private members' club for families

[pippiLS]

So do you think £10 per week for access to a stylish child-friendly club (with tasteful soft play areas etc) is a big ask?

DH thinks it's too much and no none would pay it whereas I think £520 for annual membership of a place where people with babies/toddlers go and meet other mums/dads/nannies, have a decent coffee (maybe even a tasty, healthy lunch), relax in comfort and attend classes with their little ones is an OK price to pay.

Am I being unreasonable to be considering opening such a place as a business venture?

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

purple dragon is 4000 for 2 kids.

[WorraLiberty]

Another part of my vision is to provide a safe environment for mothers (who may be feeling vulnerable about returning to the work place) to develop their skills; inspirational lectures, IT support, CV/job hunting etc.

So you'll need staff to provide childcare too?

[pippiLS]

Was thinking of somewhere like [[http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/28268604
search_identifier=7920c96230d3ea599c1b35a3dd5c1671 this]] for a venue, not quite sure how I'd raise the funds to buy it though .

[YoniMitchell]

So now it sounds like you envisage a co-op style set-up and perhaps something more altruistic than a business venture? That's quite different to a private members club!

Can you speak to any existing venues to see how you could work together to offer these enhanced facilities?

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

Pippi, you might want to go and talk to your local council about local facilities - maybe you can work with sure Start centres or similar to achieve your goals.

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

sorry, read an old article!

[CarolineKnappShappey]

It's not the same, but have you thought about opening a Little Gym ?

[TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot]

Would you be paying the mums running classes and story telling sessions? I can't imagine someone paying 520 a year to be unpaid staff in a private business.

[TondelayoSchwarzkopf]

The sort of women who will be members of a private club for families won't be the sort of women who need help with their CV.

I live in an area (affluent part of North London) where this sort of club would prosper but so far it hasn't happened. And that's because people want variety in their activities - there are plenty of places that already offer mum n baby screenings, soft play, cupcake making, crafts, sports, luxury gyms with crèches, etc etc etc. I don't think that a one size fits all approach works. You seems to have lots of ideas but lack focus.

(Also IRL I've rarely encountered the snobbery about Soft Play you get on here. Even the poshest parents slum it at our local ball park warehouse - takes the kids off their hands for an hour, has wifi and the coffee is tolerable.)

Pick one thing that you are passionate about and build a small business plan from there.

[WorraLiberty]

The sort of women who will be members of a private club for families won't be the sort of women who need help with their CV.

That's what I was thinking.

I'm guessing the majority will be back to work after ML, so the nanny/AP would probably be taking the child there anyway.

[pippiLS]

Yoni, speaking to existing venues is an idea but I can't imagine many beautiful welcoming places that would just open their doors. I would like it to be a business venture first and foremost but I don't like the idea of entrenching privilege by providing a fantastic service to only one group of society iykwim. Can altruism and business not go together?

[Artandco]

I think the main clientele in these classes are actually just people who need to be out the house. Ie for us we live in tiny flat so we use when friends over so they have more space to play.
Or nannies working for families who work from home, so kids can play and leave house quiet for a while

This is why they work well in London as many people in this situation. Not sure out of London/ large city it will as well

[TondelayoSchwarzkopf]

ball pit warehouse that should say.

Also you will need a lot more staff - all CRB checked, first aid trained, food hygiene certified and heavily insured.

[WorraLiberty]

I don't like the idea of entrenching privilege by providing a fantastic service to only one group of society iykwim.

Well at £520 a pop, plus drinks, plus £10 per class you're doing exactly that surely?

[CarolineKnappShappey]

Can altruism and business not go together?

Rarely.

We are in a very affluent area, people will pay for gym membership with a crèche, and for expensive classes. But not what you are suggesting I think.

And it does sound very exclusionary. Naice wooden toys...

[YoniMitchell]

TheIncredible, Tondelayo and Worra all make great points OP. I think you need to work out exactly what you want to offer and to whom and what you want to gain from it.

[pippiLS]

'The sort of women who will be members of a private club for families won't be the sort of women who need help with their CV.'

I don't think my target market is the uber rich and successful, more the middle class mid-career women who are having their kids later and later and who may be taking up to 5 years out of the work place.

[YoniMitchell]

I just think your model is confused here OP.

[ItsAFuckingVase]

OP I mean this in the nicest possible way but you're completely deluded. How much do you think these types of business cost to start up and to maintain? There's one near me that has a very strong customer base and caters very well for children with sensory and learning disorders. The owner had to raise over £300k to start it up.

The staffing already mentioned would be an absolute minimum really. I'd fully expect a receptionist, a couple of catering assistants, a few general assistants, class tutors, a manager, a few cleaners. Then you'll need somebody to maintain the fabric of the building and it's contents, whether employed or a contractor. You'll need to provide training for your staff (which I can assure you does not come cheap). You'll need insurance (again, not cheap). You'll also need to consider rates, entertainment licence, costs of background checks etc. How much would the energy costs be? Who would carry out risk assessments? Who would be the qualified first aiders?

Then who exactly would be providing all of this coaching to parents and giving cv workshops? Who would be funding the CRB checks of the parents coming in to hold workshops? Who would be supervising the children whilst the parents have a morning coffee after dropping older children at school? How would you deal with disabled children?

[ItsAFuckingVase]

And fucking hell, I've read a lot written by Stephen Hawking. It doesn't mean I know everything there is to know about cosmology.

As Alan Sugar said, I know the words to Candle In The Wind but is doesn't make me Elton John.

[Clutterbugsmum]

I agree, ItsAFuckingVase it all seems a bit pie in the sky.

OP you seem to have a set idea of what you think people want, but I don't think you have actually looked at what available in the area you live in or what people want.

You seem to be geared at parents with babies/toddlers but what about parents with older children as well. I wouldn't want my older child either watching films or playing on the WIFI. They can do that at home for free.

[pippiLS]

ItsaFuckingVase, I'm not opening a school - I'm just getting a business idea straight in my head. I like the M&R concept from what I've read, that's all I meant. I'm not purporting to be an expert in anything.

[pippiLS]

Yoni, what I want to gain from it is easy, I want to create something tangible (and nice to look at) that I can be proud of and maybe even pass on. I've never seen myself as the run your own business type but the more I look into it the more I realise it's not rocket science. I'm not afraid of hard work and my principles are all in order…now if I could only win the lottery...

[BiscuitCrumb]

'The sort of women who will be members of a private club for families won't be the sort of women who need help with their CV.'

I don't think my target market is the uber rich and successful, more the middle class mid-career women who are having their kids later and later and who may be taking up to 5 years out of the work place.

Again these sort of women don't often need help with their CV. These are usually professional women who have reached a point in their careers who decide to have children in their 30s. They're more often the kind who don't venture to these places, consider the thought of mingling with other 'mummies' in a soft play environment total hell. And have often made provisions and connections to return to their careers relatively quickly. They also often have the finances to venture to unusual and differing activities and classes with their children rather than attend one place (like a sure start centre' on a daily basis. They're usually members of their local farm, local zoo, national trust etc...

Trust me - I'm one of them.

[ItsAFuckingVase]

Honestly OP if you've read my post and all you can come up with is that you're not proposing to open a school then you're even more deluded than I thought.

And actually, if you're proposing to take £520 a year of my money for a service then I do expect you to be a bloody expert in providing that service!!