Advice I'd Give Myself 10 Years Ago, During My First FULL Year Owning My Play Cafe!

Advice i'd give myself 10 years ago, in 2016, which was my first FULL year of indoor playground ownership!

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:32 Stop throwing good money after "bad"
08:07 Throw away your business school textbooks
09:51 Don’t worry so much about competition and copycats
12:45 Ease up on the expectations you put on your kids
14:57 Your team needs better leadership than what you're giving
18:54 Leave mom groups and stop fusing your identity to the business
22:06 Build your own safe, collaborative community of play cafe owners (play maker society!)

BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/a...
Play Space Brain: https://playspacebrain.com/ (tell Monica Michele sent you!)
IG Reel from 2016:   / dtfo1pzksbs  
Play Cafe Academy: https://www.michelecaruana.com/playca...


If I could go back to 2016 — my very first full year owning and operating a brick-and-mortar indoor playground — this is the advice I would give myself.

In this episode, I’m sharing the lessons I learned the hard way as a first-time business owner, mom, and operator trying to do everything right… and realizing years later what actually mattered.

This video is for indoor playground owners, play café owners, family entertainment center owners, and anyone running a service-based brick-and-mortar business who feels the pressure to grow fast, compete harder, and sacrifice everything to make it work.

We talk about money mistakes, leadership gaps, unrealistic expectations, burnout, community, and the mindset shifts that would have saved me years of stress — and a lot of money.

Whether you’re in your first year or your tenth, these lessons will help you run a more profitable, sustainable business that doesn’t consume your identity or your family.

If you own (or want to own) an indoor playground or play café and you’re tired of learning everything the hard way, make sure you’re subscribed for weekly episodes on systems, profitability, leadership, and long-term sustainability.


…….FREE RESOURCES …….
PROFITABLE PLAY PODCAST: https://apple.co/3fjcSi0
FREE DOWNLOADABLE INDOOR PLAYGROUND BUSINESS BUNDLE: http://bit.ly/indoorplaybusiness
WHAT’S WORKING FOR PLAY BUSINESS OWNERS IN 2024-2025: https://bit.ly/3GwXQAS
PROFITABLE PLAY PODCAST SITE: www.michelecaruana.com/playpodcast
LIST OF ALL PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC
READ MY PLAY CAFE OWNERS BLOG: http://www.michelecaruana.com/blog
FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM FOR Q&A: instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/


…….PREMIUM RESOURCES …….
LIST OF ALL PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC
ENROLL IN PLAY CAFE ACADEMY: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy
DOWNLOAD OUR BUSINESS PLAN TOOLKIT: http://bit.ly/35GyCji
LAUNCH A MOBILE PLAY/EVENT BUSINESS: https://bit.ly/3KcJvMo
FACEBOOK ADS FOR INDOOR PLAYGROUNDS: https://bit.ly/birthdayads
BOOK MORE BIRTHDAYS: https://bit.ly/3FyWLap
BLOGGING CONTENT FOR CURRENT OWNERS: https://bit.ly/3FyWLap
HOW TO VALIDATE YOUR BUSINESS IDEA: https://bit.ly/3qtPrsx

…….SOCIAL/ BEHIND THE SCENES …….
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/
FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST: http://bit.ly/2ZeAzz0
FOLLOW ME ON TIKTOK:   / itsmichelecaruana  

…….POPULAR CONTENT …….
TOURS OF OUR INDOOR PLAYGROUND AND CAFE: https://bit.ly/35nLHNB
PLAY CAFE ACADEMY REVIEWS: http://bit.ly/2Sfbjan
COACHING CALLS WITH OTHER OWNERS: http://bit.ly/2MfJevB
OUR MOST WATCHED VIDEOS: http://bit.ly/2Qct0Vz
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/
INDOOR PLAYGROUND PLANNING TIPS: http://bit.ly/2Qct0Vz
3 MISTAKES TO AVOID: https://bit.ly/2ThcSDZ