Slutty Vegan owner & founder, Pinky Cole drops by Money Making Conversations Master Class to discuss her new book! the location of the upcoming Slutty Vegan locations, the amazing gift she gave to Clark Atlanta University's graduating class, and reveals details on her new deal with Steve Madden.
More on Slutty Vegan & Bar Vegan
Slutty Vegan a nationally acclaimed, Atlanta-based burger joint offering creative takes on plant-based burgers.
Bar Vegan - We’re not your typical Atlanta restaurant. Experience vegan reimagined at Bar Vegan. Every dish at Bar Vegan delivers a 100% fully vegan cuisine while keeping the authentic flavors of each recipe.
More on Pinky Cole
A trifecta of community, commerce and compassion, Pinky Cole is a serial entrepreneur, brand strategist and founder & Visionary of Bar Vegan, Slutty Vegan ATL ² a nationally acclaimed, Atlanta-based burger joint offering creative takes on plant-based burgers With racy names like Sloppy Toppy, Fussy Hussy and One Night Stand ² and The Pinky Cole Foundation. Born and raised in East Baltimore, Cole started her entrepreneurial journey early through creating business plans and side-hustles With friends and family members during high school. She moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University, and While she quickly became enamored With the city, she decided to pursue acting in Los Angeles upon graduation and later Went on to become a successful television producer in New York City and Connecticut.
She eventually made her first foray into the culinary World With her popular restaurant, Pinky's Jamaican and American Restaurant in New York, Which tragically burned down. Soon after, Pinky relocated to Atlanta Where she came up With the idea for Slutty Vegan during a late-night craving for mouthwatering Vegan fast food. From there, she started cooking Vegan burgers in a shared kitchen in August 2018, and the Slutty Vegan empire Was born.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My guest is Pinky Cole. She's a Jamaican American entrepreneur
and founder Slutty Vegan, a plant based burger restaurant chain
based in Atlanta, Georgia. She first became vegan in fourteen
and opened her first Slutty Vegan food truck specializing in
vegan burgers, in September of eighteen. I interviewed her in
August of twenty when she was just starting to blow
up and become that national brand. Now she has opened
(00:23):
restaurants and created the Pinky co Foundation, which seeks to
empier generations of color to win in life, financially in
the pursuit of their entrepreneurial goals. Her new book et
Plants B I, T C H. It's her first book,
Nati When Vegan Recipes that will blow your meat loving mind,
currently available presell order. We're going to be hyping that.
(00:43):
Releasing November fift Pikacole recently gifted LLCs to Clark and
Land University two graduating class. We will discuss that, but
more importantly, please work on the Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
The one and only Pinky Cole. I love that, and
that was well, you know, I better be right. I
better be right. You You you're all over the good place.
(01:06):
Some people could be all over the place, but you
all over the good place. Pinky, tell me that. What's
going on, young lady? Oh my goodness, I got so
much good stuff going on. First of all, it's so
good to make your acquaintance again, and just to be here.
So that means that I've made consistent because here, Um,
I got so much great things going on. Um. You know,
(01:26):
if if you haven't been living under a rock, I
just closed on my twenty five million dollar raised to scale.
Slutty began. Um. I graced the cover of Essence names
you know something, stop me, I should have started with that.
Come on now, rushaw and slap yourself. Now. I saw
you on the cover. Now see I'm a little bit
old than you. Okay, Now, Peky Coach was on cover Essence. Now,
(01:49):
that is something you start an interview with now, because
I grew up, I grew up in the Jet magazine
and the Ebony era. You know when you was on
the cover of Ebony Jet, you know you that it
would like and she and I would like to believe
that Essence is that magazine level that I grew up
the Jet magazine and the Eberdey magazine and so so
(02:09):
when you got on the cover of Ebondey and Jet
Family friend, enemy, uh, girlfriendhood, everybody wanted to be next
to you. Now tell me what, tell me how I
came about, and tell me the experience and what did
it do to your brand? Peaky Cole being on the
cover of Essence magazine, the number one African American female
magazine in the world. So rigond I manifested it like
(02:33):
I always said that I'm gonna be able to cover crazy, Like,
how are you gonna do that? You ain't no celebrity.
I said, I am going to be on the cover.
And I knew it in my spirit because I kept
saying it. And you know, oftentimes when you say those things,
those things that come real. So every opportunity that I
got when I got around the Essence folks, I talked
about it. I got on their nerves about it. Hey,
(02:53):
I'm gonna be on Essence when when it is my day.
So I finally got the opportunity to talk to the CEO,
Richie Lou Dennis, and I told him the idea that
I wanted to do. I said, listen, I said, y'all
always have celebrities want to cover. Now is the time
to put entrepreneurs on the cover who are disrupting the
industries that they're in, so you can show a different
light of people who are making it and moving and shaking.
(03:16):
I love the idea. Didn't happen when I wanted it
to happen, but it happened exactly when it was supposed to.
And I'm so excited about that opportunity because Essence really
shifted my brand to a new level, right Like it
exposed me to people who have never heard of Slutty
Began before. And even if you didn't want to know
about Slutty Began, we learned about Pinky col you learned
(03:36):
about some entrepreneurs in Atlanta that are moving and shaking
that are the millionaires next door. And it really raised
the stock up. You know what they say, yesterday's prices
not the days right, So it raised the stock And
I'm just so happy at all of the opportunities and
doors that have been open because of Essence. And you know,
that was a life changing opportunity and I'm just so
(03:58):
grateful to be able to have been a part of
that well, first of all, it was life changing, but
it also was a fan because I'm a fan and
you have a lot of fans, and so because you
know you are are like you said, you know, you're
kind of like regularly your regular polks, regular polms become successful.
As dreamers, we see it as being possible. And I
think that that's as has always been your your your guy.
(04:22):
That has always been the plan to let regular people,
everyday people know that through hard work, faith and proper
planning you can win. To talk about that, listen, I've
always been a dreamer and I've always been a believer.
When people see me, they see hope and just like
you said, they see the possibility that all things can
happen if you really have confidence in yourself and you
(04:44):
really have that level of drive and that drive you
can't pay for that, right like that's born in you,
within you, like you developed that with experience and with time.
