Written by Julie Cole (BA ’95)
Thirteen years ago, along with three of my friends from the University of Waterloo, I started a business. The idea came from a simple inspiration – we all had small children who were losing their belongings. We noticed there was a gap in the marketplace for durable, dishwasher/microwave-safe, personalized name labels for children.
With that realization, Mabel’s Labels was born.
We started making our products on equipment in one of the partners’ basements. Before long, we outgrew that basement and, today, we’re in a 14,000 square foot facility with a staff of forty.
What were our keys to success?
Safety in Numbers
Although many people would advise against having a partnership as big as four people, we felt there were many advantages. In the early days we shared labor and start-up costs. Being able to assign tasks among us meant we launched quickly and moved at a good pace. While not without its challenges, having four brains and four different skill sets at the table usually meant we made the best possible decisions.
Create Community
Our market of moms prefer to align with brands that they feel connected to, and we have created that community of customers. By engaging in social media before most businesses knew what it was, we were able to reach our market in fun, playful, conversational and effective ways. Our community is strong – 150,000 Facebook fans strong. Not a bad number for a small company in Hamilton, ON.
Innovate
Since
we
started
our
business,
many
other
label
companies
have
popped
up.
We
remain
the
market
leaders
because
we
continually
innovate.
We
love
creating
and
being
innovative.
Our
ingenuity
is
not
only
limited
to
our
products
-
we
have
very
exciting
and
innovative
HR
policies,
company
culture
and
leadership.
Get
Out
There
–
Media
Hits
&
Awards
We put ourselves out there and promote our business any chance we can get. We love spreading the Mabel word wherever we go. As a result, Mabel’s Labels has been featured on The View, Rachael Ray, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Early Show, Today, Parents, In Style, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, People.com, Forbes.com and countless other media outlets. Awards and recognition include being named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Small and Medium Employers in 2015, the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship in 2014, rankings on the PROFIT/Chatelaine W100 list and the PROFIT 500 list of Canada’s fastest growing companies.
Julie
Cole
(BA
’95)
is
a
recovered
lawyer,
entrepreneur,
blogger
and
proud
mom
of
six.
At
University
of
Waterloo
she
was
a
busy
Arts
student,
Don
in
the
Villages,
active
volunteer,
committed
Bombshelter
customer
and
elected
member
of
the
Federation
of
Students
executive.
Mabel’s
Labels
was
established
alongside
alumna
Julie
Ellis
(BA
’94),
Cynthia
Esp
(BA
’95),
and
former
staff,
Tricia
Mumby.
Check
out
Mabel’s
Labels
at:
www.mabelslabels.com