Today we’d like to introduce you to Carissa Zadwarny.
Hi Carissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My background is in marketing and branding and I’ve loved design and aesthetics my whole life. I left my job in beauty around the same time that I had my second baby. While I loved my career at the time, I kept feeling a nudge to build something of my own. I personally was struggling to find activities to take my kids to on weekends and had the idea to send out a weekly newsletter of curated events for families. A couple months into it I realized there wasn’t enough happening that catered to parents specifically, which I thought was odd since LA is so big and has so much to offer. I started dreaming up events we could host and decided a big gathering where families could meet up at a public park seemed like the most chill way to test the concept. I called it a Community Playdate and welcomed anyone with kids to stop by and hang out, grab a coffee and let the kids run around. I partnered with a few key kids’ brands and a local mom influencer to get the word out. Over 200 families showed up to that first playdate and the response was so positive. People kept asking when the next one would be, so I decided to put more focus into building out events that prioritized parents. Our first workshop was a Father’s Day bagel-building class for dads and kids with Pop’s Bagels and it sold out. We’ve been building our community ever since.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The response from our first event was so incredible and unexpected that it helped propel the motivation to keep building. I feel really grateful for that initial response because it gave me the momentum I needed in the beginning. It’s easy to get discouraged when an idea is so new. The downside to that is momentum doesn’t last. You have to keep moving forward even when things aren’t progressing and that was most of year one for us. I got ghosted by a lot of brands. I’m still figuring out monetization. The big goals seem hard to reach but I know it’s just one (baby) step at a time. Right now we’re focused on building out our first IRL pop-up concept space, a vision that’s been evolving for over a year. My impatience gets the best of me at times and as much as I want it all right now I know that each step is moving us closer to the big picture. I’m trying to trust the process and not get too caught up with a timeline. Easier said than done!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Playdate is rooted in community building for parents with the goal of bringing LA families together through meet-ups, co-hosted gatherings and workshops. In a city with so many transplants, a lot of parents are navigating how to raise kids without family or much of a support system around. We started as a newsletter, rounding up the best events for LA families and still send that out weekly. We also share kid-friendly restaurant guides, feature moms and dads from our community and highlight hidden gems around the city all with the goal of making parenting a little bit easier. We really hope to be the go-to platform and media brand for millennial parents and beyond. Right now, we’re in the early stages of planning our first Playdate pop-up – a space which will bring everything we’ve built online into the real world. It’s still in the works, but the vision is clear, and we’re taking steps to bring it into reality.
When you become a parent you become so immersed in their little world but LA is such a hub of creativity, and we want Playdate to be a source of inspiration for both grown-ups and kids. It’s been really exciting to look back and see how far it’s come! None of it would exist without the community that’s grown around it and I feel really lucky to keep building alongside them.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think with any new venture, resilience will take you very far. There is a ton of rejection from all angles when you’re trying to grow as a new business and you’ll want to quit many times. Especially when the newness wears off and you’re running on pure discipline because motivation only takes you so far. I always go back to our initial why for starting Playdate in the first place. Community for parents is crucial and I strongly believe that this space needs to exist. I feel honored to be able to build something that really moves me and that I believe in so deeply.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://playdate-world.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playdate.world/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@playdate.world
Image Credits
Lindsey Englander
