Julie Cole Of Mabel’s Labels

My guest today is Julie Cole of Mabel’s Labels. Mabel’s Labels was started by 4 entrepreneurial moms. After a lot of research and testing, these moms created fun, durable labels for stuff kids lose. There are two types of labels – clothing labels and sticky labels. All the labels are customized with the child’s name. The labels are also dishwasher, microwave and laundry safe.

Their company has been growing remarkably well and their popularity and growth has led to a lot of media coverage. Read and be Inspired.

How did you come up with the idea for the business ?

We are busy moms who were getting frustrated by the amount of baby and kid stuff that was going missing when our kids would head off to daycare, playgroup and school.

Their bottles, hats, sippy cups, clothing, books and toys were getting lost or mixed up. When I had a play date with my business partners, it would often finish with ‘is this your box of wipes?” or “whose bottle is this?” We knew that there was a product missing from the market. We did not like to use masking tape and markers on our children’s belongings – we knew we could do better than that !

Once you had the idea, what process did you follow to get your product developed?

We knew we had to find a material that would be durable. We were shocked at how difficult it was to find a material that could withstand the dishwasher and microwave, and also be kid proof !

On top of spending a lot of time researching technology and testing material, we were consumed with creating our business plan, formalizing our partnership and creating a marketing plan. Those early days were very busy and exhilarating times.

I understand Mabel’s Labels is run by four mompreneurs – Yourself, Cynthia Esp, Julie Ellis and Tricia Mumby. Now a very frank question here – How do you all work well together in a business environment…What are your tips for partnership companies ?

Most experts would advise against having four partners. On top of being business partners, we are all also related. Cynthia and I are sisters, and we met our other two business partners at University. They went on to marry our brother and young uncle. There are challenges in having four business partners. We always have four different opinions coming to the table and while it can be feisty, it is always fun!

Certainly you need to have the skills to appropriately manage conflict and strong communication is key. Having a large partnership has many advantages as well. It has allowed us to divide the workload and the risk! There is no question – our company would not have grown so quickly without four business partners.

What is the best advice you have ever received about running a business?

Someone once told us to ignore anyone who told us we were crazy. Luckily, that advice was given very early in the process because a lot of people thought we were crazy! We left our professional and well paying jobs based on an idea. While our husbands and families were supportive, there were certainly times they wondered whether starting a business was a good idea! We were also told that we should never neglect our customer service.

You can spend all the money in the world on advertising and product development, but you have to be there for your customers – responding promptly and exceeding expectations.

You guys seem to have adopted all the modern ‘internet marketing’ concepts very well. I noticed that a lot of blogs (especially the mommy bloggers) have blogged about your products. You seem to have a successful blogger outreach program…Plus you also have an affiliate program. How important is this for your business?

This is paramount. Word of Mouth is the best marketing we have.

Our loyal customers have been amazing at spreading the word about Mabel’s Labels. So many Mamas are now online doing facebook, blogging, posting on message boards, etc. This has made the whole concept of Word of Mouth marketing even more important.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your job ?

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. It has also been very rewarding to hire employees as the business has grown. We now have our own Mabel community and culture in our office and it is a delight to be able to provide employment opportunities to people.

Finally, your five keys to success ?

1. Use your social capital. You know people who can help you. Do not be afraid to ask for advice;
2. Don’t get so busy working ‘in” the business and forget that it is your job to work “on” the business;
3. If you don’t love it, don’t do it. This applies to everything – how an ad looks, how a phrase in your brochure sounds, to the actual work you do everyday.
4. Know that sometimes you have to put the cart before the horse if you want to grow. That can be very frightening, but if you don’t take risks, your business will not move to the next level;
5. While you may be the ‘boss’, treat everyone else like they are your boss – your customers, suppliers, employees, etc. If you are not completely accountable to them, you won’t be the boss for long!

Sites Of Interest

http://www.mabel.ca/

This interview was published on 9th October 2008


Visit Julie’s website to get more information about her business…


To read more stories about women who manufacture kids products click Kids Products Business