How would you scale an indoor playground?

[Diasz]

Hello guys! This is my first post on this forum.

I've read The Great Rat Race Escape and I'm now reading Millionaire Fastlane , and while I'm starting one business with my wife, I'm also thinking on how to upgrade/scale my parent's business.

Their establishment is an indoor playground nestled within a prominent store here in Latin America, where we call home. Unlike our competitors who charge hourly rates, we offer unlimited playtime for a flat fee of 40 "money" per child. Additionally, we boast an event space for hosting children's birthday parties, allowing us to host up to two events daily. We offer this space along with decoration services and post-event cleaning for a separate fee.
Our operational expenses primarily comprise staffing, rent, and utilities.
My brother's wife is the general manager which we trust who takes care of the business, therefore my parents do not have to work at all.

Despite the current profitability of our business, it appears to have hit a plateau in terms of its earning potential. We maintain a minimal online presence due to our business operating at nearly maximum capacity. Our social media account is modest, given the high demand for our services, with the entire year already booked for birthday parties and weekends witnessing a crowded influx of children.

Scaling the business proves challenging without a proportional increase in the workload. Expanding by opening additional playgrounds would require finding and training more managers, a task we currently find daunting. The possibility of franchising is also limited by the fact that we don't own the space within the store. While the store itself is a prominent chain with almost 200 outlets across 150 cities, and my mother has a direct connection with the owner, there remains a lingering concern. The fear stems from the potential vulnerability of our business if the store owner decides to repurpose our space, leaving us at risk of losing our thriving venture.

I'm seeking some advice and insights on how to take our indoor playground business to the next level. Specifically, I'm curious if any of you have suggestions on leveraging the internet to scale our operations in ways we might not have considered. I'm also interested in learning about similar businesses in the US. Since I haven't had the opportunity to visit the US myself, I'm curious if there are any notable differences in how these businesses operate there, or if there are any innovative ideas being implemented that we haven't yet explored.

Thank you for reading!

 

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[Bounce Back]

With your fear + desire to grow my first thought is second location.

 

[Runum]

Hello guys! This is my first post on this forum.

I've read The Great Rat Race Escape and I'm now reading Millionaire Fastlane , and while I'm starting one business with my wife, I'm also thinking on how to upgrade/scale my parent's business.

Their establishment is an indoor playground nestled within a prominent store here in Latin America, where we call home. Unlike our competitors who charge hourly rates, we offer unlimited playtime for a flat fee of 40 "money" per child. Additionally, we boast an event space for hosting children's birthday parties, allowing us to host up to two events daily. We offer this space along with decoration services and post-event cleaning for a separate fee.
Our operational expenses primarily comprise staffing, rent, and utilities.
My brother's wife is the general manager which we trust who takes care of the business, therefore my parents do not have to work at all.

Despite the current profitability of our business, it appears to have hit a plateau in terms of its earning potential. We maintain a minimal online presence due to our business operating at nearly maximum capacity. Our social media account is modest, given the high demand for our services, with the entire year already booked for birthday parties and weekends witnessing a crowded influx of children.

Scaling the business proves challenging without a proportional increase in the workload. Expanding by opening additional playgrounds would require finding and training more managers, a task we currently find daunting. The possibility of franchising is also limited by the fact that we don't own the space within the store. While the store itself is a prominent chain with almost 200 outlets across 150 cities, and my mother has a direct connection with the owner, there remains a lingering concern. The fear stems from the potential vulnerability of our business if the store owner decides to repurpose our space, leaving us at risk of losing our thriving venture.

I'm seeking some advice and insights on how to take our indoor playground business to the next level. Specifically, I'm curious if any of you have suggestions on leveraging the internet to scale our operations in ways we might not have considered. I'm also interested in learning about similar businesses in the US. Since I haven't had the opportunity to visit the US myself, I'm curious if there are any notable differences in how these businesses operate there, or if there are any innovative ideas being implemented that we haven't yet explored.

Thank you for reading!

It sounds like your at full capacity now and very successful.. Could you document and package your business systems to sell to other potential owner/operators?
Stand alone indoor playgrounds were very popular around here when my kid was young. There were several and we went a few times. It was nice to get her out and active in a cooler environment on a hot summer day. It was like the businesses were there for a while and then they all disappeared. In the US, liabilities for injuries, sanitation, and staff attitude were challenges I remember.

If you are at max capacity now, in order to grow you have to somehow add more capacity. Maybe buy a bigger building and have a hybrid indoor/outdoor area?

Good luck.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The possibility of franchising is also limited by the fact that we don't own the space within the store

This shouldn't prevent you from franchising the concept and the system to others.

I would also try to fix this control issue, minimally with a written agreement or a lease. It sounds like there is no such thing because if there was an agreement, it wouldn't be a concern.

 

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