Opening an Indoor Playground: The 7 Steps You'll Need to Take

If you’re considering indoor playground or  play cafe ownership, then let me be the first to congratulate you! You are likely daydreaming of this process because you are hoping to: 1. Spend more time with your family 2.  Supplement your income, and 3. Create a positive and lasting impact in your community Four years ago, I was in your exact spot. I was at my desk job with my newborn baby at home, feverishly researching the play-cafe business model during my lunch hours, consuming as much information as I could. Here’s the thing: there’s not much information out there. After spending hours searching for answers and even more hours interviewing current play cafe owners (who rightfully charged a pretty penny for their consulting services) on their experiences, I’ve discovered the 2 reasons for this lack of information. 1. Fear of Competition 2. Lack of Success Once I got a peek behind the scenes of some of the most well-established play cafes in the world, I realized just how unique and difficult this business model is to operate. It looked like a dream from the outside, but what I saw inside of each business were determined parents who worked incredibly long hours and who invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their business. I was shocked. Shocked that everything wasn’t as simple as I had hoped it would be. Shocked that a group of business owners could be so dedicated yet still fall short of their profit goals. Shocked that there was such a fear of competition within the industry. Still, I decided to take the plunge and open Climbing Vines Cafe & Play. I understand the fears other play cafe owners have when it comes to sharing the behind-the-scenes of their businesses, but now that I’m opening a second location of Climbing Vines, I’m ready to share everything about my path to play cafe ownership with you. I’ve helped dozens of prospective owners implement this process in their own area, and it’s worked each time. Be careful to not skip over any of the steps-- I have also seen owners go down that path and fall short of their goals.