Pinky Cole and Derrick Hayes turned their pain into strength and chased their dreams
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Pinky Cole and now-husband Derrick Hayes have been dominating the food industry and providing inspiration for people everywhere. The two business owners had to undergo their own separate journeys of loss and lessons in order to get to where they are today. On yesterday’s (Aug. 7) episode of “The Blackprint,” host Detavio Samuels spoke with the couple about how their individual journeys inspired growth and ultimately led them to each other in order to bring positive impact to the world.
Before the two entrepreneurs met, Cole and Hayes lived different lives in different cities, but had the same mindset to make something of themselves. On the day Cole was born, her father was being sentenced to prison. The Baltimore native grew up in a single-parent household and stayed motivated by watching her mother work hard toward her dreams, despite the circumstances. Cole got the entrepreneurial bug early and started throwing parties to connect people and make a little money on the side.
The businesswoman shared she was making a name for herself at college and knew that she was meant to be a trailblazer. When Cole finally graduated, she decided to take a teaching job in Texas, but it wasn’t long until she realized that wasn’t the right path. After five days of teaching, the spirited go-getter decided to leave.
“I felt like I was disappointing God. God gave me all these blessings over the years. I have a wholesome, healthy family, and he put me in positions to win every single year of my life. This is how I was going to say, ‘Thank you, God’? I was going to sit in something that spiritually isn’t serving me? I’m not religious, but I am very spiritual. I have something called empathetic energy. So when I am in a space I know I don’t belong, I need to get out of there. If I had stayed, I would have been doing a disservice to the people that needed what I couldn’t give them. I’m so glad I walked away,” Cole expressed.
Hayes’ childhood started in the city of Philadelphia. He explained that he grew up in a two-parent household and had a father who was able to show him values that could help him stay out of the streets. Hayes felt the entrepreneurial spirit early, too, and was selling bean pies and newspapers by age 11. Things started to take a turn for the young salesman when his parents decided to split. Hayes was sent to live with his grandparents in Athens, GA, which was a culture shock for him. He was in a new environment surrounded by people of different cultures and backgrounds. But with the guidance of his family, things got better in high school — until his senior year.
“I got my life literally straightened out. Now, I see vision, purpose, and passion. Everything I want in my life was right in front of me. But then I got hit in 2005 with the news of my aunt getting cancer and [she] ended up dying. The person that helped me keep my grades together and [stay] focused in school is now gone. It felt like something was stripped away from me. My whole life, I felt like I was the underdog. So this time, I felt like this was my opportunity to be something and it got taken away from me,” Hayes confessed.
“From 2008 through 2009, it was my wake up year. In 2008, I got locked up for selling narcotics. In 2009, my father got diagnosed with cancer. Right after seeing his sister, my aunt, pass away in 2005, it was a nightmare. I lost the person who I got tattooed over my heart. Now my dad and my best friend,” he added.
In order to support his father, one day, Hayes asked his supervisor at his Postal Service job to have off work for a holiday. Hayes wanted to be with his dad at a new cancer center in Atlanta. When the supervisor refused the young man’s request, he took it as a sign that family should be his only focus. So Hayes quit, packed his bags, and drove to Atlanta.
“When I pulled in that driveway, seeing my dad and how small he got, I knew I was right on time. I knew he needed me there for him. He is the one that gave me the principles and morals in my life. Six months later, he passed away. But before he died, he gave me words of encouragement. I promised him that I was going to get out of the streets, break all my generational curses, and he told me to stand on my 10 toes. I carry that with me every single day,” the Philly native reflected.
Hayes went on to share that two months later, following his father’s funeral, he got into an accident that left him disabled for five years. He realized that through all the adversity, God was giving him strength to be in the position that he is in right now.
Cole was also learning how to pivot during times of uncertainty. After leaving the teaching job, she made the move to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Sleeping on air mattresses and sharing spaces with multiple roommates, Cole was determined to make it in the West Coast. Finally, she answered a call from her sorority sister and was able to land a job as a TV production assistant.
Cole worked in New York City on the show for two years. From there, she got an opportunity to be the senior associate producer on “Maury.” While working on that series, she got the chance to step out of her comfort zone and try a new business venture — subleasing a restaurant. Even though the young hustler did not have a background in the field, she loved the challenge. The eatery was called Pinky’s Jamaican and American Restaurant. But after two years, Cole had to make a really tough decision.
