- 2 days ago
On this week's episode of Shop Essence Live, We feature the Nasty Girl collection which is the brain-child of Pinky and Melissa, is a limited edition collection for the Lip Bar. The ladies share the story about how it came to be, advantages of being apart of the New Voices Family as a small Black Owned business wanting to scale, and their secret to being two of the most successful businesses under the NVF umbrella. Watch as we SELL OUT live on air!
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello and we are back with another episode of Shop Essence Live and we have a monumental episode
00:08because we'll be joined by two of the most incredible, inspiring, successful members of
00:15the New Voices Foundation. I'm talking about Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan who's had a tremendous year
00:22and Melissa Butler of The Lit Bar. They just released the most incredible collaboration.
00:28We're talking about a vegan restaurant and a cosmetic company coming together. So incredible
00:36and I cannot wait. I'm not gonna, I'm not going to tease it any further but they are allowing you
00:41guys to purchase their already sold out collection right here on Shop Essence Live. We hook you up,
00:46you know how we do. So I am going to add these beautiful women right now. Hold on one second.
00:52Guys, don't forget, I see Pinky. Let me find her in the comments. Don't forget to request me.
00:59I see Pinky. I'm gonna bring, and let me bring in Melissa. Hold on.
01:07This is so exciting. Hello. What's up, Pinky? Hi, how are you? I am amazing. First of all,
01:16and we're gonna get, Melissa, come on in, girl. You gotta request me. But as we're doing that,
01:23can we just talk about the year that you have been having? I gotta start off five. This is how
01:28you started your year. Can we just... We started real strong in January, February, okay?
01:35This is how you started your year. Fast forward to festival. A whole proposal on our stage. Okay,
01:41Melissa. Had a whole baby. Had a whole, and now you're days away from opening another branch
01:49of Slutty Vegan in Brooklyn-like. Yeah, listen, it has been a rollercoaster ride. I'm so excited
01:57because I'm literally in Brooklyn right now. Hey, Melissa. Hey, girl. Can we just look at the flex
02:06of all the face cards we're seeing right now, these beautiful women? Yes. But just an incredible
02:12year. And then, you know, Melissa, I ended up the year talking to you about your virtual try-on tool
02:19that was so cool on Shop Business Live. Now we're back for this incredible, unexpected, but like,
02:25oh, hell yeah, collaboration. Can y'all talk about, like, how that, who thought of it,
02:32who approached you, how that came about? So, well, it was real organic. I reached out to my manager,
02:39Shaka Zulu, and obviously we have, Shaka is our mutual friend, so I'm like, hey, I'm going to do
02:45a partnership with Lip Bar. So he reached out to Melissa, and the rest was history. And we've been
02:51putting this thing together. So amazing. First of all, I love Melissa outside of this business.
03:01Like, when we met, like, she took me to the airport the first time we met, so we really just built
03:06a whole outside bar, not to mention that she is my store. So this was really a collaboration of the
03:13vegan brand Geniuses. And I'm so excited that we got to do this, especially from the food space,
03:20because when you think about Slutty Vegan, you don't just think about burgers, pies, and fries.
03:24We are able to disrupt different industries, just like we did with Steve Madden, and now we get to
03:29do it with Lip Bar. So going into these different industries and showing that you can be all things
03:34as long as you're willing and you're ready. And we did that, and it's been super, super successful.
03:39We just sold out, and I'm just happy to just be in the atmosphere of Melissa, because she's famous,
03:44okay? I just want to be like everyone.
03:45Stop it. Stop it, girl.
03:47When Shaka reached out and was like, all right, Melissa, I got an idea. Pinky want to get into
03:52beauty. I was like, bet. It made immediate sense. Like, it was a pause where it was like
03:59a restaurant? And I was like, yes, duh. And like, immediately, I knew the colors. I was like,
04:06because we're known for our red, and her name is Pinky. I was like, we got to do a pink and red.
04:12We got to do a red for the deltas. Exactly. And like, I just admire like how slutty vegan has been
04:20a rocket ship. Like, it's first of all, because like what you are doing is so amazing. And I feel
04:29like, you know, oftentimes, like as black women, we tend to go into the same industries. And we tend
04:36to go into those industries thinking very small. I remember when I met Pinky, she was immediately
04:43like, oh, I'm about to grow the fastest restaurant chain in the world. Like, it was just so confident.
04:51And I was like, where'd she get all that confidence from? I loved it. She was like, oh, I'm going to be a billionaire.
04:57And I'm like, where along my journey did I not pick up that level of confidence? So for me, it was a
05:05no brainer. I love collaborating with women. Like, we support women. That is what we do as an
05:13organization. So it was something that, you know, I could have never dreamt of. But when it came
05:20together, oh boy, did it come together. Yes, it did. Yes, it did. I love it. And y'all snapped. Can I just
05:27tell you, if y'all don't go to the Lit Bar website and see this promo that they did? And let me be very
05:33clear. Let me be clear. I'm usually the one that's coming up with all the ideas. But all the this is all
05:39this creative is all Melissa and team. And they brought it to my team. And then they put a little sauce on
05:45it. But like, all that creative is her. So kudos to Melissa being in the commercial. Okay, being the creator
05:52and in the commercial. As I said, I was doing a real deal. Kudos to Nikki for giving life because,
05:57you know, she then popped out too back to back. You couldn't even be in it. Like, we were doing the
06:03commercial. And this woman is like, literally about to give birth. I'm like, she don't stop.
