOmT0NscjP9bswMDuI1djASYy2sQbE2MZ3lNr56CUN2QnlTyqYtx0qTPUhe8Fn0IQRfMZ1WMmrRmbFgk052J-H0IO7r9v~52aY~oKncaftd6d5OOKtXFjBHLaMuzy8Nt742j3LQ-Tg3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJINUZDMKZJI5I6DA)
When did you start your business and why?
I started My Fab Finance in 2013 when I was in the process of recovering from my financial rock bottom. I felt like there weren’t enough people I could resonate with talking about money. I wanted to create a space that normalized the questions most people are afraid to ask and provide them with those answers.
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What problem did you aim to solve?
When I first got started I was frustrated. I was self funding everything and it felt like there weren’t many people interested in improving their finances, despite the importance of the subject. Despite that, our audience and community have grown consistently over the past years. When I started coaching I provided one on one coaching, but realizing how challenging it was to serve everyone that needed my support, I created a group coaching program.
Tell us about your business journey, the ups and downs, pivots and changes.
I made a lot of mistakes early on as a business woman, including a critical business partnership I had to abandon after the company made a costly tech decision. Over the years I have been fortunate to receive wonderful guidance from coaches and mentors along the way which helped me refine it to the My Fab Finance you see today.
Who are some of your biggest Black influences in business?
My biggest influences in business are Maverick Carter, Rakia Reynolds, Issa Rae, and Monique Rodriguez.
![](https://facebook-cdn.exceedlms.com/uploads/resource_images/targets/401823/page_regular/teachingclass.jpg?Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOlt7IlJlc291cmNlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9mYWNlYm9vay1jZG4uZXhjZWVkbG1zLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzL3Jlc291cmNlX2ltYWdlcy90YXJnZXRzLzQwMTgyMy9wYWdlX3JlZ3VsYXIvdGVhY2hpbmdjbGFzcy5qcGciLCJDb25kaXRpb24iOnsiRGF0ZUxlc3NUaGFuIjp7IkFXUzpFcG9jaFRpbWUiOjE3MjU3NzEyNDl9fX1dfQ__&Signature=AQLZDKR9Qh62hmyCHWw85wlM3iELjsNZBtLyExYI2uexksun2t7zxwahd4oeSElI~9ifY8~VmEWDw9RSX0L8dDBaxC3AXNaujEurr9R04GqPHiozJ0BH1jphT0ZqhJg~R5RYtzEhpJzR0iuLpULqBjCTK9AA8dcwAAAUQ8tJfCFhZ8p7i1xlMFu3kR4cBLDzx6gxQiFlU-GtNeywPHVyJATbhTBUOIZ5x5bG2DaiXhsy6ELvh314m-ycw4HZXhar9grtr30elO3NW9iSxofNAULRGcC022i4t758PV5WzK4SY9T5NETgxFexBCGJqChtCeSKvmhLxbHcUPlaeeubgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJINUZDMKZJI5I6DA)
What challenges have you faced as a Black business owner?
As a Black business owner growing my network was an initial challenge. I knew people, but finding people who knew more than I did and could support the direction I was attempting to grow towards was an initial challenge. I had to be very intentional about the resources I needed to grow and locate them. I’ve also had to overcome the “Black” quota. At times when working with agencies or brand partners they have limited space for one back influencer and you’ll see several non-black influencers working a campaign.
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What are some of your goals for your business?
Currently my goal in the business is to help 1,000 people break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck in our Blue Ribbon Club.