Meet Gabrielle Longley | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabrielle Longley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabrielle, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
The habits that help me succeed are being intentional about my time, planning, and staying grounded. I’m intentional with my time in thinking about how what I’m doing currently can help me reach my goals for the future. Being a business woman requires balancing work and life. What helps me balance is having a planner and writing my to-do’s down or random notes, so that I can stay on track. Lastly, staying grounded to me means being grateful and insightful, despite of the struggles I face in life.

What should our readers know about your business?
My online business, Queen Esther’s Beauty Bar is a beauty supply store. I thought of the idea as I read stories and even experienced discrimination from beauty supply owners. In my home town of Eustis, FL, I didn’t grow up seeing representation of black people in the beauty industry, and not much has changed since then. It’s disappointing to me to see my people spending their money with businesses that didn’t include or respect them. We are one of the largest consumers of hair products, yet we don’t have ownership in the industry. I wanted to be the change that I wanted to see, and I wanted to do it in a way that celebrated my people and showed the beauty in our versatility. So, I had a vision and named my business after my late great-grandmother, George “Esther” Austin, who’s someone that exhibited qualities that I aspired to have and display. I started with about $500, then I researched, and bought inventory. I used my skills as a marketing professional to create my website and social media pages. I am still making changes, and working to improve my business everyday. I started small, but I’m working towards large.
The journey is not easy, but it’s gratifying. Every opportunity, every compliment, every order lets me know that I’m walking in my purpose. This is a piece of my journey, and I’m preparing for what’s to come.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shout out my mom (Ma), Jennifer Merritt who’s one of the women in my life that taught me the power or prayer, determination, and taking care of yourself. My mom is also a business woman who made many transitions in her career to position herself where she is now. My mom is my go-to person for questions I may have about financial literacy, business, and anything else. She’s the type of person that elevates the people around her and doesn’t settle for less. I’ve learned a lot from her, and much of my success can be traced back to her influence.

Website: qebeautybar.com

Instagram: Qebeautybar

Facebook: QEBeautybar