Managing the ‘Mother Load’ While Building a Brand
Julie Cole calls herself a “recovered lawyer”. She’s the mom of six, and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels, the now award-winning, multimillion-dollar label company that started in a basement. Julie tells the real story behind growing a business while raising a big family, navigating an autism diagnosis, and learning that self-care sometimes looks less like spa days…and more like boundaries, help, and lowering your standards without shame.
This conversation is equal parts inspiring and practical—with plenty of takeaways for moms who are building dreams, raising kids, and trying to do it all without burning out.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:
* How Julie Cole and her co-founders spotted a market gap that became Mabel’s Labels
* Why durability mattered so much…including the early dishwasher testing during R&D
* What it took to launch and grow a brand before social media
* The power of grassroots marketing: free press, word-of-mouth, early mom bloggers, and later social platforms
* The real-life cost of entrepreneurship for moms: late nights, sacrifices, and aligning co-founders
* What Julie’s “self-care season” really looked like while raising six kids
Learn more about Julie at https://mabelslabels.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome
02:03 Meet Julie Cole
07:14 From Basement R&D to Launch: Building an Early E‑Commerce Brand
13:31 Tips for Moms with a Business Idea
17:03 Self‑Care Reality Check
22:46 Raising Independent Kids: Chores, Responsibility & ‘Don’t Do It For Them’
30:35 The ‘Mother Load’: Invisible Labor, Decision Fatigue & Workplace Flexibility
36:51 What She’s Most Proud Of: Role Modeling, Culture & Building a Company Community
39:37 Advice for Moms: Find Your People, Curate Social Media & Take the Next Step
41:09 Closing Thoughts
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