Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in play, but not sure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melanie Levenberg, the founder of PL3Y Inc, play-based company for kids in Canada.
Tell us all about your business...
PL3Y gives fitness and kids health enthusiasts a business-in-a-box so they can get out there, teach classes and build a sustainable business doing what they love. Our customers are passionate about keeping kids active and boosting mental health through movement and play, and they love using our pre-packaged kids fitness brands (DANCEPL3Y, YOGAPL3Y, POWERPL3Y) to offer dance, yoga and ninja-fitness classes in their communities.
What's your background and motivation to grow as a business owner?
I am a P.E. teacher who chose that career because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids by giving them positive experiences with exercise. Sports and physical activity played a huge role in my upbringing, kept me growing healthy, stayed socially connected and gave me an outlet for stress relief growing up.
As a PE teacher, I soon realized the salary caps, and so I left my job to work in the corporate sector, where the money was awesome but the work sucked the life out of my soul. I wanted to find a way to make great money doing what I loved so I started my own business teaching dance in schools as an external provider, as well as teaching after-school, evening and weekend programs in my community. I wanted to help others learn how to do what I did so I scaled my business and started licensing out my programs to others for them to teach them, and now over 3 million kids have experienced our play-based, mental health boosting programs around the world.
As an entrepreneur, what does success ultimately mean to you?
Getting over 1 million kids and families active in the year 2020, and 3 million kids moving since starting PL3Y in 2013. Teaching 18 licensees how to build their own kids fitness business.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being an entrepreneur?
The biggest challenge of being an entrepreneur to me is the constant resiliency needed to be agile and pivot with each challenge that you face. Whether that's learning a new software or system, managing different personalities on your team, adapting to the influxes and flows of sales, or...navigating the restrictions of a global pandemic, an entrepreneur's ability to have a flexible attitude, growth mindset and willingness to keep showing up is what makes the hard moments easier.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run or grow a small business today?
Tip #1 - Get clear on what you truly desire - what kind of business you want to have, what kind of work you want to do, what kind of people you want to work with, how you'd like to spend your days/time, what kind of money you want to be making.
Tip #2 - Choose a business model that matches your desires.
Tip #3 - Put yourself in spaces that inspire and motivate you. From hiring a business coach to finding a mentor, attending networking events, joining a group coaching program or investing in an entrepreneur's mastermind, every entrepreneur needs an environment that pushes them to greatness while feeding and fuelling them with positivity and genuine support.
Where can people find you online?
https://www.pl3yinc.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pl3yinc/?hl=en
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as an entrepreneur or business coach that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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