How to Start an Indoor Playground Business in 9 Steps
If you love to work with children then starting your own indoor playground business is a good choice because this venture allows you to work with kids in a fun and creative ways. Apart from this, the indoor playground business has the potential to grow and is one of the profitable businesses because people are busier with work and don’t have enough time to provide the environment in their homes as indoor playground businesses do.
Starting a business require many things but with the right steps and careful planning, you can easily achieve your goals. In this article, we will share with you a step-by-step guide on how to start an indoor playground business.
9 Steps for Starting an Indoor Playground Business
1. Create an indoor playground business plan
One of the important steps you should consider initially is the creation of a business plan because it is one of the most important aspects. To start an indoor playground business this step is crucial. Since you must know what you plan to achieve in the future. So, we recommend you start creating the plan by answering the question, how does your business benefit children?
Playing is one of the practices that promote development and growth in kids. Therefore, keep in mind that, as it is a kid’s business, you must not only guarantee their fun but also their safety. Design your business place where you consider the ages, capacities, and sizes for the entrance to each recreational area.
In the indoor playground business plan, you should also include the executive summary, market research and analysis, which people will work in your business, and most importantly your financial plan.
2. Name of Your Business
How we attract the attention of the customers is the key to obtaining a unique identity in this type of business. It is essential since it must not only attract children but it should also build confidence in parents.
A children’s playground should have a name that is creative, easy to remember, and original (which means you should use a unique name and don’t copy others). The major goal with your name is that people can easily understand what you are offering. However, you can use elements that help promote this understanding such as logos, colors, and fonts.
In an indoor playground business, you can use graphic representation through cubes with letters, dolls, balls, or cars. Also, it is important to choose bright colors because according to color psychology, colors such as yellow, orange, red, and purple promote feelings of joy, excitement, fun, and energy.
3. Create a Theme for Indoor Playground Business
If you want to make your indoor playroom business for kids stand out then you should be innovative. Customizing your business place gives you the possibility of recreating fun scenarios according to the age of your customers. Choose a theme a proper theme indoor playground. You can decorate your place with elements alluding to the sea with a kingdom with fish, mermaids, and corals.
The options are endless but regarding the choice of various themes for each room in the indoor playground, it is possible to create activities around the theme. You can choose such as telescope in your equipment to recreate a mini observatory so that each child can observe the stars and planets.
4. Choose a suitable location
When creating an indoor playground for children location is an important step in starting this business because that will help make life easier for parents. Before deciding where you want to settle, take a deep look at accessibility and security.
For parents, it should be easy to get there by car, bus, subway, or by any type of transport. So, you need to choose a location that is suitable for both children and parents and avoid any such locations that are harmful to the children.
In other words, the focus is on getting a place that meets the requirements of your idea. Select a location that is easy to find, also there should be a vast market around that location and a suitable place for children.
5. Determine your target market
If you are thinking of opening an indoor playground business for kids, think about the needs of children and decide your target market accordingly. For this purpose, you can decide to have a room in the playground for each age group. So, we recommend that you study each profile carefully, and with this methodology, it will be easier for you to identify the interests of each one and make the right selection of services.
In general, the rooms you make should be according to the age range of children between 1 year to 12 years. However, you can divide one or more levels to have areas designed to suit the needs of each age group. This can be done in the smallest spaces also because they require safe, soft areas and sometimes enough space to enter with their representative.
6. Equip your playground rooms
Now you need things that are necessary to decorate and equip your rooms so you need to include the cost of entertainment equipment in your budget. Among what you will require to open your own indoor playground business, these are a few things you should consider:
- Tables and chairs
- mats
- Toys
- Sport equipment
- Children’s books and magazines
7. Register Your Business
Registration of the business is an important step for starting an indoor playground business. So, you should get the necessary license and permits for your business.
For this purpose, you can consider the following things:
Registration of a trademark
It is very important to register your trademark or commercial business so that your business has a unique name that is not already in use by another company. So to register your business you can choose an online legal website or visit the legal authorities’ office.
Technical sheet of each entertainment room
As an indoor playground business, you need to have entertainment areas that have a unique set of features and requirements. It is important to create a technical sheet for each room to determine the capacity, conditions, and restrictions so that the areas are safe and appropriate for children of all ages.
Approval of verification of habitability of the facilities
Your indoor playground will need to meet certain habitability standards to ensure the safety and well-being of the children. You will need to obtain approval for verification of the habitability of the facilities from your state’s countries. They might inspect your facility to ensure that it meets certain health and safety standards.
Operating license
Once you have obtained approval for verification of habitability, you will need to have an operating license. This will allow you to legally operate your indoor playground business. So, follow specific regulations and guidelines to maintain your operating license.
Employee membership
Your indoor playground business will require employees to manage operations, provide customer service, and ensure the safety of children. As an employer, you need to provide employee membership and follow labor laws so that your employees are treated fairly and equitably.
Certification for food handling in case of commercialization
If you plan to offer food or beverages at your indoor playground, you will need to obtain a certification for that so that you and your employees are knowledgeable about safe food handling practices and that your customers are protected from foodborne illnesses.
Manual of conditions, restrictions, and signage for the game rooms
Finally, you will need to create a manual of conditions, restrictions, and signage for the entire game room. So that your customers are aware of the rules and regulations of your indoor playground and that they can safely enjoy all of the activities and amenities you have to offer.
Note that the legal requirements might vary from country to country. You need to visit a nearby legal authorities’ office and ask them what things you will need for the registration of the indoor playground business.
8. Hire Experienced Staff
When you deal with children, the staff who care for them must be trained, professional, and full of a lot of patience. So, you need to hire at least 5 employees so that they learn to manage the needs of children. As your business grows, you will be able to recruit new staff and expand your business.
Do not forget that you are required to have experience with children and, if possible, do preparation. In addition, plan training days to keep the strategies updated. On the other hand, do not leave out the staff that will attend to the parents and receives your little ones, they will be the main face of your business.
Finally, you can hire external personnel to help you take pictures, and generate memories for your clients and content for your social networks. It will also help you to do publicity in the area and for the organization and logistics of corporate events.
9. Promote and Expand your business
Managing the daily presence of your business in the digital world is consistent and hard work to do as well. Far from directly contacting the parents, you will have the opportunity to interact with the real customer. Parents are frequently surfing the internet, so it is ideal to promote your business online.
Implement marketing and advertising techniques to stay updated on social networks and position yourself in search engines. In the meantime, we recommend that you do not neglect offline promotion with participation in parties or companies to increase the attraction of clients or with the sponsorship of special events.
Ultimately, any method you use to capture the attention of your market will be well rewarded. Don’t limit yourself.
Conclusion
As you can see, to start an indoor playground business, you need more than a proper location. However, what we want to highlight the most in this idea is that you need to be creative with a child to connect with their interests. The business is a path full of tests, but with incredible results. So work hard with dedication, and your business will grow and prosper. Good luck with your indoor playground business.