So when people see me, I'm not just doing this
for myself. I'm doing this for my family. I'm doing
this for the people who want to be entrepreneurs like me,
who want to have restaurants like me, And I'm showing
you that yes, nothing is impossible. You can literally be
(05:07):
the girl from around the way. I'm from East Baltimore,
got lots in my head. I don't look like the
typical person that you see on National TV. But guess what,
I'm shifting the atmosphere and showing you that you can
look like, be like, talk like whatever you want to
be like, and you can still make it as long
as you have comfort and knowing that you can do
all the things that you put your mind to. And
(05:29):
that's just how I have looked. I woke up, I
got on a T shirt and sweatpants, and I'm doing
an interview with you, and I got big interviews all day,
and I'm showing people that you ain't got to fit
the status quo. You can do everything that you want
to do as long as you be yourself, your true
authentic self, and being your true authentic self will get
you a long way. Well, this is a great year.
Two has been a great year. Like its been clearly
(05:50):
two years. Okay, you cover essence, you know you. You
did the graduation speech at Clark Atlanta University. I talk
about the whole process of gifting those LLC so people
from an entrepreneur understand exactly what you did because you know,
you just on the outside, you really don't know. But
it's like putting young people in a position to understand
(06:13):
how to be business owners. Well, you know, first of all,
doing Clark and Lanty University's commencement was a dream come true.
So many dreams coming truths this year. Right. Um, I
went to Clark and Land University. I graduated thirteen years ago.
And when I got the opportunity to be the commencement speaker,
and I'm like, I have to do something that's going
to resident Okay, See, I gotta stop you something because
(06:35):
you just blow past, like like we blew past that
assence covering that what is the backstory? See, I gotta
get backstory on you because you got so much going on.
Your back story is as great as the actually accomplishment.
Talk about the backstory of them calling you and then
you really realize it's happening, because that's the ultimate to
graduate from a school and then come back and do
(06:57):
the commencement speed. They get a PhD to get those
on er and all that good stuff, and you're not
I'm assuming you're a doctor peoky cold that right, not
yet soon come. It's coming oko, Okay, cool. But you
know it's interesting because I actually was invited to do
Morris Brown's commencement as well. So I was slated to
(07:17):
do Morris Brown and Clark atlant University. Fortunately, but unfortunately
I was only able to do one. So obviously I'm
gonna pick my alma mater. But shout out to Morris Brown,
he just got the accreditation. Um, shout out to Dr James.
That was just an amazing to be able to have
options right, Like not many people can say that they
got options they want to do for historic institutions historic
(07:41):
and be able to have to make hard choices like that.
I'm like, okay, I'm on the right path. So when
I got the opportunity to see AU, it was a
no brainer. Like, I love my institution. I'm always putting
on for my school. I'm always telling people about why
you need to go to see AU and why people
need to support historically black colleges and university. And as
a thirty four year old woman who has a man
(08:03):
so much success in a short amount of time, we
all believe that I could really speak to the students
in a way that seventy five eighty five year old
couldn't when it comes to commencement speeches and no, no,
no shade or disrespect to to the people who come
and have the wisdom. But I feel like I could
offer a different level of wisdom for those students. And
(08:23):
it was eight hundred two four those students, and I said,
you know what, I need to figure out a way
to be able to show these children that you can
literally take something so small and walking to this journey
and do all the things that you want to do.
And that was with LLC. So how I came up
with the idea. I'm like, I want to put these
people on a path to entrepreneurship right when you graduated
(08:47):
from college. Oftentimes many of us do not have a plan.
I did not have a plan at all. And because
I didn't have a plan, I had to go through
some hiccups along the way, go through some speed bumps.
But I'm so happy that I had to go through
those because then I became an expert. And as an expert,
I was talking directly to these students and telling them, listen,
you're gonna fail, but failing ain't failing at all. It
(09:09):
is finding aspiration and the losses and I'm going to
help you find success in all the things that you
want to do. But I'm gonna set you up on
a path to entrepreneurship. Whether you want to be an
entrepreneur or not, but this is an opportunity for for
you to really jump start your legacy, build generational wealth,
even if you want to work at nine and five.
And I'm excited about the response that it got because
(09:32):
what it showed is there's no I'm not paying all
the intuition. But what I'm going to do is I'm
going to put you in position that if you have
something that you've been thinking about, if you have something
that's been making your belly leap, now is the opportunity
to move on it. Because I literally gave you the
baton and say hey, here you go, go run. I'm
paying for it and I'm hoping hopefully they get to
(09:54):
pay it forward to So that felt really, really good.
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations MA
Class with Rashan McDonald. Now, let's return to Money Making
Conversations Master Class with Rashan McDonald. Thirty four years of age,
you know thirteen, roughly thirteen years ago, you know you
was you was just like them wandering around, you know,
(10:15):
about to step out into a world. My daughter just
graduated from college in Houston, and she's trying to figure
herself out, you know, in that journey of figuring yourself out.
Because you became a vegan and teen, what made that
transition to say I can become an entrepreneur two based
on wherever my lifestyle? Well, you know, I grew up
in a vegetarian household, So the transition wasn't as hard
(10:37):
as a lot of people think, because I grew up
in a world where we and I to food rice
some piece every day. Like I didn't grow up eating
cheeseburgers and fry. Like I didn't grow up going to mcdonald'
that was well you got that pretty skin in their pinky,
stay away from the fries, all that stuff. Yeah, I
didn't grow up and I didn't even grow up eating candy.
But you know, I attribute it to my mother because
(10:59):
she's arrested arian. So I grew up with a very
natural mom who didn't were makeup. She she didn't change.
She was very natural, eating like, very holistic. So in
two thousands seven, actually I stopped eating meat all together.
