PODCAST · business
The Profitable Play Podcast
by Michele Caruana
If you own or manage an indoor play center, play cafe, indoor playground, family entertainment center, mobile soft play rental business or really any business that serves local children and families, and you want to operate with more EASE and JOY, all while making the living you dreamed of– I created the profitable play podcast just for you. Join me, your host, Michele Caruana, for small but mighty tips every single weekday that will all add up to a BIG impact on your mindset, your business, and your bottom line. Stick with me to keep the PASSION and GROW the profit in YOUR play-based business
Episodes
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371: 5 Things the Most Successful Play Space Owners Do Differently
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...
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370: The Indoor Playground Red Flags I Notice Immediately
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...
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369: Making Imagination Part Of Your Business Model With Lilliput Play Homes
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…
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368: What To Look For When Choosing Soft Play (And Mistakes Many Owners Make)
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…
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367: Why Great Indoor Playgrounds Are "Yes Spaces" (And the Play Area Mistakes That Drive Families Away)
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…
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366: How This Husband-and-Wife Team Built a Thriving Play Space and Discovery School
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:...
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365: The Unexpected Revenue Streams Working at Press Play Cafe in ON, Canada
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...
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364: The Automated Campaigns Every Play Cafe Should Have Running (And How To Set Them Up)
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....
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363: Google’s NEW Review Rules — What to Stop Doing + What to Do Instead
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...
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362: How Sunshine Indoor Play Uses a Nonprofit Arm to Serve More Families
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:...
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361: 6 Operational Shifts Play Café Owners Are Making in 2026
In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, we’re breaking down 6 "micro-trends" or shifts some play cafes are quietly making behind-the-scenes as we go through 2026. BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/simplify-your-play-cafe These aren’t big flashy trends—but they’re...
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360: How Hangtime Play Café Hit 250+ Members in Just 2 Months
In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Erin and Justin, the owners of Hangtime Play Café in Arlington, Washington—an indoor playground and play café that scaled to over 250 members just two months after opening. We break down how they pre-sold over 100 memberships before...
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359: Feeling Like You Can't Compete With "Free"?: How to Sell Out Paid Events at Your Indoor Playground
If you’ve ever opened social media and thought, “How am I supposed to compete with all these FREE events and classes?”—this episode is for you. BLOG for this episode-- click here! In this episode, I break down why indoor playgrounds and play cafés don’t actually compete with free events—and how…
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358: From Speech Therapist to Multi-Location Inclusive Play Space Founder With Lindsay
In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I’m joined by Lindsay, the founder of Spirited Play Labs—an inclusive, membership-based indoor play space in the San Francisco Bay Area designed to support neurodivergent children and their families. Lindsay is a former speech therapist, a parent of…
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357: 9 Sneaky Reasons I See Play Cafés Struggle to Grow
n this episode, I’m sharing 11 sneaky patterns I consistently see holding play cafés and indoor playgrounds back—not because owners aren’t working hard, but because these habits are easy to miss when you’re in the day-to-day. BLOG For this Episode:...
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356: Buying, Running, and Pivoting a Play Café: Hard Lessons, Smart Decisions, and What Comes Next with Kaylinn
What’s it really like to buy an existing play café instead of starting from scratch? In this candid conversation, I sit down with Kaylinn from Kay’s Play Days — former owner of Monkey Around Play Café and now floor manager at Wise Wonders Children’s Museum — to talk through the real...
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355: Retain Customers And Get Repeat Bookings By Creating A "Disney-Level" Experience At Your Play Cafe With Vance Morris
Retain your customers and get repeat bookings by creating a Disney-level experience at your indoor playground business or play cafe business! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/S5mc-itOHuk What if the reason families don’t rebook birthday parties, memberships, or repeat visits isn’t your pricing,...
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354: Managing Parties, Capacity, and Staff in a Large Play Café With Kristina Lai From Busy Bee Play Cafe
What does it actually take to run a successful play café once you’re past the opening phase—especially when your space is larger than most independent, non-franchise-chain locations? In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Kristina Lai, owner of Busy Bee Play Cafe in...