06:09No, she don't. No, she stopped now. I want to remind anybody I see like the the shopping cart is
06:16going crazy. I see people purchasing purchasing. This is a sold out collection, y'all. And they have
06:22made it available just for Shop Essence Live. We are hooking y'all up. So make sure after this stream,
06:29and you're watching on the replay for like 24 hours, it will not be available. So you need to purchase now,
06:34now, now, now. All right, because it's not, it's already sold out. It is a very limited amount,
06:39y'all. So if y'all were interested, like I'm wearing both of them. So you can wear them by themselves.
06:45You can wear it as an arm break. And I'm just going to touch me with a brown lip liner. So
06:51I got the pink on with Savage underneath the room. And listen, let me tell y'all something.
06:57You know why it's so special? First of all, the fact that we sold out is a big deal. Secondly,
07:01why this is so special is because this is a limited collection. So in the next,
07:09how long a makeup lasts? You know, I'm not in that world, Melissa, but it'll last you a year
07:14after you open it. Got it. What's really special about this is when you put it on,
07:19it dries matte and it's going to last you all day. Well, that's why you want this.
07:23Yeah. And even beyond that vegan burger and it's still going to be there.
07:27And this may never happen again. So even if you just keep the packaging,
07:31right? The packaging alone, somebody going to want to buy it, right? You'll be able to do something
07:37with it and have it as a keepsake, even beyond the makeup. That's how special it's going to be.
07:42So, you know, I'm just excited and thank you in advance. I see the people, the purchases are coming
07:46through. They are coming through. And it really is a great product. Like I wear red every day.
07:53Like that's my color. And obviously I wear this color every single day and I love it. It feels
07:58good. I can eat and still have it on. And I like to eat, as you can see. So I got a restaurant,
08:03but it still stays on. So that feels good. We love it. We love it. And you both are,
08:09you're just so inspirational. The fact that you were like, yeah, I'm going to collab and do a,
08:16it almost speaks to the unlimitlessness of your minds, of how much you believe in yourselves,
08:23right? And, and where that is going to take you. I do want to talk about you're both a part of the
08:28New Voices family. So I'd love for you each to touch on what that experience has been like. It just
08:35launched in 2018 from there, almost 25,000 black owned businesses, over 30 black female millionaires,
08:43of which y'all, I'm probably on top of that. I would love for you guys to touch on what it's
08:49been like being a part of such an amazing community. All right, you go first, Melissa,
08:53because you're the OG. I'm the Neo. So we actually, when Rich started investing in companies,
09:03it wasn't even called New Voices yet. We were the second investment. So Honey Pot was the first,
09:09and Lip Bar was the second. And, you know, it's, it's so crazy and beautiful to see how it evolved,
09:15because like, we were just figuring it out. And it's been such a beautiful experience for me,
09:22because not only did they provide access to capital, but they provided mentorship.
09:27Like I started my business from nothing without knowing anything about beauty, marketing, selling
09:32to Target, selling to Walmart. I didn't know anything about that. And Rich and the entire New Voices
09:38community took me under their wing and taught me how to scale my business. And not only that,
09:45because like, that's one part of it. I will say, I think the thing that has been most valuable for me
09:51outside of the money, y'all, is that I've been able to connect with other founders.
09:56Like I met Pinky at a New Voices event. So it's, it's, it's been such a beautiful experience. And it
10:03reminds you that as a founder, you're not crazy, because you're not going it alone. And Pinky,
10:08you just got up in that thing. So I just got up in that thing. So you know, it's interesting,
10:14because when I went to do my round, we didn't need the money, right? We already had cash flow.
10:19So for me, it was important to make sure that I lay in bed with the right people. Because when you go
10:24into an investment, y'all are going into a marriage, right? Except that there is no ring,
10:29but like we become husband and wife. That means if you piss me off, I still got to stay married to you
10:34for better or for worse, right? So I knew that the person that I wanted to professionally marry
10:39would have to be an organization that I knew would trust me, that would allow me to be myself and be
10:46free, and could always keep the relationship spicy. And I believe that New Voices did that
10:53and still continues to do that. Y'all, I got Obama obviously flying over me, if y'all can hit a plane.
10:58But, you know, what I like about New Voices and Rich especially is because I can call Rich any time
11:06of the day, and he'll pick up for me, or he'll text me back. I can give him all of my crazy ideas,
11:11and he'll respond. So it's bigger than just the financial investment into my business, right?
11:17Because it was a great opportunity, obviously, to take the business to the next level. But I want to be
11:22around people who are like minded thinkers. I want to be in the room and in the atmosphere of people who have
11:27already built billion dollar companies, right? Those are the people that I can learn from.
