Featured Mom-preneur: Julie Cole of Mabel's Labels

Family ties... big dreams...organizer extraordinaire...

From sippy cups to socks, sticky tags to iron-on labels, Mabel's Labels help your little ones hang onto their belongings. Genius.

Julie Cole, the face of Mabel’s Labels, takes a few moments out of her day (…most likely around midnight) to give us an honest glimpse into what it's like to be a successful mom of five (soon-to-be six!) and a nurturing business women.

Read some heartfelt advice on juggling work, and mothering. We hope you'll find her as creatively cool as we do. {Don't forget to enter their generous giveaway below!}

1. Tell us a little about yourself, your family, and/or your business.
I am a former lawyer, now mompreneur who co-founded Mabel’s Labels six years ago with three other fabulous women that I happen to be related to. One is my sister, and the others are friends from university who went on to marry my brother and young uncle. So it’s a family affair now! I am expecting my sixth child, and my eldest just turned nine and has autism. Clearly, I function well on little sleep and no “me” time!


2. If you had to describe your business in less than 15 words, how would you do it?
Mabel's Labels is the original Canadian-made label company and is the leading provider of personalized labels for the stuff kids lose.

3. What is your inspiration for your business? Your products?
My business partners and I were all working in the traditional workforce and managing our young families. When my eldest son was diagnosed with autism, I quickly realized the law books would have to be shelved and the search for a family-friendly and flexible career began. In addition, there was a product missing from the market. We wanted to create adorable but incredibly durable labels for all the stuff kids lose. Our clever little business plan combined with the needs of our families provided all the inspiration we needed!

4. What is the most rewarding thing about being a mom? A mom-preneur?
There are many rewarding aspects of running a business. We have started something and been there nurturing it and watching it grow. We often say Mabel is like a daughter! I love the connection we have with our customers who, like us, are busy with small children. The most rewarding part of being a mompreneur is having flexibility in your life to manage (or juggle!) work and family life. I find being a mama very rewarding in so many ways – certainly being a mama of many has given me exposure to the good, the bad and the ugly of being a parent, but the good stuff far outweighs the tough stuff!


5. What advice would you give to someone considering becoming a mom-preneur?
I know it is more easily said than done, but you need to be able to manage several balls in the air at one time. Being a mompreneur provides more flexibility, but flexibility does not get your work done for you. If you do that afternoon playdate, you’ll likely still be sitting at your computer working past midnight. In my experience, this career path is best suited to those who are not too hung up on getting sleep and are very functional without it. I always know the mompreneurs because they are the ones who reply to an e-mail on a Saturday night at 11:00pm or a Monday at 3:00am! You must also have the ability to tune out the mess and noise around you. If dishes on the counter or laundry in the dryer distract you and call out to you, working from home may be an issue.

6. What keeps you motivated?
It is very motivating to contribute and nurture a business that you started. It’s also very motivating to have my business partners. We keep each other energized and focused, even on those days when we’ve been up all night with a coughing child!

7. What is your next big goal?
Does Oprah count? We want to break into new markets and keep creating innovative and fabulous products that parents and kids love.

8. What is your guilty pleasure?
I’m not sure that I have one. I must admit, I can’t bare the thought of having a massage or a pedicure because I know the whole time I was indulging I would be thinking about all that I could be getting done in that time!

9. Name a product that you can't live without, for you or your baby?
Obviously, my Mabel’s Labels aside, there is one baby product I love and unfortunately it can’t be purchased. I bundle or wrap my babies before putting them to bed until they are quite old. As such, the babies are quite big and no wraps on the market are big and stretchy enough for my liking. As such, my mother-in-law makes me custom made wraps so I can continue mummifying my infants until they are practically toddlers! My babies sleep well so I wouldn’t be without Oma’s wraps!

10. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned as a mom {so far}?
Trust your gut and remember that you are the boss of your baby. When we had concerns about my son’s development, we were sent away time and time again and made to feel like we were paranoid. You have to be a strong advocate for your child and trust yourself. There is only one expert on your child and that is you!

And, one lucky mommy will be the winner of their very own
Camp/School Pack from Mabel's Labels! A $34 value!
The Camp/School Pack has all the labels you need for summer camp or school.

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