We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cole Richardson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Both of my businesses are rooted in serving and empowering women. As a new young mother and high school soccer coach back in 2018, I struggled to balance work and motherhood. I would bring my newborn daughter with me to trainings and games, pump in the locker room before kickoff and wheel her onto the field in her stroller. I did what I had to do. When her first birthday came around, I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I wanted it to be special, to celebrate our first year of life together, but what all can a one year old actually DO? I knew I would gladly pay someone to help me put together her first birthday but I found little options. After some research, I discovered “soft play”, a soft play area designed for babies and toddlers. My confidence in motherhood grew as did my ideas for creating a business that served those busy moms by bringing the party to them, so they can stress less and enjoy their little ones more! Happy Tots Play Co. was born and has been growing ever since. We offer beautiful play zones, inflatables, backdrops, balloons, decorated kids tables and chairs, and full party planning services. I hire my wonderful female student athletes and alumni to help work the events, providing them with a job that is flexible and allows them to stay in sports; another important mission in my heart.

As a former athlete turned coach, I saw the subtle yet profound differences in how I was treated compared to my male counterparts. Not only was I treated with less respect and given less opportunities, so were my young female athletes. I wanted to be the change my girls (athletes) needed. They deserve equal opportunity and equal access to the same training fields, same quality coaching, and same summer camps that the boys got to enjoy without question. So, Empowered Athletes All Girls Sports Camp was born. A place for young female athletes to experience 7 different sports in a safe and welcoming environment, lead by all female coaches. It’s important that girls get to see women in those coaching roles – how often do you get to see female coaches, athletic directors, referees? Not often enough. I wanted girls to feel comfortable in an athletic environment surrounded by girls just like them. It changes things when a girl is one of three females in a “coed” camp surrounded by 50 boys. You see girls drop out of sports much earlier than boys, and I believe this is one of the reasons why. I wanted to change that, so I did. I made it my mission to serve those young athletes in that way.

Both of my businesses feed into each other and help serve girls and women. It makes my heart so happy!

Cole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! We are Happy Tots Play Co. We bring the party to you so you can stress less and enjoy more of those fleeting moments with your little ones. We specialize in play rentals and kids party planning. If you can dream it, we can do it! We offer soft play zones, inflatables, balloon decor, backdrops, ball pits, kids tables and chairs, customization, and full party planning services. Our mission is to create a safe and FUN environment for kids 5 and under, so they can actually participate in their own party. No more getting trampled by big kids! We have carefully curated play zones that allow the kids to develop gross motor, risk taking, team building, and sensory skills all while having FUN in a safe space so caregivers can rest easy.

Although our play rentals are popular, we can help take your event from conception to execution – from selecting a venue to hiring trusted vendors to decorating ceilings to walls. As the party host, we don’t want you to stress about a thing. We know your hands are already full! Let our expert team take the burden of party planning off your shoulders and check one more thing off your list so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. We make throwing the best party ever easy!

Owned and managed by Sarasota local and mom, Cole Richardson. I’ve been in your shoes – and I know how to help! I look forward to helping you create sweet memories with your kiddos.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

High quality service! I treat my clients as I would want to be treated. When you serve others as your authentic self, I think it shows, and hopefully it sends the message that I care about what I’m doing and I want the best for my clients and their events!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth has been my best source of new clients. Whether it’s with Happy Tots Play Co. or Empowered Athletes, my former clients and customers do a great job of letting their friends know what a great experience they had. The experience they had speaks for itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.happytotsplay.com and www.empoweredsportscamp.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/happytotsplayco and www.instagram.com/empoweredsportscamp
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happytotsplayco
• Linkedin: www.linkedin/in/cocorichey

Image Credits
Team Soccer Photo by Blonde Cow Photography