Bethan McDougall knows firsthand how overwhelming family life can feel in the thick of early parenthood. A farmer, nurse and mother, she created her business from a desire for more calm, clarity and connection in the everyday rhythms of family life. What began as a simple solution for her own busy household has grown into a thoughtfully designed range of visual planners that help families communicate better, feel more organised and find balance in the beautiful chaos of raising children. Here, Bethan talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind Local Labels Co, the importance of balancing work and family life, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I reached a point in the so-called trenches of motherhood – you know, that stage where the babies aren’t sleeping, and it feels like they haven’t slept for about seven years. The days were all turning really mushy, and I was just craving some structure, something that was just for me. I wanted to stimulate my brain and feel a bit more put together. So I started what I’d probably call a little side hustle, which eventually turned into something I’m now fiercely passionate about.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I’ve always liked being creative, so I got myself a little Cricut cutter and started making labels for people in the community. I had a Facebook page and then I realised I was kind of adding more pressure to an already stressful young-kids vibe, and it wasn’t really working.
I made myself some visual planners (a large wall calendar, a meal planner and a list with a timer attached) and it made an huge difference. I’ve got quite a busy brain and so do my kids, and I realised how much I thrived off that visual structure.
I then shared them on Instagram – just posted them to my stories – and there were so many people who came back and said, “I would love one of those, these look amazing”. That’s when I realised there was a bit of a need out there for people like me who wanted to have an external planner – something they could see in a high-traffic area that also looked gorgeous.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I don’t know if we’ve had a single biggest breakthrough moment. Probably getting the website up would be a big one. Overcoming my lack of experience in all things technology and learning to build a website (with help), but actually learning the ins and outs of coding, and making it so people can purchase and get their planners in the middle of the night if they want, rather than waiting for a message from me, has probably been the biggest breakthrough.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
To be honest, this is kind of what my business is about. It’s generally the whole concept. I feel like we do pretty well in saying that balance is always hard and quite fluid. There’s never a perfect middle ground. Some days swing more towards work, other days towards family, and that’s okay.
The communication hub, where our visual planners are, has made a big difference. As a busy family, we try to have a Monday morning meeting to plan things like date night, Tuesday chats with the kids, movie night and time that we can play games. It’s also where we ask the hard questions, fill out what we’re all doing for the week and how we can all prioritise each other.
It’s really the visual tool for communication, when my husband and kids can see that I’ve got a busy week ahead to help everyone know what to expect and where we can support each other (and vice versa).
