Lakesha Cole

Lakesha Cole is a mother of two daughters Kailey (10) and Kirby (10 months). She owns She Swank | Too, a curated children's retailer for girls.

Lakesha’s dream to reality of owning a boutique started almost six years ago while sitting in her tiny apartment, unemployed with a four-year-old, a deployed husband and all of her family some 2,000+ miles away. Today the She Swank | Too brand has traveled to customers in all 50 states and two countries. These successes lead to the opening of her first successful pop-up shop in Okinawa, Japan. Lakesha gives back to the community by creating retail opportunities for military spouses. Lakesha created "The Milspouse Market”, a program designed to give military spouses the opportunity to bring their products to retail and sell in a larger market.

Lakesha was selected as the 2014 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® for her entrepreneurial prowess, volunteer efforts, personal sacrifice and her efforts to support the military community. Lakesha represents the millions of past and present military spouses who continue to thrive in a wartime environment, dedicate their lives and families to service of a grateful nation and give back to a community in need.

Lakesha's commitment to authenticity is at the core of how she lives her life and runs her business. Lakesha was also selected into the Military Entrepreneur Program by Inc. Magazine. She received mentoring from CEOs amongst Inc.'s 500|5000 Fastest Growing Company List and from some of the best business minds in the world. She now serves as a mentor to military spouse entrepreneurs and eagerly share her experiences to assist spouses in starting, surviving and succeeding in small business, despite the daily challenges of the military lifestyle.

She was featured on The Today Show with Kathie Lee & Hoda and is published in Military Spouse magazine. Lakesha and her family were recently recognized by Ebony magazine as Number 59 of the Coolest Black Family in America.