Today we’d like to introduce you to Aquita Gaddis.
Hi Aquita, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story is really a story of purpose, perseverance, and becoming.
I am a Louisiana raised woman who found a new beginning in Texas, and much of my journey has been shaped by being a single mother, an entrepreneur, a woman of faith, and a leader in my community.
My entrepreneurial journey began through my love for hair and my desire to create more than just a place where women could get their hair done. Through my business, Virtuous Styles By Q, I have been able to build a space where beauty, confidence, conversation, and healing come together. I have always believed that sometimes people come into a salon needing more than a hairstyle. They need a safe place to breathe, talk, rebuild their confidence, and remember who they are.
Being a single mother of four has also shaped the woman and leader I have become. I have had to learn how to build while raising my children, serve while carrying my own responsibilities, and continue moving forward even during seasons when life did not look anything like what I imagined. My children have been a major part of my motivation because I wanted them to see that your circumstances do not have to determine your future.
My faith has been the foundation underneath it all. Through ministry and leadership at Greater Harvest Fellowship Center, as well as through Virtuous Connections my women’s empowerment and community initiatives, I have had the opportunity to encourage, mentor, serve, and help others recognize their own value and purpose.
Over the years, I realized that my leadership was not limited to one room or one title. Whether I was behind the chair, standing in a pulpit, mentoring a woman, encouraging a young person, raising my children, or serving my community, I was always doing the same thing: helping people believe that they could become more than what they had been through.
And now, I am stepping into another chapter of that journey as an author.
Writing became another way for me to tell the truth about the journey, not just the victories. My first memoir, Saved By The Storm, tells the story of surviving Hurricane Katrina and the journey of rebuilding my life afterward. Now I am continuing that story through Louisiana Raised, Texas Made, sharing more of the private journey of motherhood, faith, healing, relationships, entrepreneurship, and becoming the woman God could trust with more. (Both books will be available for purchase late fall and early winter of 2026.)
Today, I see every chapter of my life differently. The mother, the entrepreneur, the ministry leader, the community advocate, the mentor, and now the author are not separate versions of me. They are all pieces of the same assignment.
I am still becoming, but I am no longer just surviving my story. I am using my story to help someone else survive theirs, find their voice, discover their purpose, and believe that there is more ahead.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Obstacles and Challenges
No, it has definitely not been a smooth road. There have been many moments when I had to keep moving forward even when I did not know what was waiting on the other side.
One of the biggest challenges was Hurricane Katrina, which completely changed the direction of my life. I left Louisiana as a young mother with my daughter, not knowing that Houston would become a temporary stop and Austin would eventually become home. I had to rebuild my life, find stability, and learn how to navigate a new environment while raising my children.
I have also faced the challenges of being a single mother of four, balancing motherhood, work, ministry, and entrepreneurship. There were seasons when I had to make difficult decisions with limited resources while still trying to make sure my children were okay.
I have experienced relationship struggles, divorce, betrayal, disappointment, and moments when people I trusted hurt me. There were also seasons when I experienced financial hardship and housing instability. Those experiences tested me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Building my hair business has also come with its own challenges. Entrepreneurship requires sacrifice, consistency, faith, and the willingness to keep going when things do not happen as quickly as you hoped. There have been moments when resources were limited and I had to build with what I had.
But perhaps the greatest challenge has been learning how to heal while continuing to lead.
I have had to learn that being strong does not mean pretending that everything is okay. Sometimes strength looks like asking for help, going through the healing process, forgiving, setting boundaries, starting over, and trusting God again.
Looking back, I can honestly say that the obstacles did not disqualify me. They developed me.
Every difficult season taught me something. Katrina taught me resilience. Motherhood taught me responsibility. Business taught me perseverance. Ministry taught me servant leadership. Betrayal taught me discernment. Healing taught me grace.
And now, becoming an author has given me another opportunity to turn what I survived into something that can encourage, inspire, and help someone else keep going.
The road wasn’t smooth, but every obstacle became part of the story God was writing through my life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Virtuous Q Enterprise LLC is a purpose driven business founded by entrepreneur, beauty professional, author, mentor, and community leader Aquita Gaddis. The company was created to build businesses and brands that combine entrepreneurship, beauty, personal development, faith, leadership, and community impact.
At the heart of Virtuous Q Enterprise is the belief that business can be a vehicle for transformation. What began through my passion for beauty and healthy hair has grown into a larger vision of creating spaces where people can not only look good, but feel seen, valued, empowered, and inspired to become their best selves.
One of our signature brands is Virtuous Styles By Q, a private studio specializing in natural and textured hair care. I am known for helping clients understand their hair, develop healthy hair practices, and embrace their natural beauty. But my salon experience goes beyond hair. I often describe what I do as being a hair therapist because the chair has become a place where women can talk, heal, laugh, process life, and leave feeling renewed.
Virtuous Q Enterprise also serves as the foundation for the future development of It’s A Vibe Hair Salon and Spa, a larger salon and wellness concept designed to serve working professionals and families while creating opportunities for other beauty professionals to grow.
What sets Virtuous Q Enterprise apart is the purpose behind the brands. We are not simply building businesses. We are building opportunities, creating community, developing people, and turning personal experiences into platforms that can help others.
I am especially proud of the journey from being a hairstylist and single mother building a business to becoming an entrepreneur, leader, mentor, ministry leader, community advocate, and now an author. My books, including Saved By The Storm and Louisiana Raised, Texas Made, are extensions of that same mission. They tell stories of survival, faith, resilience, motherhood, leadership, healing, and becoming.
Our vision is to continue expanding Virtuous Q Enterprise into a multifaceted organization that includes beauty, education, mentorship, entrepreneurship, leadership development, community initiatives, and workforce opportunities. Future plans include an apprenticeship program for aspiring beauty professionals, opportunities for experienced stylists, educational programming, retail beauty offerings, and initiatives designed to help individuals rebuild their lives and discover their purpose.
What I want readers to know most is this: Virtuous Q Enterprise is about more than what we sell. It is about what we build in people.
We are building businesses with purpose, brands with impact, and spaces where people can experience transformation.
Virtuous Q Enterprise LLC: Where purpose, beauty, business, and impact come together.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was a little bit of everything.
I was naturally quiet and observant, but I was also adventurous, curious, and always willing to experience something new. I could be reserved when I first entered a space, but once I became comfortable, my personality would shine. I was a social butterfly who genuinely enjoyed people, relationships, and connecting with others.
Even as a child, there was something in me that naturally gravitated toward leadership. I did not always have to be the loudest voice in the room to have influence. I had a way of stepping up, taking initiative, and helping bring people together.
I was adventurous enough to explore, social enough to build relationships, and confident enough to lead. Looking back, I can see that many of the qualities I carry today were already present in me as a little girl.
I was quiet, but I was never without a voice.
I was adventurous, but I was never without direction.
I was a social butterfly, but I was also a natural born leader.
I did not know it then, but the little girl I was becoming was already carrying pieces of the woman I would one day become.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vsbq2021?igsi=MWhxMG02ZXZ4Z3o3ZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CbKzPAHvm/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://hihello.com/p/67a74d17-1adb-4b04-b2da-c8eb4738153a
