To think that playing pretend can earn a living?

[Newtorhis]

I've recently accepted voluntary redundancy and will be out of work later this month. I'm looking for jobs but also have an idea for my own business.

As a family , we love the role play cafes / centres where you book a session and the kids can go round the different role play areas like shops, vets, hair dressers, house etc while you have a coffee. I find them a much calmer alternative to soft play on rainy days. There were loads of these in south east Wales however I have recently moved area (to a more rural part of Wales) and the nearest facility like this is 40mins drive away in the neighbouring county so I'd love to set something up for myself and the community.

I think I'd be too nervous to set up a permanent facility (with a cafe etc) because of the overhead costs, but wondered about a mobile setting. I have experienced this type of set up as a customer as I used to take my kids to a mobile role play group in the Newport area that was wonderful... They would set up in local village halls and create different 'stations' using lovely wooden toys such as a kitchen and mini table and chairs for 'home' setting, or soft toys and a doctor's kit for a vet. There used to be around 5 stations for kids to play with plus a few ride on toys and a small baby area for siblings. There were tables for grown ups to sit at and you'd get a tea or coffee (nothing fancy). It used to cost around 7 or 8 quid for 1 child ticket (1.5 hour session) then 2 quid for a sibling.

I mentioned the idea to my mum and she said that sort of thing wouldn't make much money. However I've costed it and think there could be money there if I moved around the county on different days of the week as there are at least 3 large towns within 20 minutes drive from my new house. My husband suggested people could hire for parties or even weddings when people have a lot of kids attending and want some sort of entertainment for them. I'd need to be running a few days a week to make money and do back to back sessions to maximise return on the village hall fees and set up time etc. I'd also need a van / trailer which would be the biggest financial commitment.

For those with kids aged 5 and under, what do you think? Would this be a good addition to your community if you didn't or don't have something like this already? Has anyone had success doing something similar?

Thank you! X

Go for it.

I'd love one and use it. We used to have one near us, but it left and my toddler misses it. We paid about £9 for a session, which came with a free hot drink for adult and squash and biscuit for toddler.

There could potentially be a market depending on where you live and how you advertise/market, but you'd also need to take into account storage for all of the items, petrol/car wear and tear for travel costs, liability insurance in case (god forbid) something happened to a child while playing, also insurance for the van/items themselves as you'd be unable to make money if there was somehow fire/flood damage etc. But absolutely worth exploring!

Yes look into Little City - we used to go when my kids were preschoolers, they loved it. I was sad when they outgrew it! I think the lady that does the local one runs it as part of a franchise, she does birthday parties etc too as well as the weekly groups.

My only suggestion is that you do a lot of research into insurance and what it would cost you to get cover to a level that would make you feel comfortable. I think you would need public liability insurance at least, so you need to factur that into your costs estimate as well.

Sounds like an interesting business model especially if you have a few large cities in the vicinity.
Don't worry about what your friends and family say. They haven't seen the numbers and it is a natural reaction to anyone starting a business to say "this won't work".
I think, your largest outgoing is potentially going to be insurance. Have you looked into it yet?

I think it sounds like a really good idea - good quality toys are a must and washing/steaming the soft toys and dressing up regularly

Absolutely! Brilliant idea. We have also enjoyed Little City, our local franchise is in fact up for sale. Good luck to you!

There's definitely a market for village hall toddler parties. I used to run a play group at a village hall that had a big play area outside. It was a great cheap venue for birthday parties, we used to hire out all our ride on toys and play kitchens etc. It was booked every weekend.

Wow just looked at this. I can see kids would like it, but it just looks like a glossier version of what playgroups already have.

I think it could work, if you can commit and work out cost and profit properly and can see a good profit go for it.

This is in the next borough / county to us but are mobile and have set up in a church hall in our Borough in the next town and its great also very popular.

www.jollieplaytown.com/

That's a really lovely idea and I'd definitely go to something like that! We go to playgroups and play centres that have the imaginary world / pretend play sections and I agree love those far more than just plain soft play

It seems relatively expensive. We used to go to a lovely place with various vintage play areas. Shop, schoolroom, dressing up. It was only £40 for a family membership for the year. O

Our kids would love this - the nearest tiny town is the other side of the city and a pain to get to. Advertising would be key IMHO - whenever we hear about anything like this we are always too late!

Our nursery and school will happily share information about stuff like this and it's a great way to reach us.

I've been to my local one with my DD for birthday parties and she DD enjoyed it.

The one thing to have in mind is that you will be working every single weekend as that's when kids have birthday parties and you would likely get the most bookings.

You would also need to know when school holidays are as kids who are in reception so 4/5 would still enjoy going to one, so you would be busy then.

This already exists where i live. Its popular with mums of school aged children as a "job" where they don't need to use school hour wraparound childcare, however, like baby music groups etc, you don't make loads. Pocket money. Margins are thin and its easier for competitors to set up. Its also variable. You might be popular with one set of mums then struggle when they all return to work.

If you actually want to earn good money, you'll earn far more simply getting a job. If you want a few hundred pounds of profit a month that takes quite a lot of hours to earn but is rather flexible, it might serve you.

I did something similar but we thankfully had a permanent location/storage space in the hall we used.

insurance wasn’t much. Everyone shouts ‘insurance insurance insurance’ but it was like £20 a month for incredible cover. We used Markel Direct. Actually I just looked them up in my emails to get the company name and it was £131 per year.

your local council might have a grant available too, even for profit making businesses.

Do not under estimate how knackering setting up and packing away are. Paying £8+ means carers won’t want to help pack away which is fine.

Some halls will offer a discount if you can pay up for 3 or 6 months at once.

You can increase your profit with food and drinks. Get brand names, from a wholesaler. The mark up on hot drinks is insane!

Don’t hate on me buy Temu is a cheap place to buy things. Just double check reviews and safety markings.

Don’t forget to factor in fuel, van insurance, replacing equipment, etc.

Also you could look into some franchises so you already have the name etc. eg https://www.littlecityuk.com/franchise

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. The only reason we didn’t continue was that my business partner had additional SEN commitments and I didn’t want to do it alone as it was her idea.

I love a decent play cafe, we have several by us 10 - 30 mins drive away. All I would add for you to consider is that decent coffee and good food is a big reason I/other parents I know like them. I’m happy to drive to the one furthest away over the others because it’s coffee and food are the best! I’d be a bit sad if only a filter coffee was on offer 😂

Wow, thank you so much everyone for your responses. Lovely to have so many cheerleaders saying... You can do it! and some very helpful and practical advice @CherriesBerriesAndBananas

Storage is definitely something to consider as we've moved to a house without a garage.

Insurance is also a very good point! I am a worrier so 100% insurance is top of the list.

I am leaving a job in digital marketing, so hopeful I should be up to scratch on the advertising side of things 🤞

It would definitely be a lifestyle business to offer me more flexibility while my kids are young and is unlikely to be a huge money maker... A normal job would definitely be more financially secure, but I wonder if now is the time to take a step back from the 9-5 with my redundancy giving me the finances to make it possible to set up without debt.

Lots to think about! Back to the spreadsheet!

Thank you all again xxx

Ohhh if you’re coming from digital marketing then you will nail the promo side of things! How exciting!