So I was just eating fish. And then fourteen I
decided to go vegan. And I know the difference because
my first restaurant was called Pinky's Jamaican, an American restaurant,
(11:22):
and I sold your chicken. I sold, I sailed, and
I saw all the foods that I did not eat,
but I was lying to the people telling them that
it tastes good, like, hey, you should try this, this
is good. But I didn't eat that. So when I realized,
with something that I would never do again, I was
not in alignment with my purpose. I wasn't being honest
and my business didn't succeed because of that, and I
(11:42):
had a grease fire and I lost everything. And when
I got it back, I got it back through Slutty
Vegan because I was literally walking in my purpose and
walking in my assignment. I am fully vegan. I like
to give my vegan my friends vegan food. I like
to have them try to see if they could see
the difference. And now I get to capitalize off my
(12:02):
lifestyle by having a business and using my platform and
resources to help people for the reimagined food. And that
is why my business has been able to be so
successful and work because I'm walking in my path. I
ain't lying to the people. I'm being my authentic self
and it just works. And I'm happy that I get
to do what I love and get paid to do
what I love. Now Eat plants b I T c
(12:23):
h mouth water and photographs and easy to follow instruction.
Eat plants b I T eight celebrate coach belief that
it's fun and assessible to cooking and jaw irresistible vegan
comfort food from offer color egg Roads, which sounds amazing
to her Black Peak Coliflower, cauliflower, pool ball, pol Boy.
It says nainy one. Why nainny one? Is that they
(12:46):
just counted ain'ty want to do? You know, because you
always have a method to your madness? Is naty one
in particular as a particular number? Why you said, Ninny
want to just namey one recipes? Ninety one was just
a sweet spot kinds of recipes. But I'm person that
I want the best of the best, and it's about
quality not quantity, So yeah, we had some more recipes.
(13:07):
Ninety one was just hit number. It just really just
like it was just a really good sweet spot for
like the best recipes. I wanted the best and this
cookbook specifically is not just for the vegan. It's for
the person who likes to eat meat. This is this
is a person that just like really really good food.
So I wanted to make sure that all the recipes
(13:27):
that were in the book were good recipes, whether you
were vegan or not. You know, oftentimes we have a
misconception that if it's vegan, it don't taste good, it's bland,
the slave ain't good. Like I wanted to eliminate all
of that and just make a really good cookbook that
serves really good food. And as long as you can
read and you can follow directions, you can really make
these really really good recipes. So I'm excited about the launch.
(13:49):
Um it launches November fifteen. Uh, the book is on
pre sale right now. We actually have sold a lot
on pre sale, which I'm very excited about. And people
are anticipating this book. Where this for the holidays, or
somebody who's just trying to make the transition, or somebody
don't even want to make the transition, they still want
to eat beat. They just want to That's that's that
(14:09):
we mean. Now, you know, I'm gonna eat my meat,
but I'm gonna open real book because when this book
come out, you know, I got me a little TikTok account.
You know I'll be I'll be cooking and baking. So
I'm gonna take some of these recipes and drop on TikTok.
Say that's mcgirl. Have a little picture in my love
up a little corner that let everybody know this is
pick and go this right here, because the thing about
it is that so many people champion you, and I
(14:30):
think that I just love you as a person. I
love using entrepreneur. You're so spirited. Uh where where is
that coming from? You mentioned your mom, But it also
has to be your surrounding people around you who also
believe in you. Correct. Um. I think it's partially that
I've always had this and it may sound weird, but
(14:52):
I believe in good karma. I believe when you show
up in the world as a good person, the world
is going to come back and be good to you.
You and I lived my life very honest. I don't lie.
I'm still I don't cheat. When I laid my head
down at night, my conscious is clear because I'm very
fair across the board, and I do right by people,
and I give back and I pay it forward, and
(15:14):
because I do those things, one my blessings just keep
unfolding for me. And too, I know that the universe
sees me and God is blessing me because of how
I live my life and how I'm a model that
you can be a good person and you can still
get all the things that you want and you ain't
gotta be mischievous. You don't have to do any of that.
So I realized at a very young age that I
(15:35):
had a gift, and I didn't quite know what that
gift was, but I knew that I wanted to make
an impact in the world as a kid watching Golden
Girls with my grandmother and you know what I'm saying,
like being really in the trenches with some old folks,
and I realized that I knew that there was something
special about me that I could give to the world.
And I just literally lived my life like that all
(15:55):
the time. And my perfect absolutely now. And I ain't
gonna say here and say I am I'm not the
perfect See oh, sometimes I might not be the perfect spouse. Um,
I might not even be the perfect mother sometimes, but
I do the very best that I can. And I
realized that when you show up as a good, wholehearted person,
the universal reward you and you will get all the
things that you pray about every single day. I am
(16:18):
I looking at the modern day Oprah WinCE. You know
what's so funny? A lot of people which is a
very big compliment, almost too big for me. I'm trying
to catch up. But a lot of people say that,
you know, and I'm like, it's such an honor to
even be associated with somebody of that caliber. That to
me feels great and it tells me that one that Okay, Pinky,
(16:42):
you got a big responsibility here because there's a lot
of little girls and little boys looking up to you.
So everything that I do, I have to make sure
that not only am I responsible for myself, I'm also
responsible for how I show up because there's so many
people watching me. So I will take that compliment as
often as you want to give it, I will take it.
Take it because I'm just saying, is that I just
(17:03):
see you on television. I just see you in that medium.
And because of the fact, the reason I say that
Oprah has something to say, that's why she was successful,
that's why she still is successful. She's articulous, she was smart. Uh,
she also graduated over an HBCU, but also a person
who had a background that that that that that that
that was constantly moving forward, constantly moving forward. In fact,
(17:25):
you you're like to me, you're ahead of Oprah where
she was when she broke out. So you you you
have a resume of being able to teach. You're teaching people,
You're delivering the message. And I just say that, are
you the modern day version of Oprah because of the
fact that we all have messengers at different levels, and
I see you as a messenger. This is this is
(17:45):
a lade from two thousand we first met, which I
knew you before that, but I see it more polished.
I see a much more enlightening lightning and you know
you feel happier too, and not saying you're unhappy then,
but what what what it's it's a can glow on you.
I know you're about to be a mom, but it's
another clow, it's another clow, it's another talk to me girl.
(18:06):
I am a love I'm happy. I got good people
around me. You know, it's a difference when you have
a good team, when you got people that genuinely love
you and don't want nothing from you, but want you
to succeed and want you to win. And I'm very
intentional about who I invited into my circle these days. Um,
and I'm just living freely. You know. The last time
(18:28):
that I interviewed with you, I was still in the kitchen.
