Michele Caruana is a former corporate marketer turned entrepreneur who specializes in helping people create indoor play spaces as physical brick and mortar businesses. With a background in business and economics, Michele opened two indoor playground locations and operated them for almost six years before selling them. She now dedicates herself full-time to sharing her knowledge and experience through her course, Play Cafe Academy, and her YouTube channel and podcast, The Profitable Play Podcast.

In this conversation, Michele shares her journey from the corporate world to becoming a successful business owner in the indoor playground industry. She discusses the differences between physical and online businesses, highlighting the challenges and rewards of each. She emphasizes the importance of making informed decisions when starting a brick and mortar business and offers valuable insights into funding, location selection, and team management. She also addresses the common misconceptions teachers have when transitioning into the business world and provides practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs!

Connect with Michele Caruana:

Michele Caruana is a business strategist, coach, and online educator in the family entertainment and indoor play industry. After owning her own indoor playground locations for over 5 years before selling, Michele now helps people launch and operate their indoor playground or family entertainment centers with more joy and ease through simple and streamlined systems, templates, processes, and training. She does this through her online courses, Play Cafe Academy YouTube Channel, and Profitable Play Podcast. Michele is also a wife and a mother of two young boys and is passionate about helping other parent entrepreneurs create their own unique dream businesses that truly serve their families and impact their communities for the better.

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-profitable-play-podcast/id1604289396

Website: http://www.michelecaruana.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playcafeacademy?sub_confirmation=1

Key Takeaways:

• (02:45) Transitioning from a corporate job to opening a brick and mortar
• (05:25) Lack of information and support in the play cafe industry
• (09:00) Challenges of running a brick and mortar business
• (15:30) Comparing the cost of running a physical business vs. an online business
• (21:35) Benefits of starting small and avoiding financial devastation
• (30:30) The appeal of the indoor playground industry to teachers
• (35:45) The misconception that indoor playground owners spend most of their time with kids
• (41:20) Asking for help and hiring experts
• (45:25) Overcoming perfectionism and providing value to others
  
  

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