353: Facing Competition, Adding A Cafe, And More First-Year Trials and Successes With Charlesee and Max From Little Dreams Play Studio
Shownotes
In this episode, I’m joined by Charlesee and Max Woosley, the husband-and-wife owners of Little Dreams Play Studio in Dayton, Ohio.
They opened in March, expanded quickly, added a café, and almost immediately faced new competition.
We talk about what that actually looked like behind the scenes—and how they’ve navigated growth, staffing, pricing, and marketing without losing focus or burning out.
In this episode, we cover...
- Opening as the only play space—and handling nearby competition
- Expanding their space and adding a café
- Hiring lessons and early staffing mistakes
- Why birthday parties grew faster than expected
- Booking parties from Google and social media without prior visits
- A local TikTok that drove real foot traffic
- Adjusting hours based on data, not guesswork
- Using simple systems to run the business day-to-day
- Running a play business as a married couple
- Staying anchored to purpose during stressful seasons
Connect with & follow Little Dreams Play Studio:
OTHER RESOURCES:
Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society
Getting Started With Your Play Cafe [YouTube Video Playlist]
What's Working In The Indoor Play Industry 2025 Guide
Fund Your Indoor Play Business [Free Training]
Indoor Play Courses & 1:1 Consulting Waitlist
Play Cafe Academy YouTube Channel
Prepare Your Indoor Playground For a Recession
Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society
Questions and Support: [email protected]
LIVE EVENT WAITLIST
Play Makers Live 2027 Waitlist
TOOLS & OTHER LINKS:
Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society: http://bit.ly/3HES7fD
Questions and Support: [email protected]
TOOLS:
Play Space Brain (Mention This Podcast For Special Pricing!)