I was flipping burger, shaking fries. I was being the janitor,
I was been hr I was the one of those things.
And while I was doing well, I was hustling backwards
because I wasn't properly delegating my business in order for
it to grow in the way that if we did
to grow. And as soon as I stepped outside of
my business and started delegating and finding the right talent
(18:50):
to help the business grow, I've seen the shift in
my attitude and in my energy and also in my business.
So I'm at a really, really good place right now.
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
with Rashan McDonald. Now let's return to Money Making Conversations
Masterclass with Rashan McDonald. So, so before we shift out
(19:12):
of the first book, Eat Eat Plants, B I T
C H. I can't say the word, but it's right
there that's a little astro native when vegan recipes that
will blow your meat loving mind. Currently available for pre order.
Preorder find this book is Peaky Cole is Simon Schuster
and you can go there and the pre order. The
book doesn't come out until November, but you can get
(19:33):
it now. And I'm just gonna tell you, are fans
of hers, that's how you become number one. I've been
fortunate in my life to deliver three number one New
York Times bestseller. And when you get there, if you
want are a fan of Pinky Cold and you want
a great book. Like I said, I like dessert, I
like meat, But I'm buying this book because I like
good food. And the recipes. We can't discuss it now,
(19:55):
the recipes because you know, give it the resciree. What
a You're gonna buy the book, but but what can't
do it? Say? You know all history? You know all honestly,
her book is worth buying because I'm gonna buy. And
when I buy, I'm gonna be I'm gonna doing a
little a little TikTok coup, putting some stuff out there,
probably messing up a little bit. She probably gonna slap
my hand. Don't be messing my food. If you can't
cook it right, We're gonna be all good. But that's
(20:16):
the big pre order. Now that we got that out
the way, the expansion, let's talk about the Slutty Vegan expansion.
New York City at lasta girl, what are you doing?
What's city? I'm gonna be able to go into bro
And you know, growth is so beautiful. I can remember
when I started this concept and a shared kitchen, and
(20:36):
if you would have told me four years ago then
it would look like this. I probably would have laughed
at you, not because I didn't believe you, but because
I'm like, hold on, that's that's a big thing that's happening.
But I'm excited about the level of growth. I just
opened up my Assence location. So currently I have five
locations and we are under construction with four additional locations,
and that's New York in Brooklyn, and in Harlem, Columbus, Georgia,
(21:00):
and a few other locations. And I'm excited about where
the business is going. We gotta shoot deal with Steve Madden.
Um from Steve Madden see again again, just see I'm
so sick of she throw out information don't want to
give the back I keep telling y'all her back story
better than the announcement. Okay, how did the Steve Madden
thing happen? Come on? That? So Steve Mann happened because
(21:23):
I was I went to a collaboration event that Steve
Mann was hosted with The Fearless Fun and it was
with some other entrepreneurs. And one thing about me is nothing.
He's trial but to failure. So I'm gonna ask for
the things that I want. So Steve Madden was on
the zoo and I told him, I said, listen, you
might not know who I am now, but I need
you to google me because I have one of the
(21:44):
most popular concepts of the country and you and I
need to collaborate. And when need to do a shoe deal.
And you know, this man did his research, and you
know he came back and said, let's set up a call,
let's do it. And now here we are. A couple
of months later, we got a vegan shoe about to
launch that is backed by eat Up. It's a slutty
vegan shoe. And if you send me address, I'm gonna
send you a pair. And I'm excited about it because
(22:05):
it's game changing. It ain't just about burgers, fries and pies.
Right like, we are showing people that this is a
lifestyle brand, and people love the brain so much. I'm excited.
I know how, you know, I know how to market there.
You know, you say something that we don't put that
on in public. She dropped it on Money Conversation. We're
gonna circulate this and put it on some feed come
on that, go out there and get that shoot all right,
(22:26):
because guess what she's good people. She bought a mom,
she got she got a child coming on with, she
got paid some bills. Okay, um, so yeah, so with
with the expansion. Um now we have Richard lu Dennis
and Danny Meyers on our town. Okay, that that that
help us scale and grow. And I'm confident that Slutty
Vegan will be a billion dollar brand. Absolutely absolutely well.
(22:50):
Richard Lewis, I love him, you know, over the essence,
you know what he's doing over there. Just unfortunate pandemic
hit when he took over it, but he still hadn't
stopped the wheels from from moving forward. But the beauty
of you know, I read the New York City is
gonna get a Slurty vegan. Okay, well, you know it's
hiring up there. You know there's a lot of people
that it's twelve million people coming to New York Manhattan
(23:12):
on a giving work day. Why do Yorkly? This is
just a statement opening though, while you're going to New
York in what area of New York City you going?
So New York is like a home coming. You know,
I had my first restaurant was in Harlem, So this
is my opportunity to really come back. So we're doing
Brooklyn and we're doing Harlem again for two reasons. One
is a home cooming and to I feel like, if
(23:33):
you can make it in the big cities, you can
make it anywhere. If you can make it in New York, Chicago,
l A, Miami, then you can really do well anywhere.
And New York is just one of those, uh places
that we just feel comfortable about putting. Slutty began there
so we can really continue to make this brand of
household name. I can't wait. It's happening this year. Um
(23:54):
you we have a big block party. The goal is
to be able to open within the next few weeks.
So we're pretty much done now. But I'm excited. Well,
I know you probably won't be able to travel up there,
probably zoom in doing FaceTime up there. You know, you
take care of yourself. But again, Pinky, you know two
years was too long, but it's been firm, watching the
growth and watching the journey. So you old me. I'm
(24:15):
gonna drop this announcement about to Steve Mannen shoe deal.
Don't drop that. But also more important, Oh you some
thousand pathers, I'm saying that on again. I gotta get there.
And you sent me those vegan shoes. Okay, I absolutely
will and thank you so much again for having it.
And I cannot wait till you come to slide slidfy.
Hey baby, I'm there. I'm seriously, I really, I I
(24:36):
am committed. In fact, I went to the one. I
went to the one over off I think the loot
great experience. Yeah, I see your boy knew about that
location because he ain't been there. See I a't snuck
in behind. Yeah excellent, I see. But like I said,
(24:56):
when I again, I'm like you, I try to be authentic.
