As we celebrate Women’s History Month, WomenVenture proudly recognizes the women who have taken ownership of their future by launching a business. These entrepreneurs have broken through barriers and defied the odds to turn their vision into reality, building businesses that strengthen our economy and the vibrancy of our community.
One such inspiring women is Melissa (Missy) Machkhashvili, owner of Inspired Play Learning Center in Little Canada. Inspired Play’s mission is to create a nurturing and organized environment where children grow through purposeful play, meaningful relationships, and age-appropriate challenges. The center provides care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers across Minnesota, highlighting Montessori inspired independence, STEM exploration, and relationship-centered care.
Missy’s connection to early childhood education runs deep, beginning with her mother’s work as a preschool teacher. As Missy reflected on this, she expressed “My mom was more of a hero in my childhood than I even realized.” She went on to describe how influential her mother was throughout her career, attributing this to her mission.
However, Missy did not follow in her mother’s footsteps right away. It wasn’t until 2017, after navigating changes in childcare providers for her own children, that she made the life changing decision to leave her corporate job and open an in-home childcare business.
Missy’s Daycare quickly flourished. In just a few years, families began asking for more, planting the seed of expanding into a childcare center. As time went on, Missy kept coming back to this idea. She spent over a year asking questions and researching what it would take to open a center; ultimately connecting with WomenVenture to gain guidance on how to achieve this vision.
In August 2024, Missy took another major step towards opening her center by enrolling in WomenVenture’s Small Business Essentials (SBE) course where she built out her business plan and created an elevator pitch. Missy shared “It [SBE] gave me language. It gave me confidence to even just speak about business terms and terminology.”
After discovering the location that would become Inspired Play’s official home, Missy secured loans from both WomenVenture and First Children’s Finance which allowed her to fully renovate the new space. In just three months, her team removed all carpeting, took down walls, added an exterior door, a fence, and a kitchen, allowing her to officially open in September 2025. While speaking to what this support meant to her, Missy shared “I didn’t have a nest egg to do this on my own…I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the help.”
Yet the last six months have not been without its obstacles. From fully understanding licensing for state compliance, to the feeling of imposter syndrome, to staff transitions—Missy remained grounded during these challenging times by building strong relationships with families and seeing the children reach new milestones.
Looking ahead, Missy hopes Inspired Play will be known as a model for what modern childcare can and should look like. As she reflects on her own entrepreneurial journey, her advice to any women looking to start a business is to “Find mentors, find people you can talk to, and ask lots of questions…Just believe in your vision. Believe it deserves space.”
Celebrate Women’s History Month with us by supporting remarkable women business owners, like Missy. Explore our client directory to shop local or donate to help advance our work of empowering women entrepreneurs.
Author: Autumn Lamparty, WomenVenture Grant Writer
