Is it too late to start an Escape Room Business?

TL;DR- NO, but hurry! – keep reading to find out why.

Are you thinking about starting an escape room business but you’re having second thoughts? Well let me tell you something, statistics show that this type of business has become very popular and entrepreneurs from all over the world decide to start it because it doesn’t involve a lot of hard work and it’s profitable.

It is profitable because it’s a relatively new idea on the market and you don’t need a large amount of money to start it, comparing to other type of businesses. A lot of young entrepreneurs are now happy with their escape rooms even though they started with zero experience. Escape rooms are one of those type of businesses that you will learn to manage naturally, without making a huge effort.

Why you shouldn’t have second thoughts? Because, from my own experience, I can tell you that, besides making money you’re going to have fun with your customers when you will see them so excited and happy, escaping the room you designed for them. You don’t see that satisfactions in many businesses.

If you want to start this business but you haven’t been to an escape room yet, you should go first and experience it. By doing it this way you will have new ideas and you’ll make your customer experience better than your competitors. 

No competitors yet in your area? Hurry, and you can be the first to open an escape room in tour city. But you better be prepared. After you open yours, shortly the competitors will appear. It’s just a matter of time, so make sure you have a solid business plan and marketing strategy.

If there are competitors go and check them out, notice how popular they are and what do people in your city think about this type of entertainment. Take note of all aspects: How long was the wait? Did it require booking in advance? Do you have to pay online, with cash or with credit card? Even though this business it’s becoming popular there are still a lot of people that don’t know or haven’t tried this type of entertainment.  Make sure you check these aspects because you don’t want to invest in something new without a research of your area, right?

Just go and try all the escape rooms in your area, or in nearby cities. You will be thankful for this tip. You will see how much your experience as a client, differs from an escape room to another and you will be able to take all the good things and make them part of your business while avoiding the negative aspects. Once you enter on your competitor escape room pay attention on how they treat the customers, observe the puzzle, layouts and what strategies they are using. Try to observe what make people enthusiastic or not and avoid using the same puzzle or escape game design as your competitors.

By doing this way, you’re assuring yourself that you come with something new and creative for people in your area and that they are going to have a unique and unforgettable experience in your escape room. You will see how recommendations will flow and your popularity will increase.

That’s the key of success. Focus on making customers happy and making money at the same time. At the end of the day it’s great to see yourself satisfied with your work and see how you invested wisely.

Do you still have second thoughts about opening an escape room? Well, maybe these numbers will convince you. Four years ago, in 2014 there were only 22 escape room locations in the United States and now, in 2018, there are more than 2300 escape room locations.

That doesn’t mean you are too late. Even if the numbers of escape room business have increased, according to online surveys, they still make a good income of $250,000 per year, on average.

Costin is an artist, but also a very dedicated entrepreneur and for the past 10 years he run several successful business in the entertainment industry, and worked with hundreds of international clients. 

After creating a successful escape room business, in the past 3 years he started sharing what he learned, become an escape room designer and so far helped more than 20 other entrepreneur in starting their own escape room business all over the world.