When most people picture opening an indoor playground or play café, they imagine starting from scratch.

A custom buildout. A brand-new layout. Fresh branding. A carefully planned launch.

But that is not how Kaylinn’s story began.

In my recent conversation with Kaylinn — known online as Kay’s Play Days, but the former owner of Monkey Around Indoor Playground — we talked about a path that many aspiring owners quietly consider: buying an existing play space instead of building one from ...

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 ...

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.

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...

Year-One Lessons from The Playroom WV: A Q&A with Owner Jessalyn Pustay

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...

Managing your team is one of the hardest parts of owning a play café or indoor playground. It’s one of the most complex, time-consuming, and often most draining aspects of being an owner.

You might have started this business because you love creating beautiful spaces, connecting with families, or designing the perfect birthday parties. But before long, you find yourself trying to manage a crew of high school students, college kids, and maybe a few stay-at-home parents working during schoo...

Why We Need to Talk About Exiting — Without the Stigma

This topic might feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s one of the most important conversations we can have as indoor playground owners — or even if you’re just considering entering this industry.

And my goal here is not just to shed light on this topic, but also to completely remove the stigma around it.

The truth is, almost 100% of people who enter this industry will exit at some point — whether that means selling their business fo...

Launching and running an indoor playground or play café is exciting, but legal issues like trademarks, copyrights, and cease and desist letters are often overlooked until they cause real problems. In fact, more and more owners are facing intimidating legal claims from competitors—sometimes valid, sometimes baseless.

To help clarify the confusion, I sat down with attorney MJ Morley of MJ Morley Law PC to discuss the most important steps every current and prospective indoor playground owner shoul...

Running an indoor playground or play café isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re managing a brick-and-mortar business in a rapidly evolving industry—while also showing up as a parent, partner, friend, and community leader. It’s a lot. So when I use the term “lazy” in reference to play café owners like myself, know that it’s entirely tongue-in-cheek. None of us would have made it through the business plan stage—let alone opening day—if we were truly lazy.

Instead, we’re relentlessly prioriti...

Listen on the podcast in Profitable Play Podcast Episode 320 HERE 🎧

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity for play cafe owners to spread love while boosting their bottom line. Whether it’s hosting a parent-child craft workshop, offering a “Date Night Drop-Off” service, or creating Valentine-themed play dates and retail bundles, there are plenty of creative ways to celebrate the holiday with your community. In this blog, we’ll explore 16 SWEET, fun, and profitable ideas that will n...

Ever curious about what your fellow indoor playground owners (and soon-to-be owners) are listening to?

Kind of like when we were in school and we were always peeking over in the library to look at what our friends were studying up on before the big test?

Well, now's your chance!

Over on my Instagram I counted down the 10 most listened-to episodes of the profitable play podcast, and I wanted to share them with you here as well!

(But psst-- if you don't follow me on IG yet, now's a good time because I...