August 2022 archive

Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole gets real on what it’s like to run a multi-million dollar company

Slutty Vegan CEO and founder gives business tips ahead of grand opening

By Chanda Temple

Slutty Vegan CEO and founder Pinky Cole, who will open her restaurant today in Woodlawn with a block party starting at 12 p.m. and ribbon cutting at 1 p.m., said her company is more than just burgers, fries and pies. It’s also an ecosystem focused on people, purpose and philanthropy.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, she met with several Black Birmingham small business leaders to discuss her climb to building her a plant-based, $100 million food company that has five locations in Georgia and is set to open many more in America. During her talk, she offered tips people need to know when starting a business. Some of them include:

1. Hire an accountant, even if you don’t have a lot of money in the bank.

An accountant will help make sure your books are clean in case you get audited, especially if finances are not your strength. Cole made the mistake of not having an accountant when she started her first business in New York several years ago, and she didn’t pay her sales and use tax. That mistake cost her two years after her first business burned in a fire; the government garnished her wages. But she said the mistake only made her a smarter entrepreneur. Hiring professionals will help you stay focused on the business.

“Sometimes, you have to go though the mud, you have to go through some speed bumps, and some tribulations and some bad stuff for you to realize that you need to make better choices.”

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Slutty Vegan to open in Birmingham on Aug. 21, 2022

By Chanda Temple

Atlanta businesswoman and philanthropist Aisha “Pinky” Cole was so impressed by the hundreds of people who stood in line for hours just to get one of her Slutty Vegan burgers when her food truck pulled into Birmingham in 2020, that she knew she had to set up shop in the Magic City.

So, on August. 21, from 12 to 6 p.m., she will open her first location in Alabama. It will be located at 77 – 55th Place in Woodlawn, which is a neighborhood in Birmingham. They will serve plant-based burgers, fries and desserts.

“Outside of Atlanta, y’all have been one of our biggest supporters, and I’m looking forward to being able to opening in Birmingham and really putting our footprint in the Woodlawn area,’’ she said. “I’m confident that we will be successful there. I think it will be a win-win for everybody because between our community work and what we do and what we can offer the City of Birmingham, I think everybody will be happy.’’

Cole founded her plant-based eatery with the unforgettable name in 2018. Today, she has five locations in Georgia. Her Birmingham location will be her sixth store. She also has plans to open stores in New York and beyond. Her four-year-old company is valued at $100 million.

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