We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Sciuto. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.

Alright, Christina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

After I finalized my business concept, I spent months wracking my brain over what the name of the business should be. I had a running list on the notes app in my phone and would draw inspiration from anything and everything. If I was in the middle of a Peloton class and the instructor would say something interesting, I’d add it to the list. If I was listening to a podcast and something unique popped up, I’d add it to the list. Something in a song… added it to the list.

Then one day we were with my family and my nephew and my daughter who were both 1 at the time were playing together. My nephew was trying to get my daughter’s attention and was calling her name but couldn’t say her name yet. So instead of Mila he was calling her La La and then it hit me, La La Land. That’s what I needed to name my business, a fun place for children and an ode to my daughter, Mila.

Christina , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Prior to opening La La Land, I spent my entire career in marketing for various consumer packaged goods brands, with one of them being a baby products company. In that role, I learned how much research went into all aspects of childhood development and the positive impact that unstructured free play has on the growth and development of young children. While all that information was helpful to me as a business woman who was marketing a brand, I didn’t realize how important it would be to me until I became a mom myself. It’s kind of like all those parenting books you read when your baby was on the way. They’re full of great information, but none of it really means anything until you’re actually in it–then it all starts to make sense!

The beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 changed so many lives, myself included. The day New York pressed pause was the day that I pressed play on the chapter of my life as a mother. (What can I say–my girl has had a flair for the dramatics since day one!) Having her at the height of Covid greatly restricted where we could go and who we were able to see. Not only was I going stir crazy from being inside all the time, but I felt like my daughter was too! She was a different baby when we’d spend some time outside or have a change of scenery. Once everything started opening up again, it was important to me to take her to different classes and Open Play sessions. I wanted her to be able to safely interact with other children and also explore a place that was different from her home.

The problem here was that I was a working mom, and the locations providing classes didn’t offer a lot of flexibility. You’d have to commit to a certain number of sessions, with hours mostly falling during the middle of the workday. I found myself committing to Mommy and Me classes that I knew I couldn’t physically attend, and I found it nearly impossible to juggle both work and these classes on an ongoing basis. I would end up paying for classes we couldn’t participate in, and then I would feel terrible that I was potentially taking a spot from someone who would have been able to make it every week. While the Open Play sessions I found offered me the flexibility that I was looking for, there was nothing less than 30 minutes away. Now, to someone who isn’t a parent, sure, 30 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot. But the parents out there know: when 30 minutes cuts into nap time… it’s a whole. different. ballgame. I’d find myself singing and basically dancing in the car just to try and keep my daughter awake. We’ve all been there. (Raise your hand if you’ve sung Baby Shark or the Hot Dog Song on a loop for 45 minutes in the car!) I knew for sure that I couldn’t be the only parent putting on a concert in my car daily—it turns out, I wasn’t. And with that, the idea of La La Land was born–an Open Play space located right in the heart of Babylon Village where you can “pay as you PLAY!” Plain and simple: no commitment or minimum number of classes required!

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a team is always challenging, but especially within my business as this is not a career path for many of my employees. This is a job to help them get through college or something to help them earn some extra money. The biggest thing I’ve learned is once you know someone is not going to work out, just let them go. I’ve spent too much time trying to mold the wrong people into roles because I’ve already invested time in training them. I know it sucks to start over but trust me, it will be better for your business.

I have found certain strengths in each of my employees and I utilize those strengths. If someone is a great communicator, I will designate them the party lead. If someone is great with children, I will have them oversee a specific class.

In an effort to keep high morale, I do my best to celebrate all wins… big or small. I keep my staff abreast of what is going on in the business and have them involved in brainstorming and decision making. I try to do team outings on a regular basis to let my team know I appreciate them.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I am at La La Land pretty much every day. If I am not out on the floor, I am in my office catching up on some administrative tasks. However, I truly make an effort to know each and every one of my customers. I send emails directly to my customers checking in with them. They’re not automated sends that every individual receives, they’re customized to that specific individual.

I am authentic and I keep my brand that way and I think my customer base sees that. I offer classes and services based on what my customers want or ask for. I think too often, people become too focused on the money. Don’t get me wrong, all businesses need revenue to survive. But instead of focusing on the customer, they focus on the business and in my opinion, when it becomes transactional that’s when you lose your brand loyalty.

Contact Info:

• Website: playatlalaland.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/playatlalaland
• Facebook: facebook.com/playatlalaland
• Other: TikTok, have an account but not posting videos at this time @playatlalaland