08/25/2026
An owner update as I approach 5 years this November:
For the first time in 5 years, I took a vacation and didnāt worry about what was happening back at my business. You canāt fully appreciate that without knowing what it took to get here.
I started Inspired Play Cafe as a single mom with a vision. These five years have taken GRITātears nobody saw, late nights, financial stress I thought would be the end of me, time away from my kids and getting up every day to keep going. Sometimes I even felt like I forgot what I was going forā¦
I remember year one when my AC unit was stolen, leaving me facing a $22,000 replacement that God ended up covering. Iāve opened and closed a second location, rebuilt teams, invested my own money, had two babies in two years while still being the CEO without a manager, been let down, hired a GM, had no maternity leave, and then finally took three weeks of oneā¦ you get the point.
For years, I barely paid myselfāor didnāt pay myself at all. Even today, I choose to pour profits back into the business so it can continue to be sustainable and grow for you, your kids and our community.
Iāve also learned that owning a business means people can have opinions about you without knowing the whole story. Iāve let that make me softer, slower to judge and more sensitive to othersānot harder.
The sacrifice was never just mine. My kids have shared their mom with this dream, and my husband has spent late nights doing the things behind the scenes nobody sees.
Five years later:
āØ Donated to & partnered with 200+ local organizations/schools
āØ Served 100,000+ families from all over the world
āØ Consulted with 100+ people to open on this concept
One day I feel like I canāt keep going, and the next I can sit on a beach with my husband and babies while the business I once couldnāt step away from keeps running without me. Itās truly a rollercoaster Iāve had to learn to ride.
If youāre in the years that require the gritāwhether in motherhood, work or just lifeāremember: bad seasons end. Pain often leads to purpose. Keep building, trust God when you canāt see what Heās doing yet, and give yourself TIME. You canāt skip the process! Go through itā you can.
