Vegan restaurant Slutty Vegan’s Atlanta debut, in 2018, was a surprise to those who never saw vegan food as a contender in a conversation about Southern cuisine. The one woman who envisioned something different was the company’s founder, 34-year-old Pinky Cole. In less than five years, Cole built a $100 million business with her catchy slogans, signature vegan burgers, and fierce drive, garnering plenty of support from the community
In Glamour’s Millionaire Moves video series, Cole breaks down how she built her vegan empire, diving into her journey from leaving a dream job to investing $10,000 into a food truck, then opening her first brick-and-mortar to a crowd of 1,200 customers.
Cole says loving what she does is the ultimate reason she was able to build Slutty Vegan to a $100 million valuation, and it is what motivates her even still. During our call before filming her video, Cole described her personal gifts as not being shy, radiating energy, enjoying talking to people, and knowing how to treat others equally. These gifts made her a success in her earlier career in television production and aligned perfectly with her move to creating a food business. And now Cole is making being slutty and being vegan into a culture, a lifestyle, a movement.
Cole defines her company as a complete lifestyle brand that encompasses not just the restaurant industry but philanthropy, merchandise, media, real estate, and literature. Who knows what is next for her vegan empire? Cole continually stresses that her work will give people hope, uplift communities, and inspire the next generation of women and entrepreneurs.
“In the process of me building my business, I ended up not having one kid, but I ended up having two children. Now my mission is different. I went from just being a regular entrepreneur to being a mom-preneur,” she says.
Cole’s hustle is inspiring enough, but her bold confidence lifts all who see it—confidence in herself, yes, but also in the ways she can use her gifts and bring people together. Cole radiates the conviction that anything she puts energy into will be successful.
In September, Cole opened Slutty Vegan Brooklyn, her seventh location. Her first cookbook. Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind, is now available. Watch the full Millionaire Moves interview below.