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Featured Entrepreneurs > Brian Kaplan

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1. Ok so tell me a little bit about Parent Play.

Parent P-L-A-Y is the modern-day play date for the entire family, offering premium events unlike any other family outing. At our weekend morning get-togethers, moms, dads get some well-deserved rest while the kids get fun. Parents and kids are entertained in different ways and in separate rooms. Kids are entertained by musicians and entertainers while supervised by active babysitters, we call the P2 Crew, our pre-screened babysitters. Next door, parents enjoy the best amenities, such as spa treatments, a scrumptious brunch, mimosas, adult conversation, music and culture. Every family leaves with a packed gift bag containing fabulous items for every family member. We arrange for sponsors to offer their best products. Examples include cashmere hats, Davi and Aveda beauty products, Dale and Thomas Gourmet popcorn - hands down the best popcorn you will ever taste, FruitaBu organic fruit flats, Moroccan pillows, cool t-shirts and books. So, there's something for everyone

Read Answers to questions 2 to 14

2. How did you come into this business venture?

We came into this business quite organically, actually. We have a 2 ½ year-old son, who is the apple of our eye, but like every parent of a toddler, we are absolutely wiped. Because we attend numerous events - including family events, we recognized that no other family event company out there is doing anything like this, so it was like a light bulb going off

3. Parent Play is relatively new. What were you doing before?

I have a public relations and marketing firm called Impression PR and my wife, Lambeth Hochwald, is a working journalist. We are both still working with select clients as we push parent P-L-A-Y into other markets.

4. How did becoming a parent yourself affect you as an entrepreneur?

As I mentioned, most parents would do anything for their children. And, you start to see things in yourself that had been pushed down. Today, it's acceptable to be a big child - and one of the books we recently had in our gift bag was Rejuvenile by Christopher Noxon. His premise is "go for it…don't fight being young at heart." So, I very much related to that and when Lambeth and I saw the potential for parent P-L-A-Y, we took our entrepreneurialism to another level.

5. What is so unique about working with children?

I've always entertained the idea of being a teacher. Kids are the best. They are so inquisitive, interesting and try so hard to learn. Undoubtedly, every adult can learn from children. I can't wait for my son to turn 5, so every word out of his mouth is 'Why'.

4. What do parent play events usually involve?

Parent P-L-A-Y events are very different. They are always held on weekend mornings. Kids are entertained by cool musicians, balloon artists, yoga classes and the most creative babysitters. Parents get a scrumptious brunch, mimosas and their own version of creative entertainment, such as spa treatments from Euphoria Spa, handbag and jewelry trunk shows from Dana Galin and Bag Trends, Tavalon Tea created a most unique display, as did Shock Coffee who brought a Hummer with Playstation games, so adults could tap into their inner child.

5. How did you know that this would all be successful?

What parent P-L-A-Y has created is unique. There are no other event companies doing anything like this. Investors have recognized this because they know that this could be in several cities before the end of the year. But with that said, there is still a great deal to do before we are in fact successful. We've implemented many marketing tactics that I've previously used for clients, so we do have a head start. We're just extremely pleased that parent P-L-A-Y is being as widely accepted thus far.

6. What is your philosophy behind the way that you conduct your business?

Are you really just a big kid yourself? I am a really big kid. I love getting on the floor with Zach and playing trains or walking down the street singing the alphabet. Our philosophy is to be as real with our customers as possible. We are in the same boat, so we're able to relate. We will always connect with parents - even when Zach is in college. These are vulnerable times in many ways for parents and we want them to rely on us - as a community - for many things including friendship.

7. Back to being an entrepreneur. How is an entrepreneur so much different than any other work in the business world?

Being an entrepreneur entails wearing every possible hat. It's important to surround yourself with people that are better at aspects than yourself. For example, web design is so technical. I'm intrigued, but it would take me 5 times longer than a good designer, so it's important to outsource aspects that are not your strong points, whereas in business you probably wear 1 or 2 hats and that's it. Being an entrepreneur - especially in the beginning - means wearing 25 hats

8. What was most difficult about starting your own business? Most rewarding?

The most difficult thing, I think, is reaching and communicating with your audience. It's essential to be real and connect. The most rewarding aspect is when they embrace your idea and then reaffirm it by becoming a repeat customer

9. How will your business grow and evolve as your child and family does or will it be solely focused on your children. It's hard to say, but we will probably maintain our business model because parents of babies, toddlers and up to kindergarteners need this community the most. Theses are the questions that everyone wants to know.

10. What are the components to running a lucrative business?

I believe that running a lucrative business means being flexible. You want to step out of yourself and try to examine the product from your customer's eyes. The, you want to always push the envelope AND reach new people and make changes along the way. It's easy to become stale and lose your customer.

11. What is the secret to success as an entrepreneur?

Undoubtedly, it is connecting with people and learning to be someone other than the CEO of a company. We know our customers. We send them thank you notes. We work tirelessly to make the events as fun as possible, with packed gift bags that are different from anything we've ever seen before. We don't pay lip service to making our customers happy at our events.

12. Were there sacrifices that you had to make to succeed as you have? Sleep! Seriously, that's about all. We are doing what we love and I think that the most successful businesses are those that are started by someone with a genuine passion for the product.

13. What advice can you give to other people who want to become entrepreneurs?

Go for it! If you had told me a year ago that I'd be sitting here talking about my business and the way it has evolved into a brand, I wouldn't have thought that things would take off as quickly as they have. Also, I'd say don't quit your day job until you know you have a marketable company. Once you know you have one, the sky's the limit.


     
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