Welcome to the Play Cafe Academy!
Here, you'll learn everything you need to know about opening a profitable indoor playground or play cafe. After 5 years of successful ownership and selling our business, we want to help you! We will answer questions like, "Are indoor playgrounds profitable?", "How do I open an indoor playground?", "How do I get my business funded?" and more!
Пікірлер
Thank you so much for such valuable input.
Are these considered commercial property?
Yes
Hi :) How can we find out the max capacity of a facility if we don’t have the facility yet?
You can't, it doesn't go by simple square footage. It makes a difference how many walls you have, what their function is, etc. You will have to estimate the best you can based on facilities similar to what you envision. Once you hire an architect, they will help you create a layout that will determine your capacity which you will have to work with your local town code enforcement / fire dept to confirm snd finalize! There are a lot of steps involved but it starts with an educated guess that gets refined and improved over time. Hope this helps!
I love these coaching calls!
Great! Plenty more coming soon! :)
Can you make it a business or store policy? Like no solicitation? Maybe word it differently like you can’t just buy food and watch the kids lol 😅that’s weird!
Hi Michelle, you mentioned bigger spaces. what is a good size these days? Thanks!
Great question! Since I recommend (almost) always adding a cafe as well as a multipurpose party/classroom- I would look at spaces starting around 3,000 square feet. Anything smaller will be very restrictive. Depending on your revenue stream breakdown, I think 4,000 is a perfect size for a play cafe that serves kids up to 6-7 years. For a facility that goes up to 10-12 years, I would look for at least 5-6,000 square feet (again, ideally). However, I have students with much larger spaces as well as smaller spaces, and they make it work with intentional design!
@PlayCafeAcademy Thank you so much. I'm looking into at least 3,500 spft. The issue is that leases are so expensive these days.
That was helpful. You should have more likes. Thanks for making this video. How did you become so knowledgeable in this? Was it your education background or experience?
Thanks for the kind words! Its a combination of owning (then eventually selling!) two indoor playgrounds for over 5 years as well as other brick & mortar ventures plus having a masters degree in finance and economics. But honestly, I learned more running my business than I ever did in school!
Thank you for the knowledge im working on my fun center
Anytime :)
Great information!! I enjoyed this so much!
Thanks for the kind words!
Thank you for this
Anytime!
Thanks for the update! What is the size of this space?
Is the music in this video what you play in your shop? If so, where do you source it?
will you be able to share her youtube channel if she has one
Heather does not have a youtube channel but her website is linked :)
Really helpful! Thanks very much 👍
Glad it was helpful!
where are you located
This play space is in Minnesota!
My question is does it have to be licensed and do parents have to be in attendance? I own a childcare center but I want to open a play cafe also especially with my ECE background. I would love to talk with you.
My website with all my info is www.michelecaruana.com! No you typically would not need a daycare license, even if you offer summer camps and other things similar if its only a few months out of the year. My client Happy Time Play Cafe in Mississippi recently transitioned from a childcare center (which she had been for over a decade) to a play cafe, she might be a great person to reach out to as well!
Do you have any advice on the different criteria to include in a well rounded business plan in the very beginning stages?
I actually sell a business plan toolkit including a 34 page template specific to this industry and a 70-minute training to fill it out section by section! Its gotten thousands of customers millions of dollars in funding and has won several awards- super proud of it 🥰 www.michelecaruana.com/indoor-playground-business-plan-toolkit
This is such valuable info thank you!
Glad you found it useful!
We were close to entering an agreement with a corner lot, but it turns out that the landlord decided to go with a well known/national daycare business. They do have a smaller space next to the corner space that is smaller and the landlord is willing to lease that to us. Is having a play cafe next to a day care a bad idea, or actually a good idea due to exposure to that market?
I follow her on TikTok
Shes awesome isnt she?!
@@PlayCafeAcademy yesssss I love her videos. I want to open up one here in San Antonio. I’m just wait for Michelle to email me back how to open one.
Hmm i didnt get an email sorry! Sometimes they get filtered into spam. But all of my information on opening can be found on my website at www.michelecaruana.com :)
@@PlayCafeAcademy ok perfect I will go there. I have a childcare center and I want to open up a play cafe. I want our kids to enjoy free play without regulations.
I like this style of video! Very cool Michelle 🎉
Thank you so much! More to come :)
Hi Thanks for your videos Do you have a recommendation about what software we can use to control the entrances, times etc?