I don't trying to just talk to people when I
said and just say nice things. I've experienced your brand.
I love what you're doing and are and you represent
positivity and I kid you not. You are our Oprah
of this era. And don't don't walk away from that,
don't stumble. You will be on TV, young lady, and
(25:18):
you are going to be a billionaire. Okay, I received that. Yes,
thank you so much. It's been Peaky Cold the creator,
founder of Slutty Vegan and has a new book out.
It's coming out. Please get it eat. I'm gonna see it.
I'm gonna see you that. I'm gonna see it. I'm
gonna see they're they're gonna edit it that they're gonna that.
(25:39):
But again, thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation.
Pinky coom than you. If you want to hear or
see any of my interviews, please go to Money Make
a Conversation dot com. It's from Sean McCom. I am
My guest is Pinky Cole. She's a Jamaican American entrepreneur
and founder Slutty Vegan, a plant based burger restaurant chain
based in Atlanta, Georgia. She first became vegan in fourteen
and opened her first Slutty Vegan food truck specializing in
vegan burgers, in September of eighteen. I interviewed her in
August of twenty when she was just starting to blow
up and become that national brand. Now she has opened
(00:23):
restaurants and created the Pinky co Foundation, which seeks to
empier generations of color to win in life, financially in
the pursuit of their entrepreneurial goals. Her new book et
Plants B I, T C H. It's her first book,
Nati When Vegan Recipes that will blow your meat loving mind,
currently available presell order. We're going to be hyping that.
(00:43):
Releasing November fift Pikacole recently gifted LLCs to Clark and
Land University two graduating class. We will discuss that, but
more importantly, please work on the Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
The one and only Pinky Cole. I love that, and
that was well, you know, I better be right. I
better be right. You You you're all over the good place.
(01:06):
Some people could be all over the place, but you
all over the good place. Pinky, tell me that. What's
going on, young lady? Oh my goodness, I got so
much good stuff going on. First of all, it's so
good to make your acquaintance again, and just to be here.
So that means that I've made consistent because here, Um,
I got so much great things going on. Um. You know,
(01:26):
if if you haven't been living under a rock, I
just closed on my twenty five million dollar raised to scale.
Slutty began. Um. I graced the cover of Essence names
you know something, stop me, I should have started with that.
Come on now, rushaw and slap yourself. Now. I saw
you on the cover. Now see I'm a little bit
old than you. Okay, Now, Peky Coach was on cover Essence. Now,
(01:49):
that is something you start an interview with now, because
I grew up, I grew up in the Jet magazine
and the Ebony era. You know when you was on
the cover of Ebony Jet, you know you that it
would like and she and I would like to believe
that Essence is that magazine level that I grew up
the Jet magazine and the Eberdey magazine and so so
(02:09):
when you got on the cover of Ebondey and Jet
Family friend, enemy, uh, girlfriendhood, everybody wanted to be next
to you. Now tell me what, tell me how I
came about, and tell me the experience and what did
it do to your brand? Peaky Cole being on the
cover of Essence magazine, the number one African American female
magazine in the world. So rigond I manifested it like
(02:33):
I always said that I'm gonna be able to cover crazy, Like,
how are you gonna do that? You ain't no celebrity.
I said, I am going to be on the cover.
And I knew it in my spirit because I kept
saying it. And you know, oftentimes when you say those things,
those things that come real. So every opportunity that I
got when I got around the Essence folks, I talked
about it. I got on their nerves about it. Hey,
(02:53):
I'm gonna be on Essence when when it is my day.
So I finally got the opportunity to talk to the CEO,
Richie Lou Dennis, and I told him the idea that
I wanted to do. I said, listen, I said, y'all
always have celebrities want to cover. Now is the time
to put entrepreneurs on the cover who are disrupting the
industries that they're in, so you can show a different
light of people who are making it and moving and shaking.
(03:16):
I love the idea. Didn't happen when I wanted it
to happen, but it happened exactly when it was supposed to.
And I'm so excited about that opportunity because Essence really
shifted my brand to a new level, right Like it
exposed me to people who have never heard of Slutty
Began before. And even if you didn't want to know
about Slutty Began, we learned about Pinky col you learned
(03:36):
about some entrepreneurs in Atlanta that are moving and shaking
that are the millionaires next door. And it really raised
the stock up. You know what they say, yesterday's prices
not the days right, So it raised the stock And
I'm just so happy at all of the opportunities and
doors that have been open because of Essence. And you know,
that was a life changing opportunity and I'm just so
(03:58):
grateful to be able to have been a part of
that well, first of all, it was life changing, but
it also was a fan because I'm a fan and
you have a lot of fans, and so because you
know you are are like you said, you know, you're
kind of like regularly your regular polks, regular polms become successful.
As dreamers, we see it as being possible. And I
think that that's as has always been your your your guy.
(04:22):
That has always been the plan to let regular people,
everyday people know that through hard work, faith and proper
planning you can win. To talk about that, listen, I've
always been a dreamer and I've always been a believer.
When people see me, they see hope and just like
you said, they see the possibility that all things can
happen if you really have confidence in yourself and you
(04:44):
really have that level of drive and that drive you
can't pay for that, right like that's born in you,
within you, like you developed that with experience and with time.
So when people see me, I'm not just doing this
for myself. I'm doing this for my family. I'm doing
this for the people who want to be entrepreneurs like me,
who want to have restaurants like me, And I'm showing
you that yes, nothing is impossible. You can literally be
(05:07):
the girl from around the way. I'm from East Baltimore,
got lots in my head. I don't look like the
typical person that you see on National TV. But guess what,
I'm shifting the atmosphere and showing you that you can
look like, be like, talk like whatever you want to
be like, and you can still make it as long
as you have comfort and knowing that you can do
all the things that you put your mind to. And
(05:29):
that's just how I have looked. I woke up, I
got on a T shirt and sweatpants, and I'm doing
an interview with you, and I got big interviews all day,
and I'm showing people that you ain't got to fit
the status quo. You can do everything that you want
to do as long as you be yourself, your true
authentic self, and being your true authentic self will get
you a long way. Well, this is a great year.
