What does it really take to turn a simple idea into a brand that parents everywhere love and trust?
To watch rather than listen, click here.
In this episode of Inspired To Invest, host Serena Holmes sits down with Julie Cole, co-founder of Mabel’s Labels — the award-winning Canadian company that grew from a basement startup to a multi-million-dollar international brand.
Julie shares how she and three friends turned a common parenting frustration into a thriving business — and how they built community, culture, and confidence along the way. From navigating partnerships and acquisitions to balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship, this conversation is a masterclass in resilience, creativity, and brand building.
💡 You’ll learn: • How to spot a market gap and turn it into a profitable product idea
• Why community and storytelling drive word-of-mouth growth
• The power of authenticity and visibility in personal branding
• How to build a flexible company culture that retains great people
• Julie’s biggest lessons from 22 years in business and her advice for female founders
🎧 Whether you’re a new entrepreneur, a CPG founder, or simply love stories of Canadian success — this episode will leave you inspired to take action on your own ideas.
👉 If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to hit the thumbs-up, subscribe, and ring the bell 🔔 so you never miss a new conversation about real estate, wealth building, and entrepreneurship on Inspired To Invest.
📚 Julie’s Book: Like a Mother: Birthing Businesses, Babies and a Life Beyond Labels Available at mabelslabels.com/julie-cole and major retailers.
👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell 🔔 to stay updated on future episodes of Inspired To Invest!
Thank you to Advisor Innovation Lab for bringing us this month’s episodes of “Inspired To Invest”.
They provide AI powered client intelligence for modern financial advisors to help them become trusted partners through life’s most important transitions. Learn more!
Inspired To Invest proudly supports the Beyond Success Program, a not-for-profit financial literacy initiative for students, launched by More To Give & MAK Investments. Learn more at @more2give.ca. ➕ Follow Serena Holmes for expert insights on personal branding, business, real estate, investing, and wealth creation. Let’s build wealth together because "when you invest in yourself, the sky's the limit" 🚀 ________________________________________
🕒 Timestamps
00:00 – Intro & Welcome to Inspired To Invest
01:05 – Julie Cole on founding Mabel’s Labels and the “mom problem” that sparked the idea
02:32 – Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship as a “recovered lawyer”
04:17 – How Mabel’s Labels set itself apart and scaled organically
06:50 – The importance of partnership agreements and planning the exit early
07:30 – Knowing your market and creating word-of-mouth momentum
08:15 – Overcoming challenges and ego in a co-founder group
11:48 – Why visibility creates credibility (and how CEOs became the new influencers)
15:10 – The funniest startup stories from the early days of Mabel’s Labels
17:45 – Scaling from a basement to a global brand without losing authenticity
18:22 – Building company culture and creating flexibility for working moms
21:50 – What’s next for Julie Cole and her advice on acquisition transitions
24:00 – How entrepreneurship changed her life — time, money & freedom
52:00 – Julie’s favourite quote & final words of wisdom __________________
➕ Follow Serena Holmes for all things related to business, entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, wealth (and more!). I'm on a mission to help others create wealth because "when you invest in yourself, the sky's the limit" 🚀
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