I currently recommend Wellness Living and Aluvii! For a free trial/ discount send me an email! [email protected]
Let the person know we appreciate your business but our policy states that our lounge area are for parents/guardians who have children actively playing. You can have a coffee but it must be to go. And let them know that before they purchase their coffee.
Could you please share who the supplier is for the barn slide!!
Thank you !
Where this location?
Can u help me,where we find the play wooden equipment
Where we buy the play equipment
my biggest question is on finding funding and grants to help open play based/play space businesses
I have a free class on exactly that! You can watch it at any time here: www.michelecaruana.com/playground-business-funding
This is perfect
Thanks for the kind words!
Can you link the video about whether to franchise or not ? I’m not sure how to search for it.
I have a few podcasts on this topic but here is my main video on the topic! kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZaKqxM9soKeynJM.htmlsi=DqSrVJ_UY4xruSKs
I recently started following your videos and I am finding these very helpful. Thank you so much for all the work/resources you are sharing!
Thanks for the comment and kind words i really appreciate it!
'promosm' 🙂
❤
Thank you for the focus on diversity & inclusion! So important and is a pillar I want to open my play space on. Also the statement about dads I couldn't agree more - they are far more active and involved these days! My husband loves taking our son out 1:1 for "dad days". There are also so many different types of family structures too (single parents, grandparents/family members raising kids, lgbtq+ parents, etc).
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you agree!
Is there a part 2?
how to avail the module
This video was so helpful. Helped me think of things I didn’t anticipate as obstacles. Do you have an idea of when the 5 day challenge will be this year?
May! I will be announcing it soon!
it was so helpful to watch these interviews and hearing from actual couples! thanks so much.
So glad the video was helpful!
Is there a child to adult ratios?
Hi
Which episode talks about profit vs non-profit please? Can you share the link?
Can you tell me what exactly goes into a cafe? Is it coffee and pastries ? I do plan to have treats, popcorn and coffee . Would there be anything else to suggest? Very informative information I didn’t think of. Thank you for this free video.
every business is different! We did snack trays that had sliced fruit, cut up cheese, etc. in addition to prepackaged snacks, coffee, and espresso based drinks. The BIG thing I mean when I say "cafe" is REAL coffee and espresso-based drinks, though. Not a keurig, not self-serve, etc. Profit margin on these items are extremely high, which is a big reason it's so important for a businesses overall bottom line! Here's more information about the cafe side: www.michelecaruana.com/blog/why-having-a-cafe-is-essential-for-indoor-playground-profitability You can also do a tour of our cafe and kitchen in the tours playlist of this channel!
It was hard to understand what she said she uses for the key code entry. Roam and what? Brevo? B Roll? Can you link them so I'm sure I have the right ones?
Here you go: www.rhombnow.com/ :)
I wonder what comes first. Find the right place and have it in mind or request the loan?
Funny you should ask- i have a video about exactly that! :) kzread.info/dash/bejne/oIuG3Mhmis24aM4.htmlsi=319MhZ5UQCypEktE
Thank you for your guidance. I would like to buy the whole system course. Would the classes be via Zoom? And how would the schedule look like?
Its pre-recorded. You get access to 100% of the program immediately upon purchase, so you can complete everything at your own pace. All info can be found at www.playcafeacademy.com
Awesome! What if I have specific questions related to my area for example?
Access comes with a free month of access to Play Maker Society that you can activate at any time. There, you get access to 6+ years of previous posts as well as direct unlimited access to myself and 300 other owners! Thats the best place to get help, since you get many different perspectives from those already open!
That’s really the best! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!
of course, anytime @@carolruiz1533 !
This was so helpful. Thank you! Our space is only 1400 sq ft and I'm afraid we've already outgrown it. I did buy the amazon tables you recommended and love them!
Im so glad you like the tables! And I'm glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for this! I opened my play cafe 5 months ago and definitely not taking care of myself. So excited to watch this and looking forward to more like this.
I hope it was helpful! ❤️
Great content! In the dreaming stage right now but definitely pumped up by all your valuable lessons. May I ask what made you stop your indoor play business? Was it not profitable enought or life/work balanced?
Hi there! I actually sold it after 5 yeats when my lease was up which was my plan all along! If you go back i documented the selling process and all my tips on this channel.
Hello Michele , I’m Huda From KSA. I saw your videos and I think they are amazing. And I want to lunch this type of business in my city. Do you think you can help me with?
Of course! All my resources are linked in the video description