A cultural phenomenon

INC. THIS MORNING A cultural phenomenon Good morning, There was a line around the block, and Pinky Cole was perplexed. It was April, and the founder and owner of Atlanta's Slutty Vegan had just reopened her burger joint, following a two-week, state-mandated closure. There were more people waiting in line--socially distanced and masked, the lot of them--than she'd ever seen pre-Covid. "OK, this is a good problem to have," she remembers thinking. "But now, we have to make sure we're being totally responsible. Because now, we have lives at stake." Slutty Vegan’s success in 2020 says a lot about the overall trends in Atlanta’s broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, which has gained a strong reputation for Black entrepreneurship in recent years. Nearly half of Atlanta’s Black-owned companies have permanently shuttered since March. The rest are benefitting, to varying degrees, by the nationwide call to support Black founders following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests. Slutty Vegan fits that bill well. Cole is Black, and her restaurant's mission to make plant-based comfort food "cool" has gained surprising traction in Atlanta--even as only 25 percent of her customers are vegan themselves. While restaurants across the country are closing, Slutty Vegan is projecting sales of $5 million to $7 million in 2020, up 145 percent from last year, and has even opened two new locations during the pandemic. Read our story to learn how the 33-year-old Cole managed to launch a cultural phenomenon, and garner the community support she needed to thrive in 2020. Inc.’s Best Workplaces. Apply today! Inc.’s Best Workplaces awards the company cultures that thrive in the face of adversity. Cultures that in response to a pandemic redefine the workplace and continue to enrich it. Cultures that foster employee growth and advancement at all levels. Apply today to be recognized as a place where people love to work, one that sets the standard for excellence in company culture. Regular rate deadline: January 15, 2020. Apply Now.  SPONSORED CONTENT Better Sleep Starts Now Proper’s evidence-backed supplements help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and wake up refreshed. Formulated by leading PhDs and medical doctors, Proper is drug-free and non-habit forming. It's made with 100% vegan, natural ingredients that are clinically proven to be effective but won’t knock you out or make you groggy. For a limited time, get 10% off (and better quality sleep) with promo code INC. HERE'S WHAT ELSE I'M READING TODAY: An additional round of Paycheck Protection Program funding seems imminent, including a game-changing new set of forgiveness protocols. --Inc. Plenty of ecosystems will have to rebuild post-Covid, but startups in Los Angeles could thrive. Here’s why. --Inc. Ten states, led by Texas, are targeting Google’s advertising technology services in a new antitrust lawsuit. --CNBC A Hollister, California-based aviation startup pitching zero-carbon flights just raised $21.4 million from Bill Gates, Amazon, and others. --CNN On this week’s Founders Project podcast: This former Tesla executive is trying to make the electric grid run on renewable energy. --Inc. Need to impress someone on your shopping list? Check out these five expensive-looking yet affordable gift ideas. --Inc. --Cameron Albert-Deitch Reporter, Inc. How are we doing? Send me ideas and feedback for Inc. This Morning at calbertdeitch@inc.com or on Twitter, and sign up for daily text messages. Click here to forward to a friend. This email was sent by: Mansueto Ventures 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor New York, NY, 10007, Unsubscribe • Update Profile • View in Browser • Privacy Policy