Two has been a great year. Like its been clearly
(05:50):
two years. Okay, you cover essence, you know you. You
did the graduation speech at Clark Atlanta University. I talk
about the whole process of gifting those LLC so people
from an entrepreneur understand exactly what you did because you know,
you just on the outside, you really don't know. But
it's like putting young people in a position to understand
(06:13):
how to be business owners. Well, you know, first of all,
doing Clark and Lanty University's commencement was a dream come true.
So many dreams coming truths this year. Right. Um, I
went to Clark and Land University. I graduated thirteen years ago.
And when I got the opportunity to be the commencement speaker,
and I'm like, I have to do something that's going
to resident Okay, See, I gotta stop you something because
(06:35):
you just blow past, like like we blew past that
assence covering that what is the backstory? See, I gotta
get backstory on you because you got so much going on.
Your back story is as great as the actually accomplishment.
Talk about the backstory of them calling you and then
you really realize it's happening, because that's the ultimate to
graduate from a school and then come back and do
(06:57):
the commencement speed. They get a PhD to get those
on er and all that good stuff, and you're not
I'm assuming you're a doctor peoky cold that right, not
yet soon come. It's coming oko, Okay, cool. But you
know it's interesting because I actually was invited to do
Morris Brown's commencement as well. So I was slated to
(07:17):
do Morris Brown and Clark atlant University. Fortunately, but unfortunately
I was only able to do one. So obviously I'm
gonna pick my alma mater. But shout out to Morris Brown,
he just got the accreditation. Um, shout out to Dr James.
That was just an amazing to be able to have
options right, Like not many people can say that they
got options they want to do for historic institutions historic
(07:41):
and be able to have to make hard choices like that.
I'm like, okay, I'm on the right path. So when
I got the opportunity to see AU, it was a
no brainer. Like, I love my institution. I'm always putting
on for my school. I'm always telling people about why
you need to go to see AU and why people
need to support historically black colleges and university. And as
a thirty four year old woman who has a man
(08:03):
so much success in a short amount of time, we
all believe that I could really speak to the students
in a way that seventy five eighty five year old
couldn't when it comes to commencement speeches and no, no,
no shade or disrespect to to the people who come
and have the wisdom. But I feel like I could
offer a different level of wisdom for those students. And
(08:23):
it was eight hundred two four those students, and I said,
you know what, I need to figure out a way
to be able to show these children that you can
literally take something so small and walking to this journey
and do all the things that you want to do.
And that was with LLC. So how I came up
with the idea. I'm like, I want to put these
people on a path to entrepreneurship right when you graduated
(08:47):
from college. Oftentimes many of us do not have a plan.
I did not have a plan at all. And because
I didn't have a plan, I had to go through
some hiccups along the way, go through some speed bumps.
But I'm so happy that I had to go through
those because then I became an expert. And as an expert,
I was talking directly to these students and telling them, listen,
you're gonna fail, but failing ain't failing at all. It
(09:09):
is finding aspiration and the losses and I'm going to
help you find success in all the things that you
want to do. But I'm gonna set you up on
a path to entrepreneurship. Whether you want to be an
entrepreneur or not, but this is an opportunity for for
you to really jump start your legacy, build generational wealth,
even if you want to work at nine and five.
And I'm excited about the response that it got because
(09:32):
what it showed is there's no I'm not paying all
the intuition. But what I'm going to do is I'm
going to put you in position that if you have
something that you've been thinking about, if you have something
that's been making your belly leap, now is the opportunity
to move on it. Because I literally gave you the
baton and say hey, here you go, go run. I'm
paying for it and I'm hoping hopefully they get to
(09:54):
pay it forward to So that felt really, really good.
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations MA
Class with Rashan McDonald. Now, let's return to Money Making
Conversations Master Class with Rashan McDonald. Thirty four years of age,
you know thirteen, roughly thirteen years ago, you know you
was you was just like them wandering around, you know,
(10:15):
about to step out into a world. My daughter just
graduated from college in Houston, and she's trying to figure
herself out, you know, in that journey of figuring yourself out.
Because you became a vegan and teen, what made that
transition to say I can become an entrepreneur two based
on wherever my lifestyle? Well, you know, I grew up
in a vegetarian household, So the transition wasn't as hard
(10:37):
as a lot of people think, because I grew up
in a world where we and I to food rice
some piece every day. Like I didn't grow up eating
cheeseburgers and fry. Like I didn't grow up going to mcdonald'
that was well you got that pretty skin in their pinky,
stay away from the fries, all that stuff. Yeah, I
didn't grow up and I didn't even grow up eating candy.
But you know, I attribute it to my mother because
(10:59):
she's arrested arian. So I grew up with a very
natural mom who didn't were makeup. She she didn't change.
She was very natural, eating like, very holistic. So in
two thousands seven, actually I stopped eating meat all together.
So I was just eating fish. And then fourteen I
decided to go vegan. And I know the difference because
my first restaurant was called Pinky's Jamaican, an American restaurant,
(11:22):
and I sold your chicken. I sold, I sailed, and
I saw all the foods that I did not eat,
but I was lying to the people telling them that
it tastes good, like, hey, you should try this, this
is good. But I didn't eat that. So when I realized,
with something that I would never do again, I was
not in alignment with my purpose. I wasn't being honest
and my business didn't succeed because of that, and I
(11:42):
had a grease fire and I lost everything. And when
I got it back, I got it back through Slutty
Vegan because I was literally walking in my purpose and
walking in my assignment. I am fully vegan. I like
to give my vegan my friends vegan food. I like
to have them try to see if they could see
the difference. And now I get to capitalize off my
(12:02):
lifestyle by having a business and using my platform and
resources to help people for the reimagined food. And that
is why my business has been able to be so
successful and work because I'm walking in my path. I
ain't lying to the people. I'm being my authentic self
and it just works. And I'm happy that I get
to do what I love and get paid to do
what I love. Now Eat plants b I T c
(12:23):
h mouth water and photographs and easy to follow instruction.
Eat plants b I T eight celebrate coach belief that
it's fun and assessible to cooking and jaw irresistible vegan
comfort food from offer color egg Roads, which sounds amazing
to her Black Peak Coliflower, cauliflower, pool ball, pol Boy.