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353: Facing Competition, Adding A Cafe, And More First-Year Trials and Successes With Charlesee and Max From Little Dreams Play Studio
In this episode, I’m joined by Charlesee and Max Woosley, the husband-and-wife owners of Little Dreams Play Studio in Dayton, Ohio. They opened in March, expanded quickly, added a café, and almost immediately faced new competition. We talk about what that actually looked like behind the…
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352: 2026 Trend Predictions For The Indoor Play Industry (Part 2- Operations and Day-to-Day)
This is Part 2 of my annual indoor playground and play café industry trends episode — a series I’ve released every single year since 2019. Part 1 focused on business design and planning. Part 2 is about operations, systems, and the decisions owners are making behind the scenes that will quietly...
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351: 2026 Trend Predictions For The Indoor Play Industry (Part 1- Planning and Design)
Every year (since 2019!), I release a trends episode for the indoor playground and play café industry — and this year, there was simply too much to cover responsibly in a single episode. BLOG For this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/2026-play-cafe-trends As I reviewed what I shared…
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350: My 7 Best Pieces of Advice for Indoor Playground Owners as We Head Into 2026
As I wrap up 2025, I wanted to record an episode that goes deeper than trends (but YES, my annual trends prediction is coming up next!)— because what I’m seeing across the industry right now isn’t necessarily a lack of ideas. It’s a lack of foundations. BLOG for this episode After a full year of...
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349: How Tiny Play Café Uses Business Sponsorships, Cafe Sales, and Camps to Create Long-Term Stability
In this episode, I sit down with Jayci, owner of Tiny Play Café, for a thoughtful, experience-based conversation about what it looks like to operate a play café several years into the business. Jayci shares how her café fits into the overall revenue picture, including how the café itself...
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348: How Indoor Playground Owners Can Use AI NOW to Set Up a Stronger 2026
Most indoor playground and play café owners don’t need more ideas going into a new year — they need better execution on the ones they already have. In this episode, I break down exactly how I’m using AI right now to help my indoor playground business owner clients review numbers, tighten systems,...
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347: Quick Strategies To Finish the Year Strong Even After a Slow Black Friday
If your Black Friday weekend fell flat or December sales feel slower than expected, this episode is for you. In this episode, I share proven, mid-December strategies that boost revenue quickly and with minimal stress. From annual membership offers to 2025 party pricing, holiday break camps…
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346: Turning Your Retail Section Into a Reliable Revenue Stream With Justine From Liv and Mimis
In today’s episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I’m joined by Justine, the owner of Liv and Mimi’s Play Café, who is now two years into her business journey. WATCH on YouTube (plus get a tour of Justine's retail section: https://youtu.be/BpxtDLo8SNIz) If you’re inside Play Maker Society, you...
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345: 9 Things I'd Tell A Prospective Play Cafe Owner If I Was NOT Afraid To Hurt Their Feelings
In this episode, I’m sharing the exact tough-love truth I give my one-on-one clients inside Play Cafe Academy and Playmaker Society—the things I say privately that genuinely help people avoid incredibly expensive, stressful, and sometimes irreversible mistakes when opening an indoor playground or...
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344: Year 1 Of Opening A Play Cafe With Owner Jessalyn Pustay From The Playroom WV
Year 1 Of Opening A Play Cafe With Jessalyn Pustay From The Playroom West Virginia! This interview is also available on YouTube as a video here! You can also get a summary of this episode on our blog here! In today’s episode, I’m talking with The Playroom owner Jessalyn Pustay about her first…
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343: Want Your Customers To "Shop Small" Instead Of On Amazon? The Honest Truth (And What You Can Do To Win Back Holiday Sales TODAY)
In this bonus episode, I’m breaking down a tough but important truth about holiday retail: parents aren’t loyal to Amazon—they’re loyal to convenience. If you want families in your community to “shop small” with your indoor playground or play cafe business, you have to make buying from your...
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342: Highly Profitable, Low-Lift Holiday Events To Add To Your Calendar (That Are NOT Santa Visits!)