11:32And Rich and a lot of people in the New Voices family, I have learned so much from, Melissa being
11:37one of them. And there's so many other people, and a part of the organization, Honeypot, like just so
11:44many other people. And I feel like outside of the money, the marketing connections, the resources,
11:50if I need to get on the phone with somebody, those are the things that are always made available to me.
11:55And it's just like, okay, all right, I made the right decision. And I like to say it's like having
11:59the Michael Jordan of marketing on my team, right? You got the best of the best. You know,
12:04New Voices is owned by Richie Lou Dennis. Richie Lou Dennis owns Essence and Essence Festival.
12:11So now I have access to all of those things. And like you said, it's unlimited. So I appreciate it.
12:16I love them. They family. New Voices family. I love that. Yep. Talking about Richie Lou Dennis,
12:22our owner. I don't know how he does that. Because I can call him with every crazy idea
12:26any time of the day, too. Yes. I know that it's really, really an advantage. And you get the Essence
12:32family. Oh, they said it's sold out again online. Yeah. Oh, wow. But snaps for that. Listen, I told you
12:40the girls you up. So thank you. Whoever joined us live on the live live. You guys got the exclusive
12:47here. And this was absolutely incredible. I know y'all are, y'all are super duper busy. But I want to
12:55thank you both for joining. I'd love for you guys to just leave one little last final word. Right?
13:01Because you guys, you have unlimited like what you think you can achieve that confidence is there.
13:09I don't know if you've always had that or you learned that over the years. Like what has been
13:14yours? What would you say your secret is to keep pushing past all the no's and to get to where you
13:19are today? Melissa, I'll start with you. Honestly, I think I was just so tapped into my purpose.
13:27And my purpose was to show up for my community. I really had the intention of changing the way people
13:34thought about beauty so that people didn't think that beauty looked like one thing.
13:38And so if I really dug deep, I'm doing this for my future daughter. I'm doing this for my little
13:45cousin. I'm doing this for my niece. I'm doing this for my mother. I want all of us to be able to go
13:50through the world with that that level of confidence that frankly, pinky has. Because at the end of the
13:55day, if you feel good about yourself, if you know that you look good, you're going to feel good. And
14:00ultimately, you get the opportunity to go out into the world and do good. So I beg of you,
14:05if there's anything that you want to do, just go after it and know that it's going to be as big as
14:12your ambition. So don't hold yourself back. Oh, that was good. It's the collection plate.
14:20No, I agree with you, Melissa. You know, my advice to everybody that's in here that's
14:30listening to this interview right now, you got to maneuver through life like there is a battery on
14:36your back. What do I mean when I say a battery on your back? You're looking at two entrepreneurs
14:42right here that come from two of the most crime ridden cities. We got Detroit and Baltimore who
14:50have made a way to go to institutions, become a part of sororities, build successful businesses.
14:56And the reason for that is because we had the battery on our back. And what the battery means
15:01is we had that relentless energy to make sure that whatever we want, we won't stop no matter what to get
15:08the things that we want, right? That we surround ourselves by the right people and sometimes even
15:12the wrong people because that's how we get better. But that battery will stay charged when you have
15:17the people around you. That battery will deplete when you got the wrong people around you. And that's
15:23personally and professionally. That's relationships and family, right? That's people in your organization
15:30and employees. So if you are an entrepreneur and you needed a sign, this is your sign to keep the
15:36goddamn battery on your back because having a battery on your back that's fully charged
15:41will allow you to create multimillion dollar businesses and will allow you to continue to
15:46walk in your purpose and be a testimony to other people so that other people can feel like they can
15:51to follow their dreams because they saw a girl from Detroit from around the way do it. And they saw a
15:56girl from Baltimore from around the way do it. But it's having that battery in your back and never
16:01getting it depleted. And that's my way. I love this. Pinky stay charged. Pinky's battery.
16:07Stay charged, okay? And I don't mean Android. I'm talking about my iPhone. No, I'm joking.
16:13I'm joking Android if you're listening to this. Absolutely. So guys, if you are watching this and
16:19you're an entrepreneur and you're like, how am I ever going to get to where they are? Can I just tell
16:24you it just takes declaring it? You have access in the comments. The New Voices family is telling you
16:31how to join the New Voices family and you'll be a part of this community of incredible mentorship,
16:37incredible access to the Essence New Voices ecosystem. You definitely want to take the leap
16:44and just take a chance on yourself. Ladies, this has been amazing. We have never sold out live on the show.
16:50Make sure you guys continue to join us every day. Oh, wait a minute. We got a few more at
16:58sluttyvegan.shop. They just told me that they added a couple more. All right, all right. So go to slutty,
17:03tell them where the address is. sluttyvegan.shop Instagram right now and you can get, they just
17:08uploaded a couple more left and then you can get them from over there as well. All right, perfect.
17:12If y'all got a couple more, a couple more because everybody's watching on a replay right now.
17:16I like it. Can we get some more? Can we get a little bit more? But absolutely incredible.
17:22This is what the show is all about. Thank you ladies so much for joining and thank you everybody
17:27at home for shopping. Thank you guys. Thank you for having us. Bye y'all.
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