Show Notes
After more than a decade in the indoor playground industry, I've developed a little bit of a sixth sense for decisions that look great on opening day but can become expensive, inefficient or incredibly frustrating later.
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In this episode, I'm sharing 12 things that make me think yikes when I see a new indoor playground or play café — and, more importantly, the business reason behind each one.
I'm talking about: The beautiful design choices that can become cleaning nightmares Why more toys can actually make your play space worse The play feature I think WAY more indoor playgrounds need Why your age range could be creating problems you didn't anticipate The hidden cost of choosing residential products for a commercial space Why I don't automatically love dedicated baby areas The revenue stream too many owners leave on the table Why closing on Sundays could cost you more than you think The problem with building your staffing plan around YOU How a bad booking process can waste great marketing Why I don't let Facebook groups decide pricing, hours or offers The question I wish every owner would ask BEFORE spending money on their space
Because I'm not just looking at the play space. I'm looking at the business model hiding underneath it — and whether the decisions you're making today are still going to work after thousands of kids, hundreds of parties and years of actual operations.
RESOURCES: Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society Getting Started With Your Play Cafe [YouTube Video Playlist] What's Working In The Indoor Play Industry 2026 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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