Dana Oliver

As a single mom raising a two year old daughter, I found myself with the typical dilemma faced by many executives today – how to meet the after 5 p.m. demands of a high-paying job, particularly when daycares closed at 6 p.m. In the male-dominated bond trading industry, inflexibility was simply snubbed at.

At the same time, I was discovering that business owners were retiring with more money and that security didn’t exist in the corporate world when 50% of the bond traders at my firm had been laid off. I turned off onto the entrepreneurial road.

Follow up:

In 2003 I left my job with a dream to create a more balanced life-style for myself and my daughter. And, in 2004, after a lot of research and hands-on industry experience, I opened Adventure Kids Playcare.

Adventure Kids Playcare is the latest guilt-free trend in childcare centers, which doesn’t require advance notice like traditional childcare options. It offers flexible hours (open as late as midnight on Fridays and Saturdays); pays close attention to security and cleanliness; has low staff/child ratios; and offers a fun and changing event calendar to keep children coming back for more.

Requests from other moms wanting to create a work/life balance led to Adventure Kids Playcare being franchised in late 2005.