smart | entrepreneurs
Indoor play centre for kids proves a winning concept for Yale athlete and graduate
D
eena Caplette knows a thing or two about maintaining an active lifestyle – in fact, she reached the ultimate
heights for a female hockey player by earn- ing a scholarship to a Division 1 school in the United States. For her though, the educational aspect was
just as important. “I knew that I couldn’t go to the NHL to
make a career out of it. I wanted to do some- thing that would shape my life,” she explains. If you’re going to be playing hockey and
concentrating on your studies, you may as well do it at the prestigious Yale University on a full ride. Te powerful centre earned a degree in psychology, but she had different plans for its practical use. “I’ve always wanted to own a business,”
says Caplette. Despite no formal training in business management (a general business degree isn’t offered at Yale), Caplette found tremendous success with her hockey career and higher education – a solid foundation to build on. She stirred up several business ideas, but
none seemed to give her the spark she needed to carry them through. “None of them I was super passionate about, and when you open
Keeping up with demand is Kinden's
biggest challenge Continued from page 1
commercial kitchen space to renters at an affordable rate. Te kitchen is designed to help food entrepreneurs get their business off the ground, and to create a community near Central Park by hosting an indoor market twice a month with its gathering of vendors. “I’m the only one who’s there every
day… but I’ve been joking that I should make a sitcom about the characters who are using the kitchen,” says Amanda. She is certainly happy when she
does have company on those grave- yard shifts. “Te getting up early is not forever,” she says. “Tis is good for now.”
a business, you have to put a lot on the line,” she says. At the time, Caplette was spending a lot of
time with her nephew, Carson, and their visits together started to feel like a recurring dream. “When I was hanging out with my nephew, we would always end up at the McDonald’s play centre,” she laughs. Wanting to influence him to keep active during the winter months, she came up short on other venues. “I was like, ‘Y’now what? There’s got to be something else.’” Finally, she had the inspiration she needed
to execute an idea. And it was a good one. Filling a void
“I think that being an entrepreneur is filling
a void, and I think in Winnipeg, a void was family entertainment,” says Caplette. Despite the fact that she knew she was on to
something (especially since research told her a similar concept was already viable in Bran- don, a much smaller market), Caplette had to do more to prove herself locally. Particularly when it came to renting a building. “I found out I kept getting denied because
Kid City wasn’t a proven concept (in Winni- peg),” says Caplette. When the first Kid City opened in 2010, Ca-
Related vocation
Recreation and sports program leader
Role: plan and coordinate sports, recreational and arts programs (for government, cultural centres, personal care homes, fitness/recrea- tion clubs or independently). Average wage: $29,900 Where to study/train in Manitoba: Red River College, University College of the North, University of Manitoba, University of Winni- peg, Sport Manitoba, Manitoba Fitness Coun- cil (CPR and First Aid skills may be required). -Manitoba Prospects 2013
plette had persisted through a year of getting excited about a perfectly fitting space for her business, hearing she was likely going to be approved, and getting rejected. “I was living on an emotional rollercoaster,” she remembers. When it finally did open, the response far
exceeded Caplette’s expectations. “Weekends are insane,” she says. “We can have 25 birthday parties in one day.” Two short years later, she added a second lo-
cation, and direct competition to her business has begun popping up now that it’s a proven business concept. As a natural competitor, the athlete has
found ways to distinguish herself from the competition, adding Winnipeg’s only laser mazes to both locations, a kind of Mission: Impossible course where you have to weave your body through lasers untouched. She also introduced a summer camp due to
demand from her customers, and a monthly Friday Fun Night where adults can drop off their kids for three hours in the evening; the kids get a meal and organized playtime in the centre. “I do have more competition,” she says. “I
have to constantly be creative and innovative (and) listen to my customers because they’re the ones who drive the business.” Tough her openness to ideas helps keep
the play centre teeming with kids, the 30-year- old also chalks up some of her success to the loyalty of Winnipeggers. “I think that Win- nipeggers are really loyal, and I’ve had really loyal customers.” It also doesn’t hurt that she found something
she can really get behind. “I have been active my whole life, and I believe in it,” she says.
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