Pinky Cole Hayes is a woman of perseverance, ingenuity, and community. As the genius behind beloved brands Slutty Vegan, American SESH and Bar Vegan, Pinky has delivered groundbreaking businesses that enhance society, support rising stars in the entrepreneurial space, and encourage health and fulfillment. The innovator is changing the trajectory of so many lives for the better. So, it was no surprise when Pinky joined forces with REVOLT as our first-ever creative visionary in residence.

“As someone deeply committed to challenging norms and amplifying Black voices, this is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with like-minded creatives and bring dynamic projects to life,” she said when her exciting new venture was announced.

In this exclusive interview with REVOLT Associate Managing Editor Sukii Osborne, Pinky elaborated on her goals with the company, legacy, how future visionaries can prepare to shatter glass ceilings and push boundaries, motherhood, and how to pay the bills as a creative. Get into the enlightening conversation below.

You’ve appeared on REVOLT shows like “Bet on Black” and “The Blackprint with Detavio Samuels” and have supported the brand over the years. What was it about REVOLT and this opportunity that made you excited to officially join the team?

Detavio actually really attracted me to REVOLT. What stuck out about Detavio is he was super smart and very intellectual, and I’m like, “Well, OK, I see why REVOLT brought Detavio into the mix, and I want to learn more about the brand and what they represent.” I started finding opportunities to connect, collaborate and be in partnership with REVOLT in any way that I could, so I became a friend of the network first. Then I had Detavio come and support some of the things I was already doing in business and the community, so the timing couldn’t have been any riper.

I came to Detavio one day and I was like, “Listen, we’ve been friends long enough. Now it’s time to do some business. I got this dope idea to be a creative visionary in residence, and I can bring some really good, fresh ideas to the brand. I’m sure that you all can execute them and make them great.” And he was down for the idea, and we’ve been rolling ever since.

I've been in the creator role for other brands before but nothing like REVOLT. Nothing like a network where I get to really showcase those skills, so I’m excited to do that. To just do it with people who are thinkers and dreamers like me – that makes it all worth it.

What defines a true creative, and why are they special and essential to this world?

A creative is really a problem solver. A creative is someone who can take an idea, go look for the problem first and solve it in real time, so that they can continue to expand that idea and make it great. One thing about me is I come up with 1,000 ideas, and the first thing that I’ll do is I’ll [look at] all the ways that they could be wrong, so that I can solve them in real time and make it right, and then manifest an idea that turns into a billion-dollar brand. I did that with Slutty Vegan, I did it with Bar Vegan, and I also did it with American SESH.

I believe that a true creative is one that can move and shake, and be a chameleon to problems as they come. Everybody has the gift; they just have to be willing to unlock that gift. I think that I’ve been able to hone in and master it, and now I’m showing other people how to do it.

In this new role at REVOLT, what kind of projects do you want to collaborate on and bring to life?

Everything (laughs). We’re talking brunches, we’re talking award shows, we’re talking short-form content, long-form content... opportunities to amplify indie artists, creatives that are on the come-up, our new rising artists... just showcasing people that are ordinary but doing extraordinary things. And I’m excited that I have the support of Detavio and the team because they want to see something fresh and something new, and I get to give them a fresh perspective. But, whatever it is, it’s going to be great – just know that!

What are some of the boundaries and societal norms that you’ve personally come up against and challenged on your way to success in business?

Every day is a boundary (laughs). Entrepreneurship is tough. There’s nothing easy about it. If you look up the definition for entrepreneurship, you won’t find “easy” next to it. It’s more of a resiliency game and I face challenges every single day in business, but I somehow find a way to dig myself out of the holes that are created. I, as a transparent voice for entrepreneurship, am showing people that it will get hard, it will be difficult, but as long as you use those opportunities as lessons and you rise above those things, then you’ll be alright. Money couldn’t have paid for all the lessons that I learned in business, and now I get to use my testimony to teach other people. And I’m still learning every day; every day I learn something new, but I need to go through those things, so I can be able to inspire and empower the masses.