In this episode, I’m sharing the simplest, most profitable holiday events you can add to your calendar — even in the middle of the December chaos. These ideas are designed to increase revenue, visibility, and loyalty without overwhelming you or your team. BLOG for this episode I talk about why…
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341: Earn Respect From Your Employees as A Leader With These 10 Important Habits
If you’re already open, you know this — and if you’re getting ready to open, you’re about to find out: managing a team is one of the hardest, most complex, and most draining parts of running an indoor playground or play café. In this episode, I’m sharing 10 leadership habits that have helped me...
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340: Checking in With Sunshine Play Cafe Owner Sarah Kobin 1 Year Later On What's Worked and What Hasn't After 18 Months In Business
In this episode, I’m catching up with play café owner Sarah Kobin, who I first interviewed about a year and a half ago when she was still in the early opening phase of her business. Now that she’s been open for 18 months, Sarah shares what’s changed — from which revenue streams performed best…
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339: The Hidden Risks of Joining a Play Café Franchise
In this episode, I’m breaking down the truth about play café and indoor playground franchising — and why this model has failed to deliver lasting success for most owners, outside of what you may see on social media. I’ve worked with countless franchisees who believed joining an established…
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338: Whether You Sell or Liquidate, Every Play Cafe Needs an Exit Plan (Here's The Why and HOW)
At some point, almost every play cafe owner will exit their business — whether it’s by selling, transitioning to a new owner, or closing and moving on to the next chapter. It’s a natural part of the business lifecycle, but it’s something most of us don’t think about until we have to. In this...
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337: 10 Last-Minute, Low-Cost Halloween Ideas for Indoor Playgrounds and Play Cafés
If Halloween snuck up on you this year—don’t stress. In this episode, I share 10 quick, low-cost, and high-impact ways to boost October profits and make your indoor playground or play café feel festive without draining your time or budget. These ideas will help you attract families, boost...
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336: Worried About Protecting Your Play Cafe Business Legally? I Ask MY Lawyer MJ Morley Your Legal Questions
Prefer to read? This episode's takeaways are summarized here! Prefer to watch? This interview's also on YouTube here ETSY Template Shop Work with MJ Morley Law: https://www.mjmorleylaw.com/ Thinking about opening a play café or indoor playground business? Or maybe you already own one and want to…
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335: Pre-Opening Secrets for Play Café Success And A Look Inside The Business Opening Process With Amy Bowman
In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Amy Bowman, founder of the soon-to-launch live music–themed play space, The Jamboree Club in Pennsylvania. Amy is right in the middle of business planning and finalizing her location, so we dive deep into the most important steps…
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334: 10 Sales Automation Strategies for Indoor Playgrounds — Get Time Back & Grow Revenue
As indoor playground owners, we didn’t open our spaces to spend nights chasing late payments or answering 10pm DMs. We opened to build community and have time with our families. That balance is possible—with automation. In this episode, I’m sharing 10 sales automations you can set up THIS week to...
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333: Why Your Indoor Playground Needs A Cafe (And More Hard Truths) With Funtown Play Cafe Owner Kate Mitchell
Simplify and Scale with 50% OFF WellnessLiving: https://discover.wellnessliving.com/playcafeacademy In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Kate Mitchell, the inspiring owner of Funtown Play Café, to hear the real story behind how she turned her vision into a thriving…
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332: Thriving Through Your First Months Of Indoor Playground Ownership With Jan From Kinderland
In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I share a recorded coaching call with Jan from Kinderland Play Cafe in Hendersonville, TN that covers the exact questions so many indoor playground and play café owners face when setting up their systems and preparing their business for growth—or…
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331: Non-Profit Success With Rosie Lynch From Wild Child Museum
In this episode of The Profitable Play Podcast, I share a recorded coaching call with Rosie Lynch, founder of Wild Child Museum & Managerie, a non-profit indoor play space operating inside her local community center. We discuss the strategic advantages of starting in a low-overhead location —...