It says nainy one. Why nainny one? Is that they
(12:46):
just counted ain'ty want to do? You know, because you
always have a method to your madness? Is naty one
in particular as a particular number? Why you said, Ninny
want to just namey one recipes? Ninety one was just
a sweet spot kinds of recipes. But I'm person that
I want the best of the best, and it's about
quality not quantity, So yeah, we had some more recipes.
(13:07):
Ninety one was just hit number. It just really just
like it was just a really good sweet spot for
like the best recipes. I wanted the best and this
cookbook specifically is not just for the vegan. It's for
the person who likes to eat meat. This is this
is a person that just like really really good food.
So I wanted to make sure that all the recipes
(13:27):
that were in the book were good recipes, whether you
were vegan or not. You know, oftentimes we have a
misconception that if it's vegan, it don't taste good, it's bland,
the slave ain't good. Like I wanted to eliminate all
of that and just make a really good cookbook that
serves really good food. And as long as you can
read and you can follow directions, you can really make
these really really good recipes. So I'm excited about the launch.
(13:49):
Um it launches November fifteen. Uh, the book is on
pre sale right now. We actually have sold a lot
on pre sale, which I'm very excited about. And people
are anticipating this book. Where this for the holidays, or
somebody who's just trying to make the transition, or somebody
don't even want to make the transition, they still want
to eat beat. They just want to That's that's that
(14:09):
we mean. Now, you know, I'm gonna eat my meat,
but I'm gonna open real book because when this book
come out, you know, I got me a little TikTok account.
You know I'll be I'll be cooking and baking. So
I'm gonna take some of these recipes and drop on TikTok.
Say that's mcgirl. Have a little picture in my love
up a little corner that let everybody know this is
pick and go this right here, because the thing about
it is that so many people champion you, and I
(14:30):
think that I just love you as a person. I
love using entrepreneur. You're so spirited. Uh where where is
that coming from? You mentioned your mom, But it also
has to be your surrounding people around you who also
believe in you. Correct. Um. I think it's partially that
I've always had this and it may sound weird, but
(14:52):
I believe in good karma. I believe when you show
up in the world as a good person, the world
is going to come back and be good to you.
You and I lived my life very honest. I don't lie.
I'm still I don't cheat. When I laid my head
down at night, my conscious is clear because I'm very
fair across the board, and I do right by people,
and I give back and I pay it forward, and
(15:14):
because I do those things, one my blessings just keep
unfolding for me. And too, I know that the universe
sees me and God is blessing me because of how
I live my life and how I'm a model that
you can be a good person and you can still
get all the things that you want and you ain't
gotta be mischievous. You don't have to do any of that.
So I realized at a very young age that I
(15:35):
had a gift, and I didn't quite know what that
gift was, but I knew that I wanted to make
an impact in the world as a kid watching Golden
Girls with my grandmother and you know what I'm saying,
like being really in the trenches with some old folks,
and I realized that I knew that there was something
special about me that I could give to the world.
And I just literally lived my life like that all
(15:55):
the time. And my perfect absolutely now. And I ain't
gonna say here and say I am I'm not the
perfect See oh, sometimes I might not be the perfect spouse. Um,
I might not even be the perfect mother sometimes, but
I do the very best that I can. And I
realized that when you show up as a good, wholehearted person,
the universal reward you and you will get all the
things that you pray about every single day. I am
(16:18):
I looking at the modern day Oprah WinCE. You know
what's so funny? A lot of people which is a
very big compliment, almost too big for me. I'm trying
to catch up. But a lot of people say that,
you know, and I'm like, it's such an honor to
even be associated with somebody of that caliber. That to
me feels great and it tells me that one that Okay, Pinky,
(16:42):
you got a big responsibility here because there's a lot
of little girls and little boys looking up to you.
So everything that I do, I have to make sure
that not only am I responsible for myself, I'm also
responsible for how I show up because there's so many
people watching me. So I will take that compliment as
often as you want to give it, I will take it.
Take it because I'm just saying, is that I just
(17:03):
see you on television. I just see you in that medium.
And because of the fact, the reason I say that
Oprah has something to say, that's why she was successful,
that's why she still is successful. She's articulous, she was smart. Uh,
she also graduated over an HBCU, but also a person
who had a background that that that that that that
that was constantly moving forward, constantly moving forward. In fact,
(17:25):
you you're like to me, you're ahead of Oprah where
she was when she broke out. So you you you
have a resume of being able to teach. You're teaching people,
You're delivering the message. And I just say that, are
you the modern day version of Oprah because of the
fact that we all have messengers at different levels, and
I see you as a messenger. This is this is
(17:45):
a lade from two thousand we first met, which I
knew you before that, but I see it more polished.
I see a much more enlightening lightning and you know
you feel happier too, and not saying you're unhappy then,
but what what what it's it's a can glow on you.
I know you're about to be a mom, but it's
another clow, it's another clow, it's another talk to me girl.
(18:06):
I am a love I'm happy. I got good people
around me. You know, it's a difference when you have
a good team, when you got people that genuinely love
you and don't want nothing from you, but want you
to succeed and want you to win. And I'm very
intentional about who I invited into my circle these days. Um,
and I'm just living freely. You know. The last time
(18:28):
that I interviewed with you, I was still in the kitchen.
I was flipping burger, shaking fries. I was being the janitor,
I was been hr I was the one of those things.
And while I was doing well, I was hustling backwards
because I wasn't properly delegating my business in order for
it to grow in the way that if we did
to grow. And as soon as I stepped outside of
my business and started delegating and finding the right talent
(18:50):
to help the business grow, I've seen the shift in
my attitude and in my energy and also in my business.
So I'm at a really, really good place right now.
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
with Rashan McDonald. Now let's return to Money Making Conversations
Masterclass with Rashan McDonald. So, so before we shift out
(19:12):
of the first book, Eat Eat Plants, B I T
C H. I can't say the word, but it's right
there that's a little astro native when vegan recipes that
will blow your meat loving mind. Currently available for pre order.
