The Profitable Play Podcast

Why do some indoor playgrounds and play cafés become profitable, sustainable businesses while others stay stuck, even when they have similar concepts, markets and opportunities?

Why do some indoor playgrounds and play cafés become profitable, sustainable businesses while others stay stuck?

After working with hundreds of play space owners, I’ve noticed that the most successful ones tend to operate differently.

In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I’m sharing the Five Play Maker Principles from my opening keynote at Play Makers Live and the practical lessons behind each one.

We’re talking about:

• How to identify, measure and investigate business problems before reacting to them
• Why being busy doesn’t necessarily mean your play space is profitable
• Why you should subtract before you add another revenue stream
• The hidden cost of complexity in your indoor playground or play café
• Why systems beat superstars when building a strong team
• How to make sure your customer experience matches what your marketing promises
• The difference between customer service and true hospitality
• Why defining success for yourself should shape how you grow your business

If you own an indoor playground, play café or kids’ play space, this episode will help you make smarter decisions about profitability, revenue, staffing, systems, customer retention and growth—without simply adding more to your plate.

The goal isn’t to build the biggest play space business. It’s to build the right one.

Build the business. Protect the joy. Keep the PLAY in play spaces.

Lilliput Play Homes WEBSITE

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 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

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.

BLOG for this episode

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

In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I’m sitting down with Steve and Dave from Lilliput Playhomes to talk about what really goes into designing and building play equipment for commercial spaces.

I’ve worked with Lilliput for more than a decade — first when I chose their play homes for my own indoor playground and now as a parent with a Lilliput Playhome in my own home — so I was especially excited for this conversation.

We talk about commercial safety requirements, durability, installation, ADA and fire code considerations, and some of the costly mistakes owners can make when working with contractors who don’t specialize in children’s play equipment.

We also get into choosing play pieces, incorporating gross motor and interactive elements, creating custom designs, and using local businesses and landmarks to make a play space truly unique.

If you’re designing an indoor playground or play café, comparing equipment vendors, or planning your build-out, this episode will help you make more informed decisions about one of the biggest investments in your business.

Contact Lilliput: https://www.lilliputplayhomes.com/contact/

Email Lilliput: [email protected]

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 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

In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I’m sitting down with Charlotte from Children’s Factory to talk all about designing indoor play spaces that are intentional, engaging, durable, and built for the way children actually play.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Website: www.childrensfactory.com

Email: [email protected]

Discount Code: Use code PM30 for 30% off and Free Shipping!

BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/choosing-soft-play-equipment-childrens-factory

Whether you’re opening a play cafe, indoor playground, children’s museum, family entertainment center, daycare, preschool, or other children’s play-based business, the physical environment you create can have a huge impact on the customer experience. We talk about how thoughtful play space design goes far beyond simply filling a room with equipment—and what owners should consider when choosing furniture, soft play equipment, activity zones, and other elements for their space.

We also discuss how to think strategically about your layout, how different types of play support different ages and developmental stages, and how to create an environment that works for both children AND the adults bringing them into your business.

If you’re currently planning, designing, building, renovating, or refreshing an indoor play space, this conversation will give you plenty to think about before making your next investment.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Indoor playground and play cafe design

• Choosing commercial play equipment and children’s furniture

• Creating intentional play zones for different ages

• Designing spaces that encourage imaginative and open-ended play

• Soft play equipment for indoor play spaces

• Balancing fun, function, durability, and aesthetics

• Creating a better experience for both children and parents

• What play cafe and indoor playground owners should consider before purchasing equipment

• Designing a commercial children’s space for long-term use

• Ideas for refreshing or improving an existing indoor playground or play cafe

Have an idea for a future episode?

I always want to hear what YOU want to learn more about!

Send me a DM on Instagram with your questions, challenges, or topic suggestions—you might just hear your idea featured on an upcoming episode of The Profitable Play Podcast.

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 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

In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Karri Bowen-Poole, founder of Smart Playrooms, a design firm specializing in creating intentional play spaces for both homes and commercial facilities. We explore what makes a truly great play environment and how thoughtful design can encourage independence, spark imagination, support child development, and create a better experience for both children and their caregivers.

BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/design-an-indoor-playground-play-area

In this episode, we discuss:

• Karri's approach to designing intentional play spaces that support children's development.
• What makes a play space engaging for children of different ages and developmental stages.
• Why open-ended play is one of the most valuable elements of a well-designed environment.
• The "Yes Space" philosophy and how it encourages curiosity, independence, and confidence.
• How to create spaces where babies, toddlers, and older children can safely play together.
• Why mixed-age play benefits children's social, emotional, and imaginative development.
• The role pretend play and movement play have in creating meaningful, long-lasting engagement.
• How to incorporate sensory experiences, gross motor play, and fine motor activities throughout your space.
• Creative ways to make small, narrow, or awkward layouts feel functional and exciting.
• How to transform underutilized areas into engaging play opportunities.
• Design considerations for visibility, supervision, and safety without sacrificing exploration and creativity.
• Strategies for improving traffic flow and preventing bottlenecks in busy play areas.
• How intentional layouts encourage children to naturally move between different types of play.
• Common design mistakes play space owners make—and practical ways to avoid them.

