In this business, people ask us questions. Lots of questions. That’s okay because we have answers. Here are some of the top questions that we have been answering for our clients, year after year.

The top questions people ask Sheryl

  1. What attraction/ride makes the most money?
  2. What is the best location for a Family Entertainment Center?
  3. Why do I need a market analysis?
  4. Where do you go to get great staff?
  5. Where do I find a salesperson for my business?
  6. What is the best way to market my business?
  7. What can I do to keep staff?
  8. Who are your favorite centers?
  9. Where can I find data on mini golf success?
  10. How do I compensate my sales team?
  11. What do I need to pay a manager?
  12. How would you deal with increased minimum wage requirements?
  13. How do you create birthday party packages?
  14. How do you create group sales packages?
  15. Do you have a sample budget that can help me figure out profit and loss?
  16. What associations should you join?
  17. Do we need to have a café, restaurant or food carts?
  18. What is more important location, site size, attraction mix
  19. Can you just do a market analysis or do you need a full feasibility study
  20. When is the best time to hire a consultant/coach/advisor?
  21. Where do I get funding for my project?
  22. What marketing is working? 
  23. Who are your favorite vendors?
  24. What is the biggest challenge owner/operators face?
  25. Can you help us get funding/financing?

Here are some of the top questions that we wish clients would ask… because having answers from Sheryl would save them money, time and headaches:

  1. What’s the best way to motivate my team?
  2. How can I show appreciation to my staff?
  3. What is the best mix of attractions?
  4. What reports do I need to run and why?
  5. How do I select a consultant for my project?
  6. What do you feel was your biggest mistake?
  7. Where do most people waste money?
  8. How do you hire the most amazing staff?
  9. What banks like to fund amusement projects?
  10. How much should we spend on marketing and advertising?
  11. If you were to build another center/park what would you change?

In our twenty-plus years in the industry, we’ve seen businesses rise and fall. Here are the Top 10 mistakes we have seen owners make. If only they had called Sheryl Golf before it was too late.

  1. Underestimating how much work it takes to run a successful center.
  2. Being under-capitalized or short of funds in the first few months.
  3. Not focusing on the numbers that make their business a success.
  4. No differentiator.
  5. Not spending on training.
  6. Not having a master plan for growth.
  7. Not having strong, replicable systems in place.
  8. Not having an emergency action plan.
  9. Wasting time on tasks that could be delegated.
  10. Hiring below-average staff and then not being able to fire them.