Michele Caruana

The Profitable Play Podcast

Business EN ↓ 376 episodes

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

Author

Michele Caruana

Episodes

050: 6 Boundaries You Should Be Setting As A Business Owner 23.03.2022 17:50

Firing a Customer (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPtJtRaHyEE Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://www.michelecaruana.com/mini-course-library-play-cafe-academy Michele’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/ Michele’s Website: www.michelecaruana.com Follow on YouTube: https://www.yo...

049: Should You Consider Adding a Service Fee / Automatic Tip To Your Parties? 22.03.2022 13:00

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://www.michelecaruana.com/mini-course-library-play-cafe-academy Michele’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/ Michele’s Website: www.michelecaruana.com Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PlayCafeAcademy Play Cafe Academy: www.michelecaruana.com/pla...

048: A Reminder To SEGMENT Your Marketing Messages 21.03.2022 18:38

047: Getting Ready For Your Busy Indoor Play SEASON 18.03.2022 17:40

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy Here in Western New York, our “busy” indoor playground season typically starts in November and stretches through May. So even though play spaces HERE are winding down from our busy open play season, I know play spaces down south and even across the world are getting ready for their weather to HEAT up, sending droves o...

046: 5 Tips For Handling Extra Busy School Break Weeks 17.03.2022 15:26

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy If you are a parent whose child is preschool-age or above, you understand how “break weeks” can be. Routines go out-the-window, and it’s easy to get stir-crazy, especially if you live in an area that stays cold well-through spring break like it does here in Western New York! It can be very tempting to plan a fun outin...

045: Go To Therapy, My Fellow Burnt-Out Business Owner 16.03.2022 10:16

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy 4 ways going to therapy more consistently has made me a better business leader, spouse, parent, friend... everything! Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://www.michelecaruana.com/mini-course-library-play-cafe-academy Michele’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/ Michele’s Website: www.michele...

044: Are You Upselling Enough In Your Play Based Business? 15.03.2022 9:08

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy In episode 41 and 26 I touch on upselling-- but this topic REALLY deserves its own episode. Why? Upselling is a way you can increase the amount of revenue you get from EVERY purchase made online on your website- and also increase the level of CONVENIENCE you are offering your customers which leads to more overall sati...

043: Boost Your Profit + Customer Experience By Better Accommodating Food Allergies (Even Severe Ones!) With Expert Corinna Meckelborg 14.03.2022 15:48

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy How to make your indoor playground food-allergy safe so you can be more inclusive AND grow sales!   Join me for this clip of my interview with food-allergy safety expert Corinna Meckelborg as we discuss not only WHY we should care about safely accommodating food allergies from an inclusivity standpoint (which we...

042: Just Do Something Nice Today (An Example That Made Me Cry) 11.03.2022 9:48

Play Cafe Academy and Play Maker Society: www.michelecaruana.com/playcafeacademy Sharing my recent experience with the "law of attraction" and how one person taking a few moments out of their day completely shifted the trajectory of my week when I was goin' through it. This episode is a little twist on the "Love Note" strategy I shared in episode 5. Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit....

041: The "Birthday Child Experience" Strategy To Up Your Open-Play Sales + Deliver A Truly Special and Memorable Experience 10.03.2022 19:48

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Learn our secret strategy for turning a child's special day (their ACTUAL birthday, so not necessarily their party day) into a memorable experience for them, PLUS a profitable venture for us! Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC Michele’s Instagram: instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/ Michele’s Website: www.michel...

040: How To Execute Events For Maximum Profit + The Best Customer Experience 09.03.2022 21:40

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Executing events at your space can be a tricky business. Here are my best tips to help your customers get the absolute MOST out of every single event they attend, and keep booking more events in the future! Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC Michele’s Instagram: instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/ Michele’s Webs...

039: How To Effectively Promote Events (Spending As Little $ As Possible) 08.03.2022 20:52

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Blogging Checklist: www.michelecaruana.com/blogchecklist 5 MORE ways to promote your classes, events, camps, and workshops with ease (+ outsourcing ad budget saving tips!) Blogging Checklist: www.michelecaruana.com/blogchecklist Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC Michele’s Instagram: instagram.com/itsmichelec...