Whether you're building from scratch or looking to make better use of the space you already have, this episode offers practical ideas to help you create a play environment that children love and families return to again and again.

Smart Playrooms Website: https://www.smartplayrooms.com

Smart Playrooms IG: https://www.instagram.com/smartplayrooms

Email Smart Playrooms: mailto:[email protected]

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

In this episode, I sit down with CarlyAnn and Justin, the husband-and-wife team behind EverPlay Village. We go beyond the opening story and dive into the systems, revenue streams, and mindset that have helped them build a thriving family business.

BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/everplay-village-ep366

In this episode, we discuss:

• How they identified a gap in their market and launched EverPlay Village
• The multiple revenue streams that fuel their business
• Their unique Discovery School program and how it creates reliable recurring revenue
• How they define and measure success beyond attendance numbers
• What it's really like running a business as husband and wife
• Lessons they've learned since opening and what they'd do differently
• Balancing entrepreneurship, family, and raising three children
• Advice for owners looking to build a profitable, sustainable business

Whether you're already operating a play space or dreaming of opening one, this conversation is packed with practical insights and honest lessons.

Connect with EverPlay Village:

https://www.everplayvillage.com

https://www.instagram.com/everplayvillage/

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

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Amber, owner of Press Play Café in Ontario, Canada. Even though her business has been open for less than a year, she’s already learned so many valuable lessons about operations, staffing, café sales, birthday parties, memberships, accessibility, and community-building.

We talk about:

• Construction delays and what pushed back their opening
• Pitching landlords and investors on a play café concept
• Why café revenue was slower than expected
• How character meet-and-greets became a huge success
• Community vendor events that increased visibility and bookings
• Birthday party package changes she made after opening
• Staffing, training, and trial shifts
• Designing a more accessible and parent-friendly space
• Policies she added after opening
• The importance of constantly tweaking systems instead of expecting perfection on day one

If you’re planning your business, newly opened, or trying to improve your current operations, this episode is packed with practical takeaways and honest insight from someone currently in the trenches.

LINKS:

Press Play Café:

https://pressplaycafe.ca/

Follow Press Play Café on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/pressplaycafe

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

In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I’m joined by Nick Veneris, Email Marketing Expert at Aluvii, for a conversation all about email marketing, automation, and how indoor playground and play café owners can turn the customer data they already have into more bookings and repeat visits.

One thing I really want to emphasize upfront: this conversation is NOT platform specific.

Even though Nick is from Aluvii, the strategies we discuss apply no matter what POS, CRM, or email platform you use.

This episode is really about understanding your customer journey and communicating with more intention.

We talk about:

• Why email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools for play-based businesses
• The automated campaigns that are actually driving birthday bookings and repeat visits
• How birthday, half-birthday, bounce-back, and review request campaigns work in practice
• Subject lines, timing, and messaging strategies that are getting parents to engage right now
• The biggest mistakes play café owners make with email marketing
• How to segment your customer list in a simple, manageable way
• How to “sell” naturally without sounding overly promotional
• Realistic ways busy owners can implement these systems without adding more overwhelm

If you’ve ever felt like you’re sitting on valuable customer information but not fully using it—or like your marketing feels reactive instead of predictable—this episode is packed with practical strategies you can start applying immediately.

FREE E- Mail Marketing Playbook: Click HERE

Book A Demo With Aluvii: Click HERE

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

Google updated its review policies in April 2026—and many of the strategies play café and indoor playground owners have relied on for years are now considered violations.

BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/new-google-review-rules

In this episode, I break down what actually changed, what’s now banned (including incentivized reviews, in-person asks, and review gating), and how Google’s AI is actively flagging suspicious behavior.

More importantly, I walk you through exactly what to do instead—so you can continue generating consistent, high-quality reviews without putting your business at risk.

If reviews drive your bookings (and they do), this is a shift you need to understand.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The biggest Google review policy changes in 2026
• Common review tactics that are now violations
• What “review gating” is and why it’s banned
• Whether you can still share your Google review link (and how to do it correctly)
• The new role of AI in detecting review manipulation
• How to build a compliant, system-driven review strategy
• Practical ways to still get consistent, high-quality reviews

GOOGLE'S POLICIES: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

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

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.

• 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