Pinky Cole, the self-made entrepreneur of Jamaican descent who debuted her Slutty Vegan brand in Atlanta in 2018 and turned it into a $100 million business in five years, dropped a powerful message for entrepreneurs on “Sway’s Universe.”
During the interview, Pinky Cole spoke elegantly and passionately about coming from the “mud” to making millions.
She said that her biggest challenges now as an entrepreneur are making sure she doesn’t get sued and labor.
Making sure I don’t get sued, that’s the big one.
Making sure that I always have my paperwork on point, right?…
There is a saying, new level new devil, right?…
So, what I realize is when I got this raise, and I got this money, I got more bills, very expensive bills, right?…
And know you gotta really be mindful of your money because I’ve seen so many people in this industry, and the hospitality industry, and the entertainment industry, get a lot of money and lose it really really fast.
Because people think it’s just money sitting in the bank.
So that’s a real challenge that I deal with.
Remember, I didn’t come from money, right?…
Like, I didn’t have a silver spoon in my mouth.
I come from people who, like, work all their life for a 401k, and then get a pension, and then like… and then, half of my family ain’t even get that because we Jamaican, right?…
So, learning how to properly manage money so that you can duplicate and 10x the money is a real challenge that we face as Black people in our community.
And, I am really trying to be the change that I wish to see.
People call me cheap, but I’m very frugal because I know what it looks like not to have it.
That’s one big thing, and um labor is another big thing.
Labor is another big thing, okay?…
But, it’s a good problem now because everyone wants to be an entrepreneur.
Soon after Pinky talked about her current business challenges, host Sway Calloway complimented Pinky’s vernacular and told her that she is a great motivational speaker and she should rap.
Pinky confidently took the mic and dropped bars.
Before the interview ended, she made sure to leave a powerful message of encouragement for entrepreneurs.
So here I am, I come from nothing, right?…
I come from a family that has always had to work very hard for little.
So when you hear me and you see me, I’m just a girl from around the way, from East Baltimore, who always was a big dreamer in the house with my grandmother watching “Golden Girls.”
And my wildest dream has come true. So the moment when you ever feel defeated think of Pinky in the back of your head.
Pinky who once upon a time had a dollar in her bank account.
Pinky who lost everything in a grease fire, who car got repoed, who got kicked out of her apartment.
Think of Pinky and know that it ain’t sh*t that I can’t do!
Pinky did it, why can’t I do it?…
And that’s the new mantra, we walking into 23, like, ‘Why can’t I?’
Why can’t I be a star?…
Why can’t I be boss?…
Why can’t I be an entrepreneur?
Anything that you want to do you can, and you better not say that you can’t!
Because you can do everything you want to do as long as you believe in yourself.
Watch the clip of the Pinky Cole interview on “Sway’s Universe” below:
I strongly encourage entrepreneurs to watch the whole interview.
Your thoughts?
