 There’s a trend going around right now where people are throwing it all the way back to 2016 and reflecting on what life looked like then versus now.
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And the second I saw it, I knew I had to do it—because 2016 was my first full calendar year owning a play café (we opened in 2015), and I was going through it.
I hadn’t figured everything out yet. I was hitting roadblock after roadblock, failure after failure, and I didn’t have a real community of other owners I could lean on. Not the “...
Every year since 2019, I’ve released an annual trends forecast for the indoor playground and play café industry. And every year, those episodes consistently become some of the most watched and listened-to content I put out.
That isn’t because people love predictions.
It’s because this industry is expensive, nuanced, and wildly unforgiving when you build the wrong thing—or build the right thing but run it in a way that s
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 Every year since 2019, I’ve released a trends episode for the indoor playground and play café industry—and it consistently becomes some of the most watched and listened-to content I put out. That’s not an accident.
These episodes are built from real experience, real conversations, real numbers, and real decisions owners are making right now—inside my group coaching program, Play Maker Society, at my live events for play space owners, and in 1:1 sessions.
I opened my first indoor playgro...
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 After spending the past year in sustained conversation with indoor playground and play café owners across the country—across different states, business sizes, and stages of growth—one pattern became impossible to ignore. While the businesses themselves varied widely, the challenges behind the scenes were strikingly consistent.
The same stress points surfaced again and again. The same operational bottlenecks appeared across ...
Most indoor playground and play café owners don’t struggle because they lack ideas.
They struggle because everything lives in their head.
They know they should review their numbers.
They know they should clean up systems.
They know they should simplify before adding more.
But when you’re managing staff, parties, customer messages, cleaning, marketing, programming, and your own life, that work gets pushed to “later.”
A few years ago, I published my Indoor Playground Year-End Checklist and ...
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Every year, right around mid-December, I start getting the same messages from indoor playground owners:
Black Friday wasn’t what I hoped.
Open play is quieter than I expected.
Membership sales are flat.
Retail isn’t moving.
My party calendar isn’t full yet.
And if you are feeling any version of this, you are not alone.
December can be emotionally confusing for business owners because it feels incredibly busy. Your space is buzzing. Kids are out of school more often. Membership usage ...
In a recent episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I sat down with Justine, owner of Liv and Mimi’s Play Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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If you’ve been inside Play Maker Society, you already know Justine for her thoughtful insights, beautifully curated retail displays, and her willingness to share what’s working in her business in real time.
She just crossed her two-year anniversary—a huge milestone in the play-based business world—and her evolution since opening has been remarkable. W...
Note: The following Q&A is not a direct transcript. The answers are a polished summary and combination of the insights Jessalyn shared during our recorded conversation, along with additional written responses she provided ahead of time.
When Jessalyn Pustay moved from Washington, DC to West Virginia with an 11-day-old baby, she quickly realized something: the high-quality programs and enriching early-childhood spaces she h...
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Today we’re diving into one of the most powerful ways you can increase your revenue, visibility, and customer loyalty during the fourth quarter: low-lift, high-impact holiday events that actually sell out.
But before we get into the specifics, I want to address something indoor playground owners feel every December but don’t always say out loud: the holiday season is overwhelming — and not just inside yo...
Michele Caruana
Play Cafe Academy Founder & Blog Author
I have over a decade of hands-on local business experience and tough lessons under my belt, and I am passionate about helping current and prospective play based business owners AVOID the same mistakes myself and SO many other business owner's make. Even though I have a Master's Degree in Economics and Years of Business and Marketing experience, it took me YEARS to "crack the code" and turn my Indoor Playground from an expensive hobby into a business-- and I want to get YOUR business get there in less time and with much less stress.
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I asked 11 Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society members what is working RIGHT NOW in their businesses to attract customers and grow sales. I want to send you their answers in my FREE newly updated 2024 "What's Working" Guide!
