074 | Co-founding and building a product, growing and selling a business as a parent with Julie Cole | PT 1

PT 1: Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, co-founder and Senior Director of Public Relations at Mabel’s Labels and a parent of six kids. She is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker and engaged community member.

This is the first of three mini episodes of our conversation. In this interview, we talk about changing careers and modelling the flexible company culture you are working to create.

THINGS WE TALK ABOUT:

• The ways her work and family life have evolved over the past 20 years of building Mabel’s Labels and what it’s been like to build something which didn’t exist in the market
• How her son’s early autism diagnosis becoming a catalyst for her to switch careers from a practicing lawyer to an entrepreneur
• Becoming a leading employer in the flexible workplace movement as her and her fellow co-founders spoke to the media about building a business around young kids
• What she thinks businesses stand to learn from the past few years and her views on the current return to office mandates and its’ overall impact on society
• Avoiding ‘sludge’ and toxic workplace cultures, instead focusing on role modelling the kind of environment they want to create around their employees’ lives

Thanks to Julie for taking time out of her day to speak with me about her workflow as a parent during the past 20 years and the importance of valuing productivity over presenteeism.

Season 5 has been sponsored by the Startup Women Fund, presented by Startup Canada, Scotiabank and UPS.

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ABOUT JULIE COLE
Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, co-founder and Senior Director of Public Relations at Mabel’s Labels and a parent of six kids. The business began with four mom's in 2003 and evolved into a market-leading company sold to CCL Industries in 2016 for $12M CAD. She's an award-winning entrepreneur, author, speaker and engaged community member, writing for a variety of media.

CONNECT WITH JULIE
Website mabelslabels.com/juliecole
LinkedIn @JulieColeLLB and @mabelslabels
Twitter @juliecole
Facebook @juliecole and @mabelhood
Instagram @juliecoleinc
Read her latest book Like A Mother

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ABOUT MIXING BABIES AND BUSINESS™
Where parenthood meets professional development:
As a social impact movement and community, I'm focused on producing parent-friendly professional development, digital resources and more inclusive and flexible work solutions for primary caregivers. This podcast features solo episodes from me covering my journey bringing my kids into business settings and guest interv

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A reminder to our audience: We're not certified medical professionals, financial advisers or legal professionals. You are advised to consult with an independent professional or advisor for advice on your specific circumstances.