362: How Sunshine Indoor Play Uses a Nonprofit Arm to Serve More Families
The Profitable Play PodcastShow Notes
In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Kate, the owner of Sunshine Indoor Play in Lake Havasu City, Arizona—an indoor playground and play café that has evolved into a true community hub for moms and families.
BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/non-profit-play-cafe Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HwetKpdryvQ
Kate shares how she built a multi-revenue business that includes open play, memberships, retail, a coffee shop, birthday parties, and a nonprofit arm designed to support families through services like mental health groups, lactation support, car seat checks, and access to essential baby items.
We also discuss how her personal experiences shaped both her business model and mission, and how her faith plays a central role in how she leads, makes decisions, and serves her community.
Inside this episode, we break down how she raised over $55,000 in local sponsorships to fund her build-out, why being in a small town actually worked to her advantage, and the realities of opening and running a play café with no prior business experience.
Kate also shares what surprised her most about her revenue streams—including why birthday parties underperformed expectations, how memberships and open play now drive nearly half her revenue, and how she’s working to grow her café sales.
Plus, we talk about the challenges of managing multiple revenue streams, balancing motherhood with business ownership, and her long-term vision to build a sustainable, purpose-driven business that can eventually be passed on to another family.
In this episode, we cover: How to have both a for-profit and non-profit play cafe (under one roof!) How to build a play café with multiple revenue streams Creating a nonprofit arm within your play café business Using local sponsorships to fund your startup ($55K raised) Turning a play café into a true community hub for families How faith can shape your business decisions and mission Real revenue breakdowns: memberships, open play, retail, and café Why birthday parties may not perform as expected Lessons from opening with no prior business experience Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship Building a business with long-term sustainability and purpose
Website: https://www.sunshineindoorplay.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunshineindoorplay/
OTHER RESOURCES: Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society Getting Started With Your Play Cafe [YouTube Video Playlist] What's Working In The Indoor Play Industry 2025 Guide Fund Your Indoor Play Business [Free Training] Indoor Play Courses & 1:1 Consulting Waitlist Michele’s Instagram Michele’s Website Play Cafe Academy YouTube Channel ETSY Template Shop Prepare Your Indoor Playground For a Recession Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society Questions and Support: [email protected]
TOOLS & OTHER LINKS:
Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society: http://bit.ly/3HES7fD Questions and Support: [email protected]
TOOLS: Wellness Living POS and Branded App Software Play Space Brain (Mention This Podcast For Special Pricing!) Simplify and Scale with 50% OFF WellnessLiving Active Campaign Free Trial Free Demo of Aluvii All-In-One POS
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