Preorder find this book is Peaky Cole is Simon Schuster
and you can go there and the pre order. The
book doesn't come out until November, but you can get
(19:33):
it now. And I'm just gonna tell you, are fans
of hers, that's how you become number one. I've been
fortunate in my life to deliver three number one New
York Times bestseller. And when you get there, if you
want are a fan of Pinky Cold and you want
a great book. Like I said, I like dessert, I
like meat, But I'm buying this book because I like
good food. And the recipes. We can't discuss it now,
(19:55):
the recipes because you know, give it the resciree. What
a You're gonna buy the book, but but what can't
do it? Say? You know all history? You know all honestly,
her book is worth buying because I'm gonna buy. And
when I buy, I'm gonna be I'm gonna doing a
little a little TikTok coup, putting some stuff out there,
probably messing up a little bit. She probably gonna slap
my hand. Don't be messing my food. If you can't
cook it right, We're gonna be all good. But that's
(20:16):
the big pre order. Now that we got that out
the way, the expansion, let's talk about the Slutty Vegan expansion.
New York City at lasta girl, what are you doing?
What's city? I'm gonna be able to go into bro
And you know, growth is so beautiful. I can remember
when I started this concept and a shared kitchen, and
(20:36):
if you would have told me four years ago then
it would look like this. I probably would have laughed
at you, not because I didn't believe you, but because
I'm like, hold on, that's that's a big thing that's happening.
But I'm excited about the level of growth. I just
opened up my Assence location. So currently I have five
locations and we are under construction with four additional locations,
and that's New York in Brooklyn, and in Harlem, Columbus, Georgia,
(21:00):
and a few other locations. And I'm excited about where
the business is going. We gotta shoot deal with Steve Madden.
Um from Steve Madden see again again, just see I'm
so sick of she throw out information don't want to
give the back I keep telling y'all her back story
better than the announcement. Okay, how did the Steve Madden
thing happen? Come on? That? So Steve Mann happened because
(21:23):
I was I went to a collaboration event that Steve
Mann was hosted with The Fearless Fun and it was
with some other entrepreneurs. And one thing about me is nothing.
He's trial but to failure. So I'm gonna ask for
the things that I want. So Steve Madden was on
the zoo and I told him, I said, listen, you
might not know who I am now, but I need
you to google me because I have one of the
(21:44):
most popular concepts of the country and you and I
need to collaborate. And when need to do a shoe deal.
And you know, this man did his research, and you
know he came back and said, let's set up a call,
let's do it. And now here we are. A couple
of months later, we got a vegan shoe about to
launch that is backed by eat Up. It's a slutty
vegan shoe. And if you send me address, I'm gonna
send you a pair. And I'm excited about it because
(22:05):
it's game changing. It ain't just about burgers, fries and pies.
Right like, we are showing people that this is a
lifestyle brand, and people love the brain so much. I'm excited.
I know how, you know, I know how to market there.
You know, you say something that we don't put that
on in public. She dropped it on Money Conversation. We're
gonna circulate this and put it on some feed come
on that, go out there and get that shoot all right,
(22:26):
because guess what she's good people. She bought a mom,
she got she got a child coming on with, she
got paid some bills. Okay, um, so yeah, so with
with the expansion. Um now we have Richard lu Dennis
and Danny Meyers on our town. Okay, that that that
help us scale and grow. And I'm confident that Slutty
Vegan will be a billion dollar brand. Absolutely absolutely well.
(22:50):
Richard Lewis, I love him, you know, over the essence,
you know what he's doing over there. Just unfortunate pandemic
hit when he took over it, but he still hadn't
stopped the wheels from from moving forward. But the beauty
of you know, I read the New York City is
gonna get a Slurty vegan. Okay, well, you know it's
hiring up there. You know there's a lot of people
that it's twelve million people coming to New York Manhattan
(23:12):
on a giving work day. Why do Yorkly? This is
just a statement opening though, while you're going to New
York in what area of New York City you going?
So New York is like a home coming. You know,
I had my first restaurant was in Harlem, So this
is my opportunity to really come back. So we're doing
Brooklyn and we're doing Harlem again for two reasons. One
is a home cooming and to I feel like, if
(23:33):
you can make it in the big cities, you can
make it anywhere. If you can make it in New York, Chicago,
l A, Miami, then you can really do well anywhere.
And New York is just one of those, uh places
that we just feel comfortable about putting. Slutty began there
so we can really continue to make this brand of
household name. I can't wait. It's happening this year. Um
(23:54):
you we have a big block party. The goal is
to be able to open within the next few weeks.
So we're pretty much done now. But I'm excited. Well,
I know you probably won't be able to travel up there,
probably zoom in doing FaceTime up there. You know, you
take care of yourself. But again, Pinky, you know two
years was too long, but it's been firm, watching the
growth and watching the journey. So you old me. I'm
(24:15):
gonna drop this announcement about to Steve Mannen shoe deal.
Don't drop that. But also more important, Oh you some
thousand pathers, I'm saying that on again. I gotta get there.
And you sent me those vegan shoes. Okay, I absolutely
will and thank you so much again for having it.
And I cannot wait till you come to slide slidfy.
Hey baby, I'm there. I'm seriously, I really, I I
(24:36):
am committed. In fact, I went to the one. I
went to the one over off I think the loot
great experience. Yeah, I see your boy knew about that
location because he ain't been there. See I a't snuck
in behind. Yeah excellent, I see. But like I said,
(24:56):
when I again, I'm like you, I try to be authentic.
I don't trying to just talk to people when I
said and just say nice things. I've experienced your brand.
I love what you're doing and are and you represent
positivity and I kid you not. You are our Oprah
of this era. And don't don't walk away from that,
don't stumble. You will be on TV, young lady, and
(25:18):
you are going to be a billionaire. Okay, I received that. Yes,
thank you so much. It's been Peaky Cold the creator,
founder of Slutty Vegan and has a new book out.
It's coming out. Please get it eat. I'm gonna see it.
I'm gonna see you that. I'm gonna see it. I'm
gonna see they're they're gonna edit it that they're gonna that.
(25:39):
But again, thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation.
Pinky coom than you. If you want to hear or
see any of my interviews, please go to Money Make
a Conversation dot com. It's from Sean McCom. I am
Host
Rushion McDonald
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