It’s not easy. What can future visionaries and people who want to follow in your footsteps do to prepare for those challenges? What is your advice to them?

Read a lot. Listen to a lot of podcasts. Connect yourself to people who are smarter than you, that can give you the gems that you might not have gotten on your own. I think it’s so necessary to find your professional soulmate. Find people that can pour into you, pour into your spirit, excite your spirit, so you can continue to have motivation as a creative to keep going. Eliminate anything and anybody that’s no longer serving or working for you because it takes away from the bigger picture and all the things that you’re trying to do.

You’ve become a household name. What is the common thread in your brands and partnerships? What makes a Pinky Cole Hayes brand different from all the others?

Hospitality. Hospitality is the best policy in my book. I care more about hospitality than how the food tastes, to be honest, because there’s always the misconception with Black-owned businesses that we don’t get it right, that we do things wrong, and our customer service is lacking. I want people to feel safe when they come into my space no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter how much money you make. It’s important to feel safe.

If the hospitality is at 1,000, everything else will be a trickle-down effect. People will want to come back, they’ll tell a friend to tell a friend, and they’ll talk about the great experience that they had. Across all my brands, the consensus is that my main ingredient – something that I care the most about – is the energy, which relates to the hospitality in the businesses.

Have motherhood and family informed the projects you decided to take on? If so, how?

It’s all ghetto (laughs). It’s a GOOD ghetto! I’m joking! It has, to be honest – motherhood and marriagehood have made me more patient in business. I wasn’t always the most patient... I was a firecracker. I’ve calmed down a little bit. One, because I’ve worked on my soft skills and I’m a public figure. Two, because I have children that I have to be patient with and a husband that I have to be patient with. I’m able to transfer that skillset into business, and be patient and deal with people differently. And I'm grateful for that!

For anyone who is struggling to tap into their creativity or get started on their entrepreneurial endeavors, what keys can help make their dreams a reality?

Be super practical. You don’t need a lot of money to start. Use social media, the freest tool in the world, to show people behind the scenes of what you’re building. If you can do that, then you can build a community. If you can build a community, then you can get your community to buy into whatever it is that you’re selling. I think that’s important.

So many times, people think you have to have these big budgets and do these big things – no, you don’t. You just gotta be yourself. As a creative, just being yourself will really pay the bills. Sometimes, we’re so focused on being other things and being somebody that we’re not that we’re not even showing up as our true authentic selves. If you’re not showing up as your authentic self, people feel that. I can look at someone and tell if they’re b.s.-ing me and putting on a front for me.

You want to be real in all the things that you do, and there is going to be a community out there that will support that realness and as a result of that realness, they’re going to buy into whatever you’re selling.

Is there any bad advice you would tell creatives, entrepreneurs and people who want to be like Pinky Cole Hayes to stay away from?

When people tell you no, go harder. People tell me no all of the time and it just puts a battery on my back... When people tell me no, that it can’t be done, it’s impossible, don’t do this, it’s a bad idea... just turn it all the way up. Sometimes, the negative energy is the motivation that you need to keep going. It’s not the praise, it’s not the accolades. It’s the people that are saying that this ain’t gonna work, this aint good enough, this is a bad idea – that is the ammunition that is going to drive you forward and keep you uncomfortable. In your most uncomfortable state is when you get the best work done.

When my back is against the wall, it is world domination... I’m not playing. Sometimes you need that and that’s OK.

What do you want your legacy to be?

I want every single human being in America to tap into The Pinky Effect. The Pinky Effect is: Anything Pinky connects to grows. Anything Pinky touches wins. So, I want people to have this mindset like, “I have to tap into my Pinky Effect. Am I moving in the way that Pinky would have moved?” So, when I’m no longer here in the flesh, I want people to adopt the mindset that, “I gotta maintain that Pinky Effect.” The Pinky Effect is being a grizzly bear, tapping into people, and the hearts and minds of people, and really helping others win. That’s what I want to be remembered for.