The book tour will reach six historically Black colleges and universities and provide one-on-one mentorship through American Sesh for students who are interested in entrepreneurship
Pinky Cole Hayes, renowned entrepreneur, 2023 TIME100 Next honoree, and founder of Slutty Vegan, is set to embark on a transformative book tour, taking her inspirational message to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country. The tour, in promotion of her new book titled I Hope You Fail from HarperCollins Leadership, promises to be a remarkable journey of motivation and empowerment for students seeking to make their dreams a reality.
Pinky has spent her life dreaming of financial security. After a fire destroyed the New York City restaurant she put everything into building, she was back to square one, working hard for someone else’s dream. Her life has been a series of lessons that have given her the tools to build a business that drew the attention of some of the world’s top investors. In I Hope You Fail, Pinky tells her own story to empower people in theirs and will be bringing this transformative message to young minds across the nation.
“I have one goal for this book, and that is to help someone realize how their biggest failure can be the catalyst for their greatest success. I wrote I Hope You Fail to shed light on how I have navigated failure, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with HBCU students who will be the next generation of leaders,” says Pinky Cole Hayes.
As part of her tour, Pinky will be putting on her celebrated American Sesh series at each stop for students to join in and learn from some of the brightest minds in the business space, including Pinky herself. American Sesh is a thought-provoking roundtable event series designed to ignite the flames of creativity and collaboration. In this exclusive gathering, Pinky brings together a diverse assembly of celebrity luminaries, corporate trailblazers, and everyday Americans, fostering an environment where innovation knows no boundaries. With no cameras or phones in sight, attendees are armed solely with pen and pad, leveling the playing field irrespective of wealth or status. American Sesh is a resounding call to push the boundaries of collective innovation, transcending the conventional confines, and reaffirming that in this roundtable, your mind is indeed your most valuable currency.
The tour dates and locations are as follows:
October 11, 2023: Livingstone College (Charlotte, NC)
October 13, 2023: South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, SC)
October 16, 2023: Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA)
October 17, 2023: Savannah State University (Savannah, GA)
October 19, 2023: Alabama State University (Montgomery, AL)
October 20, 2023: Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, AL)
Pinky Cole is excited to connect with students at these prestigious institutions and share her inspirational story while encouraging them to embrace their unique journeys. The American Sesh production at each stop promises to be an unforgettable experience, where students can gain valuable insights into entrepreneurship, creativity, and personal growth.
I Hope You Fail is available now for pre-order purchases in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. To learn more about the book and pre-order your copy, please visit https://www.iampinkycole.com/ihopeyoufail
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About Pinky Cole-Hayes
“Pinky” Cole-Hayes is a Jamaican-American restaurateur, community activist, and owner of the Slutty Vegan restaurant chain and Bar Vegan in Atlanta, Georgia. Cole-Hayes is a culinary disruptor in the industry, transforming America’s view of plant-based fast food and striving to make plant-based eating delicious, accessible, and enjoyable for vegans and flexitarians alike.
In addition to her work in the food industry, Pinky is also a philanthropist and head of The Pinky Cole Foundation, which is committed to uplifting marginalized and underrepresented communities and breaking the cycle of poverty by providing access to resources and education to pursue their entrepreneurial goals. Pinky has been named to Restaurant Hospitality’s 2021 Power List, Forbes Next 1000, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Powerful Women in Business List, LA Wire Influential Women of 2020, PETA’s 2021 Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities List and Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 List. Most recently, she has been included in the 2023 TIME100 Next List.
In November 2022, Cole-Hayes released her first cookbook, Eat Plants, B*tch — a compilation of 91 vegan recipes plus a selection of tips and tricks for vegan cooking and other plant-based substitutes — that is now available for purchase online and at bookstores across the country. Pinky has an upcoming book with HarperCollins Leadership called I Hope You Fail (October 10 release), that details how her failures have driven her successes. To learn more about Pinky Cole-Hayes, visit iampinkycole.com and follow @pinkycole on Instagram and @pinky907 on X (formerly Twitter).
About I Hope You Fail
Founder of Slutty Vegan, Pinky Cole has spent her life dreaming of financial security. After a fire destroyed the New York City restaurant she put everything into building, she was back to square one, working hard for someone else’s dream. Her life has been a series of lessons that have given her the tools to build a business that drew the attention of some of the world’s top investors. Pinky’s failures have driven her successes. In these pages, you will gain inspiration from her story. The lessons she describes will have you turning failure into opportunities for success. This book includes Pinky’s hopes for you: I hope you make a decision that can ruin your life, because you may need to come close to losing everything to truly see the path you need to stay on to reach success. I hope you don’t get that raise, because money doesn’t equal respect, but it can show you how much you are truly valued at work. I hope your business burns down, because it’s from those ashes you can build a new dream, one that is even stronger than the first. I hope the customers don’t show up so you can have the feedback you need to reevaluate your approach and find one that works. And, much more.