038: When To Plan + Schedule Events For Maximum Sales + Minimum Risk 07.03.2022 14:44

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Answering one of my most common questions: how early is too early to schedule events, classes, and camps... and where is the "sweet spot"? See Event Examples on YouTube: youtube.com/playcafeacademy What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC Michele’s I...

037: How to Create a Successful & LEGAL Summer Intern Program 04.03.2022 18:04

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Hiring and working with summer interns is a tricky business-- and there are a lot more legalities and responsibilities involved than most people think! Here are my tips. What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC Michele’s Instagram: instagram.com/itsm...

036: Hiring & Retaining Gen-Z Employees In Your Retail Business 03.03.2022 27:18

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking I asked some Gen-Z retail workers and other business owners like myself what it takes to not only attract and hire the right people, but also keep their Generation-Z employees happy and motivated. What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC Michele’s In...

035: How To Afford, Find, + Hire A Manager Or Team-Lead For Your Business 02.03.2022 17:38

FREE 14-DAY Active Campaign Trial: https://bit.ly/3rjp5bP  Hiring tips to find the perfect manager or team-lead AND make it affordable for your business! A MUST listen!  What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking  Indoor Playground Business Courses: https://bit.ly/37yCxAC  Michele’s Instagram: instagram.com/itsmichelecaruana/  Michele’s Website: www....

034: Why Your Business Needs A Manager Or a Team-Lead 01.03.2022 21:52

What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/whatsworking If these last few years have taught us anything as business owners-- it's that we need to be agile and adapt when major local or world events occur. For today's play of the day I have 4 things to put on your checklist as a business owner as we experience a major world conflict. What's Working 2021-22 Guide: www.michelecaruana.com/wh...

033: Marketing & Running Your Business During A Local or World Event 25.02.2022 9:26

032: When To Reply To, When To Hide, & When To Delete Negative Comments On Ads 25.02.2022 11:16

Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads Listen to my rule-of-thumb about when to reply to comments, when to hide them, and when to delete them. Then, create an SOP and delegate this process using your OWN rule! EPISODE LINKS: Facebook Ad YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MicheleCaruana Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecar...

031: The 2 Retargeting Facebook and Instagram Ads Your Play Business NEEDS (3/3) 24.02.2022 19:20

Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads In this 3-part episode series, we will be going over the basics of creating evergreen Facebook and Instagram ads-- meaning ads that can be automated and run in the BACKGROUND of your business-- while you focus on more important things. This episode goes over two re-targeting strategies I LOVE to build your bus...

030: Your Simple Top-Of-Funnel Evergreen Facebook Ad Strategy (2/3) 23.02.2022 18:46

Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads In this 3-part episode series, we will be going over the basics of creating evergreen Facebook and Instagram ads-- meaning ads that can be automated and run in the BACKGROUND of your business-- while you focus on more important things. This episode goes over a TOP of funnel ad strategy. In essence, getting NEW...

029: The Basics of Creating "Evergreen" Facebook And Instagram Ads (1/3) 22.02.2022 15:58

Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads In this 3-part episode series, we will be going over the basics of creating evergreen Facebook and Instagram ads-- meaning ads that can be automated and run in the BACKGROUND of your business-- while you focus on more important things. This episode lays the foundation for the next 2 episodes-- so don't skip it...

028: Navigating Rising Costs and Price Increases In Your Business 21.02.2022 14:40

Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads Last episode, I talked about how to find potential opportunities to decrease some of your costs, especially if your business model has shifted at all since opening and your volume is different than expected. But what happens if you can’t decrease a specific price? Or, worse yet, what if you are facing price IN...

027: Now's Your Time To Negotiate (Cost Saving Tips & Tricks) 18.02.2022 13:56

Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads In this episode I share terms and conditions you want to think about adjusting and negotiating to save on your monthly operating costs. The opportunities are THERE, I want to help you find them. EPISODE LINKS: Book More Birthdays Paid Course: https://www.michelecaruana.com/bookmorebirthdayswithads Indoor Playg...

026: Creating a Bundle Offer For A Quick Cash Boost 17.02.2022 13:28

FREE 14-DAY Active Campaign Trial: https://bit.ly/3rjp5bP While I teach this strategy in much more detail in my paid programs, in this episode I break down the basics of how we crafted a creative strategy to reward our BEST customers AND give ourselves a quick cash boost whenever we found ourselves facing an unexpected cost or bill. Remember, use this one sparingly, but it can be very powerful! EP...