How to Open an Escape Room book cover

How to Start and Operate an Escape Room Business

Everything I learned building 12+ rooms since 2015, in one step-by-step guide: from choosing a location and designing puzzles to budgets, marketing and daily operations. Includes my real business plan and budget. It's free, just enter your email below.

Free PDF, straight to you. Enter your email and download instantly. Questions? Email me.

What's inside

Marketing that fills slots

The exact channels that bring 30%+ of my bookings: what to run, what to skip and what it costs.

Build from scratch

Finding a location, lease traps, permits and inspections, designing puzzles and gameplay paths: the full construction path.

Run it as a business

All business processes, my budget and a detailed business plan for opening an escape room.

Problems you'll actually face

The pitfalls nobody warns you about and how to solve them efficiently, based on 10 years of running venues.

Good vs bad game design

What makes players leave 5-star reviews: game design rules that work for both adults and kids.

Turn-key and franchises

My experience ordering pre-manufactured quests: the process, the market and what to watch out for.

Who is it for?

First-time founders

Written with you in mind: absolutely everything you need to know before you open your first escape room.

Existing owners

My approach to creating quests, marketing and operations. I don't believe we're competitors: I share everything.

Entrepreneurs comparing ideas

Escape rooms were my first brick-and-mortar business. All financial indicators and budgets are in the book to judge for yourself.

Model your own numbers first: free Business Plan →
Aleksei Kniazev, author

About the author

I'm Aleksei Kniazev. I moved to Seattle from Moscow in 2013, and after years running an internet-marketing agency I opened my first escape room in 2015 with almost no money. Since then I've grown Conundroom into one of the best-known escape room brands in Washington, and also built an axe-throwing venue, a spin-art studio and a VR arcade. This book is everything I wish I'd known on day one.

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