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330: "Unstaffed" Play Spaces? Use Cases, Safety Tips, and New Revenue Streams
2 TICKETS LEFT FOR PLAY MAKER SOCIETY LIVE: https://www.michelecaruana.com/playmakerslive2025 Is your indoor playground or play café business ready for more freedom, flexibility, and revenue? In this episode, I share how a simple keypad entry system can completely transform your business...
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329: Summer Revenue Rescue for Indoor Playground Owners (Even WITHOUT Summer Camps)
If you’re listening in real time, you know that summer is just around the corner—and if your foot traffic or bookings are starting to dip, you’re not alone. This season can catch even the most prepared indoor playground owners off guard. But here’s the good news: even if you didn’t get a summer...
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328: Get Better Results From ChatGPT and AI By Using the Right Tools and Smarter Prompts
Play Makers Live 2025 Registration and Information (6 Tickets Left!) In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, I’m diving into Part 2 of our AI mini-series, and this time it’s all about how to get better results from ChatGPT. I’m sharing the exact tips and strategies I use as an indoor...
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327: 8 Next-Level AI Uses and Hacks for Busy Indoor Playground Owners
If you’ve ever joked about being the “lazy” play cafe owner—this episode is for you. (And if you’re offended by that term… take a deep breath and trust me on this one.) I know you're not actually lazy—you’re just juggling everything: your business, your family, your sanity… and trying to keep it...
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326: Introverted or Non-Confrontational? 6 Strategies To Still Thrive as an Indoor Playground Owner
In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, we’re diving into what success can look like for indoor playground owners who are introverted, non-confrontational, or just prefer to lead from behind the scenes. I’m sharing practical strategies for managing staff, setting boundaries with…
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325: 3 Unique Event Ideas To Get You Through Your Slow Spring Indoor Play Season
In this episode, I'm sharing three unique yet proven event ideas to help indoor playground owners boost revenue during the tricky spring season, bridging the gap between winter excitement and summer camp busyness. From hosting a fun and profitable "Mom-Friend Speed Dating" night, to a practical...
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324: The NICHE Indoor Playground Concept With Karla from Eat and Be Hoopy
Considering opening a play space in a mall OR thinking of starting a very NICHE indoor playground concept? Watch this honest interview first! In this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing Karla, the owner of Eat and Be Hoopy, a unique business in Vermont. Karla shares her inspiring journey...
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323: 10 Things I'd Do If I Needed To Book More Birthday Parties NOW
FREE Book More Birthdays Challenge: https://www.michelecaruana.com/birthdaychallenge BLOG for this Episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/increase-birthday-party-bookings If you're an indoor playground owner looking to increase party bookings, this episode is packed with actionable…
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322: Recorded Coaching Call With Meghan Hopkins, Owner of Jungle Jamz Play Cafe in Virginia!
Simplify and Scale with 50% OFF My POS System-Of-Choice: https://discover.wellnessliving.com/playcafeacademy Welcome back play makers! I'm excited to bring you another insightful recorded coaching call today with Meghan Hopkins, co-owner of Jungle Jamz Play Cafe. At the time of this recording,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
If you own or manage an indoor play center, play cafe, indoor playground, family entertainment center, mobile soft play rental business or really any business that serves local children and families, and you want to operate with more EASE and JOY, all while making the living you dreamed of– I created the profitable play podcast just for you. Join me, your host, Michele Caruana, for small but mighty tips every single weekday that will all add up to a BIG impact on your mindset, your business, and your bottom line. Stick with me to keep the PASSION and GROW the profit in YOUR play-based business
HOSTED BY
Michele Caruana
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Profitable Play Podcast have?
The Profitable Play Podcast currently has 381 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Profitable Play Podcast about?
If you own or manage an indoor play center, play cafe, indoor playground, family entertainment center, mobile soft play rental business or really any business that serves local children and families, and you want to operate with more EASE and JOY, all while making the living you dreamed of– I...
How often does The Profitable Play Podcast release new episodes?
The Profitable Play Podcast publishes regularly with 381 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Profitable Play Podcast?
You can listen to The Profitable Play Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Profitable Play Podcast?
The Profitable Play Podcast is created and hosted by Michele Caruana.
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