Thank you so much, that was really useful and informative. I do wonder how would the pricing work for open play? It would obviously need to cover for the operating costs, do you still aim for 60% profit margin and how do you estimate how many kids will attend per day?
Yes! Owning a business is never all butteries and rainbows. I’m always dealing with “something”. And we are very successful. Great video! I found a lot of patents really wanted a discount for siblings. So we gave $10 off for siblings. We don’t do this often because of staffing issues. But maybe more in 2023!
I am curious tho - I see a lot with specific time slots for open play and some that are just open hours and come and go whenever, why would someone choose one over the other for their indoor playground?
Full cost prepaid , non refundable We did quietly offer credit if people called or emailed and said they or their child was sick. We did not want the non refundable nature of the ticket to encourage people to bring sick kiddos. Of course im sure some people lied but it happened pretty infrequently. I have a video coming out on friday about kids night out events and that should explain some more about why we did so much to discourage people bringing sick kids but im sure you can also relate 🤪
@@kellyn7184 it depends on the event! Usually we did not but thats because a huge majority of our events were aimed at kids 2 and under For our big sibling friendly events like halloween and santa, we did not offer sibling discounts because they always sold out without offering it However for a less popular event that didnt easily sell out, we definitely offered it! I decided on a case by case basis
Hi! There are plenty of ways to reduce costs-- much of that will come through automation, delegation, and improving your systems. While my RUclips channel is best for prospective owners, I dive more into CURRENT owner content (like reducing operating costs and improving efficiency) on my podcast. I have several episodes organized into easy-to-consume playlists here -- www.michelecaruana.com/playpodcast
If your area will not allow you to charge those prices- chances are the cost of rent and operating will be much lower as well in those areas, so it typically evens out and you’d be able to charge less and remain profitable $40 for 3 hours of drop-off care is less than you’d pay for a babysitter in NY :) and we are not NYC- we are western NY where prices are much lower. Minimum wage here is $15- so people gladly pay! Luckily not everyone needs to be willing to pay those prices- we sold out at 15 families. Even in a tiny town thats a very small fraction of the population. And it was typically the same families booking every single time.
Thank you Michelle! Eyes on my own paper from now on!
💯💯💯
Thank you so much, that was really useful and informative. I do wonder how would the pricing work for open play? It would obviously need to cover for the operating costs, do you still aim for 60% profit margin and how do you estimate how many kids will attend per day?
Yes! Owning a business is never all butteries and rainbows. I’m always dealing with “something”. And we are very successful. Great video! I found a lot of patents really wanted a discount for siblings. So we gave $10 off for siblings. We don’t do this often because of staffing issues. But maybe more in 2023!
Whaaaaa! I feel YT famous even with a typo in my comment 😂🤦🏼♀️. Thank you for your videos!
Remembering to also factor in if your event doesn’t sell out what the minimum number of kids you can take and still be profitable.
Thank you! :)
I am curious tho - I see a lot with specific time slots for open play and some that are just open hours and come and go whenever, why would someone choose one over the other for their indoor playground?
This is probably the most common topic in Play Maker Society :) it comes down to what works for your business. There are so many factors to consider.
I wanted to ask.. did you do a non refundable deposit for a drop off event ? Or full cost prepaid? Refundable or non refundable?
Full cost prepaid , non refundable
We did quietly offer credit if people called or emailed and said they or their child was sick. We did not want the non refundable nature of the ticket to encourage people to bring sick kiddos. Of course im sure some people lied but it happened pretty infrequently. I have a video coming out on friday about kids night out events and that should explain some more about why we did so much to discourage people bringing sick kids but im sure you can also relate 🤪
Credit towards a future event that is!
Also I was asked a lot for sibling discount. On this type of event. Was that something you did? I did that on our last event.
@@kellyn7184 it depends on the event! Usually we did not but thats because a huge majority of our events were aimed at kids 2 and under
For our big sibling friendly events like halloween and santa, we did not offer sibling discounts because they always sold out without offering it
However for a less popular event that didnt easily sell out, we definitely offered it! I decided on a case by case basis
@@PlayCafeAcademy this was for a “date night drop off” I don’t normally do discounts for our events.
Hi Michele, How do you suggest bringing the monthly expenses down? Or, instead, should we increase prices?
Hi! There are plenty of ways to reduce costs-- much of that will come through automation, delegation, and improving your systems. While my RUclips channel is best for prospective owners, I dive more into CURRENT owner content (like reducing operating costs and improving efficiency) on my podcast. I have several episodes organized into easy-to-consume playlists here -- www.michelecaruana.com/playpodcast
Wow $40 dollars for a night would never be something I could never charge in my small rural community
If your area will not allow you to charge those prices- chances are the cost of rent and operating will be much lower as well in those areas, so it typically evens out and you’d be able to charge less and remain profitable
$40 for 3 hours of drop-off care is less than you’d pay for a babysitter in NY :) and we are not NYC- we are western NY where prices are much lower. Minimum wage here is $15- so people gladly pay!
Luckily not everyone needs to be willing to pay those prices- we sold out at 15 families. Even in a tiny town thats a very small fraction of the population. And it was typically the same families booking every single time.