Categories: EventsMy Career

The Sweet Taste of Success

By ShutterstockAndrekart Photography

Recipe for Success!, PINK’s 5^th Annual Women Owners Event, was a success! And today, we’re not only providing the take-aways from yesterday’s event, we’re also celebrating the stories created by our panelists and keynote speaker, Kat Cole, President, Cinnabon Inc. Most importantly, we’re asking you, our PINK reader to allow yourself to get inspired by these quotes, they not only deserve a Pinterest Pin, but also a standing ovation. Women open 1,288 new businesses a day, will you be next?

Anne Quatrano, Chef-Owner Bacchanalia, Star Provisions, Floataway Café

“To open Bacchanalia, we borrowed $150,000 from my mother who didn’t, and still doesn’t, think it was such a good idea.” “[Early on], we lived in a doublewide trailer that someone left on my mother’s property.”
She has 11 dogs and every day she brings produce from her farm to the restaurants. She’s moving so fast they had to put speed bumps in on the side street between two of her restaurants. She leaves for work around 8:30 am and gets home at 11 pm. What she loves most: “I can find humor in every disturbing situation.”

Andra Hall, Owner CamiCakes

“We refinanced our home to open the business.
That first day we sold out of cupcakes.”

“Success is freedom and comfort.”

“I would say to my younger self, it’s OK to fail; to follow your heart.”

“I spent so many years being told what to do;
now I most enjoy telling others what to do.”

“Mistakes are a way of buying yourself some sense.”

Jennifer Johnson, Owner The General Muir & West Egg

“When I was an attorney, I realized I was not enjoying what I was doing. I’d call in sick, but thought what am I going to do tomorrow?”

“When you aren’t happy you can’t get to excellence.”

“I went to career counseling.”

“The hardest part was going from being introduced as a Law Associate to the owner of a struggling restaurant.”

Sharmeen Hawkins, COO Soar Hospitality Group

“My biggest mistake was listening to my mother who said ‘no’ to following my dream of opening my own business. I wish I had listened to my passion and gone into business sooner.”

“Look for cheerleaders to celebrate your success with.”

Kat Cole, President Cinnabon Inc.

“I worked my ass off. [As a former Hooters waitress], on paper I was aware
that I was a little bit of a train wreck.”

“Those who gave me a shot; I will do anything
I can to be helpful to them; forever.”

“Shorten the time you take to make the call, to take action,
to build a leadership legacy.”

“If you’re unhappy, realize you deserve better.”

“You are obligated to make the call to make things better.”

“Ask ‘what creates aspiration for you?’
That’s how you can create it for others.”

Regarding working at Hooters: “It was a blast.” “I developed thick skin.”

“When the cooks walked out, I went into the kitchen and cooked the food.”

“I’m crystal clear [about] who I want to be in a crisis. I want to step up.”

What makes her a success? “No matter how hard the wind blows –
your candle stays lit; still bringing a light.”

“I learned how to manage my emotions. How to not allow things to bear weight on my soul… to find the balance between high empathy and a bit of separation. When things are coming at me like police lights in the rear view mirror, I visualize a rose.”

“People wrote, ‘you must have slept your way to the top.’ Thousands of gross comments after an article on me ran in Entrepreneur online.”

“This is sad for us. That so few women have gone from [the bottom to a big job] and they believe it is not possible for them to be successful.”

“There are not enough stories like mine that are told or shared.
Please tell your story.”

“Everyone can learn from you.”

And a heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors: Sam’s Club, GSU’s Robinson College of Business, Northside Hospital, Assisted Choice, Southwest Airlines, Anderson Dailey LLP, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, Hyatt, Bloomingdale’s and EVERYWHERE for their support.

And thanks again to the women owners who provided lunch!

Garnish and Gather, garnishandgather.com, 678.701.8030

Hong Kong Star, hongkongstarmenu.com, 770.509.2129

Nakato, nakatorestaurant.com, 404.873.6582

Souper Jenny & Cafe Jonah, souperjennyatl.com, 404.239.9023

Spoon Restaurant, spoonatlanta.com, 404.522.5655

Star Provisions, starprovisions.com, 404.365.0410

The Chicken and Sausage Stand, thesausagestand.com, 404.474.9651

West Egg & The General Muir, westeggcafe.com, 404.872.3973

And Dessert…

CamiCakes Cupcakes, camicakes.com, 404.748.4288

Heidi’s Heavenly Cookies, heidisheavenlycookies.com, 877.434.3472