For Julie Ellis, every big success starts with a big gorgeous goal.
At an International Women's Day event hosted by the Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) Waterloo chapter at the Accelerator Centre, Ellis, co-founder of Mabel’s Labels, executive coach, and author of Big Gorgeous Goals, shared her journey from a basement startup to a multi-million dollar acquisition.
The Mabel’s Labels story began in 2003 in a 300-square-foot basement in Hamilton, where Ellis and her co-founders, all moms raising young families, decided to pursue a goal.
“We had a dream of leaving our corporate track-type careers and doing something different,” she said.
That dream turned into a business built on the idea of creating personalized and durable labels for kids’ belongings, and it was a product that would soon capture international attention.
The path wasn’t exactly smooth. Not long after they launched, a competitor quickly came out with a similar product. Instead of backing down, they leaned into the challenge.
“It fuelled this fire within us to keep moving forward and keep dreaming and keep thinking bigger about where we could go,” said Ellis.
That perseverance paid off and eventually led to the company’s acquisition by CCL Industries for Avery North America in 2015.
“It made a lot of sense,” she said. “They’re Canadian. We liked that.”
Ellis eventually transitioned into a new chapter as an executive coach and angel investor. Today, she’s focused on supporting women entrepreneurs.
In 2023, companies founded solely by women raised about two per cent of all VC funding in the U.S. All-female-led businesses brought in $3.2 billion from investors, while all-male-founded companies secured $114 billion.
For Ellis, this gap is a big reason why she chooses to invest exclusively in women-led businesses.
“They need the support more,” she said.
Ellis believes part of the problem is a confidence gap.
“It’s like when applying for jobs, men will go for a role when they meet 60 per cent of the qualifications, but women usually only apply if they meet 100 per cent,” she said, suggesting that the same hesitation can carry over to pitching for investment.
Ellis is also sharing stories and lessons learned from other women entrepreneurs on her podcast, Figure 8, which highlights interviews with successful women founders leading seven and eight-figure companies.
No matter the goal, one of the most important tips Ellis shared with the audience was the need to make time for dreams, create white space in busy schedules, and be intentional with time and priorities.
“All of those little nos are what add up to our big yes,” she said.
She also encouraged the audience to document those dreams to take action toward them.
“A goal without a plan is a wish,” she said.
Throughout the talk, Ellis also talked about the importance of community in an entrepreneur’s journey.
“The biggest way to end our frustrations and worries about ourselves is to build community,” she said.
She encouraged the audience to lean on mentorship, collaborate with others and think beyond “safe, tidy goals” - or a “to-do list” - to embrace the uncertainty and fear that come with setting “big gorgeous goals.”
