390Julie Cole said something in our conversation that I haven't stopped thinking about. Social media, content, followers - all of it can disappear tomorrow. The only thing she actually owns is her email list.
Julie is the co-founder of Mabel's Labels, the brand behind those indestructible labels you've seen on kids' water bottles and lunchboxes - the ones that survive the dishwasher, the microwave, and everything in between. She started the company 23 years ago in her sister's basement with three co-founders, none of them technical, trading a foosball table for their first website. It's since grown into a multi-million dollar brand selling worldwide.
What I really wanted to dig into with her was how she thinks about email after two decades of building it. She segments by life stage - kids growing into teenagers, and now labels for aging parents. She guards her list fiercely, turning down requests to use it even when it costs her a speaking opportunity. And she treats it like the most valuable asset the company owns, because it is.
This conversation is full of the kind of perspective you only get from someone who's actually been doing this for 23 years.
✨ In this episode, you'll learn:
How Mabel's Labels got its first big marketing break before social media even existed - and what it taught them about the power of the inbox
Why Julie guards her email list so carefully she'll turn down opportunities to protect it
How segmenting by life stage has kept customers coming back for over two decades
The repeat customer flywheel that turns back-to-school buyers into lifelong label customers - and now, senior label customers too
How Julie thinks about the relationship between social media and email - and why one will always take priority
Why UGC and founder visibility have become core to how Mabel's Labels builds trust in an era where everyone's questioning what's real
The culture of innovation Julie has built internally - and why giving teams room to experiment is good for the bottom line
What 23 years in ecommerce actually teaches you about staying relevant when everything keeps changing
The only thing you really own is your email list. Everything else can disappear tomorrow.
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