How generosity helps Pinky Cole Hayes win in business

Aisha “Pinky” Cole Hayes, founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan, has risen to prominence in the restaurant industry. And if you ask her, she’ll tell you it’s partly due to her generosity, which goes beyond her personal need to succeed. Since opening the doors to the first Slutty Vegan, a casual restaurant chain, in Atlanta, Georgia, Cole Hayes has raised $25 million in Series A funding, opened 14 locations across the country, and turned the vegan hamburger company into a 100 million dollars. business. On her way to millions, Cole Hayes built her philanthropic and media portfolio by giving back to Historically Black colleges and universities, franchising former employees, and her platform, American Sesh.

As the face of Slutty Vegan and the brains behind the operation, Cole Hayes stays down to earth, being authentic and transparent about who she is as a woman and business owner. However, she took advantage of a new level of clarity to experience a renewed sense of freedom in life.

“I wasn’t always clear. This lack of clarity resulted from worrying about what people thought of me, how I came into the world, and what I created. I’ve always been a people pleaser because I’m in Consumer Facing Business It’s important to please people. On the other hand, that was one thing that held me back. Authenticity is another layer of authenticity that excites me every day – because no matter what happens, I will always be honest clarity that money can’t buy.” Cole Hayes said.

Community at the core

In addition to being clear about her business boundaries and decisions, Cole Hayes is firm and unwavering in helping small business owners and entrepreneurs get the knowledge, access and support they need to be effective.

That propensity to give and share freely often manifests itself in the form of Cole Hayes attending community meetings and sharing business tips with her million-plus followers on social media and her media platform, American Sesh. Most recently, she and her husband (and fellow restaurateur) Derrick Hayes took center stage at REVOLT WORLD in Atlanta, Georgia, to help other entrepreneurs reveal the secrets to building a business from scratch.

Cole Hayes’ traditional Jamaican mother is also to thank for her core values ​​to lift others up.

“My mother was such a giving spirit. I didn’t even realize that my mother was teaching me how to show up in the world—and how to be a steward, a lender, and not a borrower. In business, board members have a fiduciary responsibility As a successful entrepreneur, I have a moral responsibility to be able to support those who look like me and want opportunity,” said Cole Hayes. And she said it’s something she’s not willing to stoop to. “I don’t think that will ever change, which is why not many people like me make it this far. I don’t take that for granted. I can walk into rooms where there aren’t many black women. I managed to get in. Now that I’m in the room, I welcome other people. And I’m very strategic and intentional about it.”

On any given day, she advocates for small business owners who might struggle to stay in business by spreading the word. And it proved to be effective. In fact, according to Dynata research in 2021, 42 percent of black-owned businesses are discovered through word-of-mouth marketing.

When asked what inspires her to look the way she does as a leader, Cole Hayes said it’s the responsibility that comes with the access she’s worked hard for.

“I’m at the helm of billion-dollar apparel and have another level of access. If I fumble that access, it affects every person who tries, prays, and works to get the kind of access I have. What keeps me motivated is that there are people who believe in me to continue to succeed,” said Cole Hayes. “So my business decisions are no longer just about Pinky and what’s best for Pinky. It’s about what’s best for the culture. They don’t just sell burgers and fries. Any move they make will affect how people view black-owned businesses. , female founders, and black female founders.”

A public display of love and balance

Running a multi-million dollar business and being a servant leader is not for the faint of heart. That’s why Cole Hayes puts her spirituality, husband, children and family at the center of everything she does.

As a business woman, she trusts her intuition when making decisions. She also leans toward the most important relationship in her life and business, which is with her husband, Mr. Hayes, who is the CEO of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. Together, they were recognized as a power couple in the restaurant industry. In recent months, the Hayes have landed Las Vegas residencies and signed deals with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve my equal, but he is a person who dreams like me, who wants to win like me, who feels disadvantaged like me, who has to prove himself to the world like me, but he is also passionate like me,” said Cole Hayes.

She hopes their public display of love will inspire others to win in business with their partner. And she is grateful to be doing life and business with Mr. Hayes. “Some people think it’s hard because we’re in two different genres of food in the industry. It’s easy. He does meat and I do vegan food, but we both have the same goals. When you find someone who thinks like you and enjoys what you’re doing, even when you disagree, it becomes a safe space. I love people like that, I’m grateful and blessed to be able to meet someone with whom I could have children and everything we created together.”

As a mother of three, Cole Hayes appreciates spending quality time with her family and experiencing meaningful moments with her children as they reach milestones.

Creating Equity and Building Black Wealth

From time to time, the 2017 report by Prosperity Now and the Institute for Policy Studies on Black Wealth through 2053 resurfaces. As the 2024 presidential election nears, the conversation about the estimated median income for people of color in America reaching zero dollars has resurfaced.

While black business owners own 3.5 million businesses and employ more than 1.2 million people, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, Cole Hayes believes that people in high places within firms of shares and those with access can help combat projections for 2053.

“I believe private equity firms are at the helm of the future of black wealth. If people in power at private equity or investment firms are not predatory, it creates a safe space for black entrepreneurs to raise financing for their businesses, to sell their companies, and to build generational wealth,” Cole said. Hayes. However, she said one challenge that can arise is when black people don’t hold the door open for each other. “By the time investors who look like us get to the top, they’ve often been through so many hills and valleys that they become cold. And when they get cold, that’s when it becomes about itself. When it becomes about themselves, it’s less about opening the door for other people and more about securing their place so they don’t lose it.”

So how do black founders support themselves?

“There’s got to be more people who are intentional about creating wealth for people of color. The more spaces that go, the more people I can bring in. Now if there’s 15 or 20 Pinky Cole Hayes, we can solve the problem. But people who are intent on growing wealth rarely go into spaces with a lot of money to give back,” said Cole Hayes.

However, many would testify that she does her part.

Trust is the key

When Cole Hayes walks into a room or a conversation, confidence precedes her.

“Confidence goes a long way. Going in today, I know I have my personality and confidence. I can walk into every room like I own it,” Cole Hayes said.

To women looking to start or level up their business, she implores them to go against the grain and take control of their future by looking bold and political.

“This game (business and entrepreneurship) is not designed for us. But now that we know it’s not designed for us, we have to take it by the balls and think. We have an opportunity right now, more than ever, to own, dominate and take control, that’s why it’s so important to vote, because we have an opportunity to have a woman in a position that would change the way women appear in America. Cole Hayes said.