Business, Marketing, and Life Advice for Play-Based Business Owners

Spring into Success: Hosting Mother's Day Vendor Events at Your Indoor Playground Business for A Revenue Boost

Mar 18, 2024

 

One way to get a revenue boost and increase in foot traffic and online awareness for your indoor playground business in the spring time is hosting a Mother’s Day “Sip-and-Shop” event. 

I gave some tips on these vendor events on my YouTube channel a few years back in 2021, but I am going to add some updated suggestions and tips here in this article.

If you prefer to listen, you can get this content on the Profitable Play Podcast episode 278!

First, what IS a...

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Navigating the Unexpected: 7 Ways Indoor Playgrounds Can Effectively Communicate Closures to Customers

Jan 16, 2024

Right now in New York, we are on week 2 of being snowed in, and something that’s been on the top of mind for everyone the last few days it seems is this:

If an indoor playground or play cafe business needs to close early or close for the day unexpectedly for whatever reason, whether it be weather-related or a staff call off or a personal emergency– how can we let our customers know in an effective way?

And if you’re reading this as one of my currently open indoor playground...

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6 Proven Marketing Tips to Boost Summer Camp Sales for Indoor Playground Owners in 2024

Jan 05, 2024

There may be snow on the ground right now where you live like there sure is outside my window here in New York but it’s that time of year again.  YES, it’s time to talk about summer camps.

And you may be thinking, “GEEZ Michele, it’s way too early for that, I’m still recovering from the holidays”-- but if that’s you, you’d unfortunately be incorrect. I can pop into any moms group in my local area right now and there are at least 12 posts...

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A Realistic End-of-Year Checklist for Your Indoor Playground Business

Dec 11, 2023

Something that I've always found as a business owner is that the stronger I end a year, the more powerful my launch into the new year is.

So even though we’re still in the first half of December, technically, I wanted to give you some action items to be sure you complete BEFORE the end of the year.

Now I know you’re busy– you’re probably juggling running your play space, attending all your kids’ holiday events, buying and wrapping presents, maybe hosting,...

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How to Legally and Ethically Employ Your Kids in Your Business (While Enjoying The Tax Benefits) With a CPA

Dec 01, 2023

In a recent video interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with  CPA and profit strategist Jamie Trull to discuss the legal and ethical considerations of hiring and paying our children in our businesses as owners.

This interview covers the various benefits of hiring your children (even as babies and toddlers!), age-appropriate tasks they can help with (like sweeping, organizing, light graphic design, modeling for social media images, etc!), documentation requirements, state and...

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Your Blueprint For Stress-Free, Insightful, and Productive Yearly Employee Reviews For Your Indoor Playground Business

Nov 17, 2023

 

While I love releasing fun and lighthearted content around the holidays, I do have some topics on my list here that we just have to get through before the end of the year, OK?

So grab a coffee or a glass of wine, because in this article we are talking about conducting year-end employee reviews.

I am going to give you some tips based on what worked best for ME, but I want to emphasize here like I do so often– please feel free to take from this article what feels...

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The Indoor Playground Owners' Holiday Gift Guide for 2023

Nov 16, 2023

On my Profitable Play Podcast, I have already talked a LOT about black Friday and cyber Monday. Back in episode 134 I gave you some ideas for promotions you could do for your business and I gave a little 2023 update with some new and fresh ideas in episode 243. And in episode 135 I even gave you some ideas for black friday sales to take advantage of for your BUSINESS.

But in THIS article, I want to talk about YOU.

I am going to break down a list of gift ideas that are absolutely perfect, in...

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Legal Terms To Include In Your Indoor Playground Customer Contract and Membership Agreement

Nov 13, 2023

Something I mentioned I love doing towards the end of the year in my business is doing some auditing and ensuring I have all the loose ends tied up in my processes.

Here in New York our busy indoor playground season starts in October but goes all the way through April– so this time before the holidays was crucial when it came to really setting ourselves up for success during this busy season.

And while marketing became a bit less important during this time because we were packed every...

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6 Tips For Making Your Indoor Playground or Play Cafe Facility Seem Larger By Maximizing Your Available Space

Nov 08, 2023

 

If you're planning to launch an indoor playground business but are finding it difficult to find a larger-sized location or if you are operating within a cost constraint (i.e. you don't want to pay a bajillion dollars per month in rent) and are planning a smaller-footprint space, this article is for YOU.

And if you're a current owner of an indoor playground facility or play cafe business and you're about to skip this article-- let me stop you right there.

MOST of these tips and...

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4 Major Cash Injection Strategies For Your Indoor Playground Or Play Cafe Business

Jul 17, 2023

In this article we are talking about something that may be a little uncomfortable. But, in reality it can be necessary for many indoor playground owners at one point in their businesses. So let’s cover some strategies that can be used to generate significant cash– some quickly, some over the course of a few months.

In episode 209 of my Profitable Play Podcast we talked about 5 sneaky places where money might be readily available but hiding in your business- but here I want to...

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Can I Send You My NEW Free 2024 "What's Working In The Indoor Play Industry" Guide?

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!