I met Julie Cole at BlogHer 2011 and was immediately drawn to her infectious smile, laugh and endless energy. A mom of 6 – yes six kids people – she co-runs Mabel’s Labels, an award winning business that has literally changed the way moms stay organized and keep track of their stuff. Julie and I ran into one another a few months ago in Costa Rica attending ROAR a blogger conference hosted by our mutual friends Nadia. After four days of laughter and catching up over a few cocktails, I was dying to kick off 2015 featuring Julie in our Sassy Mom Spotlight! I’m so excited to share Julie’s insight for having a successful career and balancing home life. 

Sassy Mom: Julie Cole

Sassy Kids: Maginnis (15), Posy (13), Spencer (12), Jessamy (9), Clancy (8) and Finian (5)

Occupation:  Co-Founding VP Mabel’s Labels Inc.

About: Julie Cole is the co-founding Vice-President of award-winning children’s label manufacturer Mabel’s Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless entrepreneur awards. Cole is a regular television contributor, an influential and syndicated blogger and mother of six.

SMITC interview with Julie Cole

SMIC: What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

JC: Tough question – I’m not a mystery woman. I’ve been blogging for many years and have put myself out there. I suppose one thing is that prior to starting Mabel’s Labels, I was a lawyer working at a women’s legal service. I have a particular distaste for “Deadbeat Dads” so made a career of it. That changed quickly when my son was diagnosed with autism and I left the traditional workforce to manage his therapy program.

SMITC: You’re a mom to six kids! How do you manage to run a successful business and be a great mom? What’s your secret to balance?

JC: My secret weapon is my perspective. I don’t let myself get stressed out about things that don’t matter. A house left untidy or having to serve up scrambled eggs for dinner doesn’t throw me off my game. I literally don’t sweat the small stuff. Also, I’m not afraid to ask for help. I’ve lined up the help I need and I use it!

SMITC: As an extremely successful business owner, what are 3 tips for other aspiring mom entrepreneurs you can share?

1. Make sure your husband or partner and family supports what you’re doing. If they don’t, it won’t happen. You will work many hours without getting a pay check. Family may resent that. Make sure everyone knows what the impact of starting a business is going to be.
2. Ask questions, pick brains, read everything and don’t be afraid of looking stupid. The more you put yourself out there and surround yourself with people who have already traveled the journey you’re on, the better off you’ll be!
3. Don’t treat your business like a hobby – treat it like a business. Set hours, write a business plan, keep your eye on the ball. And with risk of sounding negative – have an exit strategy. Know how long you’re willing to give this a shot. You don’t want to be 10 years in and still making no profit.

SMITC: What has been the biggest challenge for you in motherhood?

JC: Certainly when my son was diagnosed with autism, that was a challenge. But, we invested a lot of time, emotion and money into this kid. He is now 15 years old and a TaeKwonDo blackbelt, the Assistant Captain of his hockey team, doing all academic courses in high school and has more friends than I do. All the hard work paid off and he is my life’s greatest achievement!

SMITC: You recently traveled to Australia with your entire family! I can barely manage driving to Florida with my family of four. What travel/packing tips do you have for us?

• Make sure you have an extra outfit for everyone in a Ziploc bag for carry on. If someone spills or vomits (which happens), extra clothes may come in handy. An extra outfit for mom is a good idea too. I once got puked on and had to sit in a stinky shirt for the remaining 10 hours of a flight!
• Take all of their tech and video games away for the month prior to boarding a flight. As we get on board, I hand over Ipods and Nintendo DS gadgets with a few new games. They’ve been so tech starved, they binge for the flight and stay out of my way!
• Don’t stop. Our trip to Australia consisted of 3 flights and 22 hours of air time. Once we get moving, we don’t stop – no layovers, no sight seeing for 24 hours. Once your family is in motion, it’s easier to just keep going and crash when you arrive.

SMITC: What’s your “secret” to being Sassy?

JC: I just keep it real. I’ve got a pretty decent sense of humor, because without it, I’d be in big trouble.

SMITC: What is your guilty pleasure when you get a little coveted ‘me’ time?

JC: What is this “me time” you speak of? Honestly, I don’t get a whole lot of that, but I’m good with it. If I wanted a lot of me time, I should have thought about that before starting a business and having six kids. I’ll have plenty of “me time” later – for now I’m just soaking up all the awesome that is around me!

Shop @mabelhood. 

Sassy Facts about Julie….

I never leave home without….. a laptop and a kid

My biggest fashion influence is…. I have the most amazing clothing sponsor. She is an amazingly talented woman: www.joelles.com

The perfect date night is….. put the kids to bed, crack a beer and have a chat.

My guilty pleasure is…… yeah, the beer I crack on date night after the kids go to bed.

Must-have beauty product is…. I love a line of make-up by momentrpreneur, Debra Rubin-Roberts called “Mommy Make-up”. It’s quick, easy to use and always looks great on: https://www.facebook.com/mommymakeup?pnref=lhc

Mabel’s Labels Founding Partners

Julie Cole, Julie Ellis, Cynthia Esp, Tricia Mumby