ATLANTA — When Channel 2 Consumer Adviser Clark Howard sat down with Kat Cole he knew her story.
But what he didn't know was why people find her so inspiring.
He quickly found out.
CHILDHOOD
The youngest of three sisters, Cole grew up in Orange Park, Florida.
When her parents divorced, Cole's mother kept the family afloat.
She said that for three years, they survived on a food budget of just $10 per week.
"She worked multiple jobs, and she was, to the best of my recollection, always so happy and so kind," Cole remembered.
Her mother's hard work and determination continues to inspire Cole.
"If she could figure that out, which is much more difficult than what I have to deal with, surely I can come up with a way to either overcome challenges or really take steps to take advantage of every opportunity that's given," Cole said.
EARLY CAREER
Opportunity was given when Cole began working at the sports bar Hooters during her senior year in high school.
She quickly set herself apart.
"When other employees needed to be trained at my Hooters location in Jacksonville, Florida, I trained the new hires. When the cooks quit, I went back and fried chicken wings. When the bartender needed to go home, I made the drinks. When the manager needed help, I helped the manager," Cole explained.
Without realizing it, she had developed a resume of working almost every job in the business.
Eventually, she was asked to help open the first Hooters in Australia.
With no passport and only a couple of out-of-state trips under her belt, she agreed.
The next day, she flew to Miami to have her passport expedited and was back in Jacksonville before anyone knew she didn't have one.
"I knew I'd worked hard, but I thought, ‘When are they ever going to open a cool international location again? And even if they did, why would they ask me?’" Cole said. "As soon as I got back, they asked me to go open the first ever Hooters in Central America, which was in Mexico City."
Cole said she was soon opening Hooters locations across the globe.
As Cole's career with Hooters grew, she said her education suffered.
"If there was a way to beyond fail, I was beyond failing," she said. "I believed that I would continue to do a good job. I knew that I was one of the top people involved in opening these restaurants, and so I didn't quit because I thought, ‘Meh, I don't like school.’ I quit because I had such a compelling alternative."
GAMBLE PAYS OFF
By the age of 26, she was the vice president of Hooters, which at the time was doing $800 million in revenue.
Howard was quick to ask if she was met with any criticism.
"There certainly was a level of respect that was earned. At the same time, understandably, a level of doubt and criticism," she explained "They're thinking, ‘Here is this 26-year-old Hooters girl.’ Whether I was then or not, there were pictures of me in the orange shorts on the wall. So I sort of couldn't escape it."
Cole didn't allow that doubt to keep her from moving forward. Instead she doubled down in her efforts to succeed.
"As time went on, I realized, ‘If I don't speak up, who will?’ And if I don't leverage all the benefit my youth actually brings, I'm actually not serving the company in the way that I should," she said.
CAREER PROGRESSION
Eventually Cole took over at Cinnabon. Now 38, she is group president of Focus Brands, based in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
She told Howard that many of the skills that helped her succeed did not come from the corporate world.
"My leadership experience was not exclusive to my paid job. It was also happening in young board leadership roles, leading committees, doing fundraising work -- I was doing all that in my early 20s," Cole said.
Eventually Cole was accepted by Georgia State University for their masters of business administration program -- something rare for a college dropout.
"It's very rare and you have to jump through a lot of hoops. I had to score a premium over the minimum [Graduate Management Admissions Test] entrance scores. I had to have many leaders that were respected vouch for me,” Cole said.
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GIVING BACK
Now Cole is passionate about giving back and says gratitude is a big part of what drives her.
"Either through remembering my childhood or knowing what my mom went through or doing work in some of the most challenging places in the world, I have a constant memory and constant drive that every day is just this insane gift," Cole said.
She said she wants everyone to know they are capable of more than they believe and encourages everyone to give back.
"Don't spend too much time trying to think your way into success. If you get it wrong, then you'll learn faster and you can pivot and change. If you get it right, then you've gotten a much earlier start then others like you,” she said.
Her final piece of advice was, perhaps, the best.
"It will all mean nothing if you haven't made a difference in peoples’ lives along the way. Don't let your ambition cloud how important it is to give and help other along your journey," Cole said.
Cox Media Group