“I got a phone call that my restaurant was on fire. My business was all I had and I didn’t have a plan B. When this happened, we found out it was a grease fire. Then I realized I didn’t have fire insurance, and I would have to pay for everything or just walk away from it. So I decided to walk away. It felt like defeat in the moment. But when I look back, it was one of the best things that could have happened to me. Because had I stayed in that restaurant, I wouldn’t have been able to grow. I learned how to be an entrepreneur from that circumstance,” admitted Cole.
After, the restaurateur moved back to LA to work on a TV show, but soon took up a temporary gig in Atlanta. At the time, Cole put her things in storage without realizing this was the beginning of her break. Cole’s items are still in storage to this day — since the year 2018.
Atlanta was starting to be the place that would help Cole and Hayes begin their own journeys as true CEOs. In 2014, Hayes moved back to ATL and decided to really get acclimated in what the city had to offer. After getting financial advice from his broker, he took the leap to start a business in honor of his late father. Hayes landed on a property and was able to give six months rent upfront for a gas station in Dunwoody, GA.
“I got in there and I called it Dave’s Philly Water Ice. But nobody in Georgia knows what water ice is. So now the money that I had to build this new business is gone and I end up broke. At the time, I had a newborn baby and was going back and forth to Athens. My grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and COPD. My bills were piling up on me and right before my grandfather died, he told me to add cheesesteaks to the business. The way he gave me the method to make sandwiches is crazy. With the advice he gave me, I am now ranked top 10 in the world in sandwiches. I took a gas station location and turned it into a multimillion dollar business. I never quit,” voiced the Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO.
The motivator was him starting to see his life in a brighter light — as did Cole. After the TV producer was settled in Atlanta, it was a lightbulb moment when she came up with the Slutty Vegan idea. Getting the support of friends, she started to study the concept and strategize how to bring something that was missing in the market to life. Slutty Vegan started out small. But, as demand continued to increase, Cole took that as a sign that she had to really invest in it full time. According to the businesswoman, “It went from me getting a shared kitchen to the first week having a couple of people show up. The next couple of weeks, I have everyone DMing me their order. Then, the following weeks, I got 100 to 200 people standing outside the facility. Mind you, I am still working as a casting director at this time. So with also doing the Slutty Vegan thing, it was starting to get overwhelming. I eventually got fired from the other job because you can’t serve two masters.”
After getting fired, Cole got a call from record executive, songwriter, and producer Jermaine Dupri. The music industry vet asked Cole to bring her food truck to the studio for him and his good friend, Snoop Dogg.
“My team and I just got done working all day. But I had a decision to make. We could say no and miss the opportunity of a lifetime to serve a GOAT in the industry that could really help to endorse our brand in a whole new way. Or, we could just eat ramen and call it a day. We weren’t about to sit and eat ramen. This was the moment. So we put our clothes on, drove 40 minutes to get the truck, and then drove another 30 minutes just to give Snoop Dogg one burger,” described Cole.
After giving Snoop that burger, business started to skyrocket for the Slutty Vegan brand. Different celebrities started trying the food more and genuinely supported the business. For the last five years, Cole made sure to use this trajectory and shift how people think of brand growth, not just within the local community but universally.
“When I tell you, it has saved my life for so many reasons. It had me realize the dream of the little girl trying to figure out who I wanted to be when I grew up. It also gave me the opportunity to meet the man I am about to spend the rest of my life with. Now, I’m a mother and I didn’t think that I could have kids. So we can talk about Slutty Vegan and we serve burgers, pies, and fries. But that’s the vessel for all of the bigger things that have come out of this beautiful business. I am just happy to be in the driver’s seat,” Cole elaborated.
The episode concluded with how Cole and Hayes met within the industry and how they plan to expand as a power couple and build different empires.
If you enjoyed this recap, tune into new “The Blackprint with Detavio Samuels” episodes every other Monday at 5 p.m. ET on the REVOLT website, YouTube channel and app. You can watch the latest installment with Pinky Cole and Derrick Hayes here.
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