Asking questions that scale, with AG1's Kat Cole

Executive overview

Kat Cole built a career by learning when established approaches don't transfer to new contexts. Rather than applying fixed answers, she learned to ask better questions that adapt to market conditions, cultural differences, and scaling challenges. Her ask-answer-act framework enables leaders to surface honest feedback and make decisions across any environment.

Rising from hostess to global brand executive

Kat started as a Hooters hostess at 16 while still in high school, driven by her background—a single mother raising three girls on extreme budgets. She progressed through every role at Hooters: waitress, trainer, bartender, cook, shift leader, and franchise opener. By 19, she was training international staff in Australia, learning that cultural assumptions don't transfer: what worked in one country failed in another.

The leadership mirror: when your plan breaks down

When opening a Hooters franchise in Argentina, Kat discovered the standard training approach alienated staff who feared cultural judgment from families. Instead of forcing the model, she negotiated with corporate, created modest uniforms, hosted family preview events, and offered exit options. The restaurant succeeded, but she realized: scalable answers become obstacles; scalable questions do.

Ask, answer, act framework

Kat's meta-approach to leadership consists of three moves: ask (cultivate curiosity and humility), answer (create cultures where people give honest answers), act (bias toward speed). Questions reveal what has changed; answers don't transfer across contexts.

Building cultures of candid feedback

A franchisee mentor taught her to assume criticism is valid first and investigate why. One tool she practices weekly is the hotshot rule: imagine someone you admire in your seat. What one thing would they do tomorrow to improve the business? She takes action within 24 hours and tells her team, modeling self-critique and accountability that invites others to speak hard truths.

Cinnabon: scaling legacy brands into omnichannel

As president of Cinnabon, Kat expanded a stagnant brick-and-mortar franchise into a billion-dollar omnichannel brand. She launched a CPG product line through partners like General Mills and Kellogg's—Cinnabon-flavored coffee, popcorn, protein powder. Franchisees resisted because they feared channel conflict; Kat navigated emotions, built the business case carefully, and proved that honoring the brand's past often means innovating its future.

Why she joined AG1

After a decade at Focus Brands, Kat invested in 60+ early-stage wellness companies and became clear: she has no desire to build from zero. She's a scale girl with expertise in operating systems, customer momentum, and human dynamics. When AG1 founder Chris Ashenden asked her to advise six months in, she went deep on supply chain, science, and testing. What impressed her: NSF for Sport certification (tests for 500+ pesticides and 200+ banned substances versus industry standard of 10), plus Chris bootstrapped to $160M in annual revenue—proof of product-market fit and capital discipline.

Focus over proliferation at scale

At AG1, Kat resisted the temptation to launch dozens of SKUs and retail placements. Instead, she's protected the core product while carefully sequencing channel expansion. One product, 14 years of improvement, one mission: customers owning their health. She's now adding retail and innovation pipelines, but only after shoring up supply chain, quality, science, and subscription operations—the foundation that allowed $160M bootstrapped growth.

Two things drive hyper-growth: talent and speed

Kat's focus at AG1 is ruthless: talent and speed. In mature businesses, 10% growth is elite; at hyper-growth scale, yesterday's solid performer may not fit tomorrow's speed or role. She borrows Reid Hoffman's tour of duty concept to frame conversations—your job was X, it's done, time for a new tour at this company or elsewhere. Talent fit is continuous, not annual.

The hotshot rule in practice

The hotshot rule is Kat's weekly ritual, often inspired by mentors she admires: her mother (resourcefulness, prioritization), former managers (Bonnie Reinhardt, Russ Umpfennauer), or well-known leaders she doesn't know personally. She channels their standards to pressure-test her own decisions and uncover blind spots.

Connecting childhood to leadership

Kat's mother left her father at a time when Kat couldn't understand inaction. That clarity—recognizing the problem but feeling powerless—shapes her leadership: front-line employees see the truth; leaders have the authority to act at scale. By modeling self-reflection and action weekly, Kat gives her teams permission to speak up about what isn't working.

From Hooters to billion-dollar health brands

Kat's career spans restaurant franchising (Hooters, Jamba Juice, Cinnabon) to direct-to-consumer health innovation (AG1). Each transition refined her ability to identify what doesn't scale (one-size-fits-all answers) and what does (the discipline to ask the right questions and act on honest feedback).