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SHOW NOTES
Curt and Chris sit down with guests Matt and Jessi, the owners of Oh! Key Escape Games in Idaho. They delve into the couple’s journey from teachers to escape room entrepreneurs. Matt and Jessi detail their passion for escape rooms, sparked by a surprise Father’s Day adventure, leading them to create their own themed escape rooms like the unique ‘Potato Room’ and ‘Scrying Mirror’. They discuss their game design process, pricing strategies, and the unique challenges of running a business in a small town. They also share some of their personal experiences with escape rooms and how they incorporate family involvement in their operations.
LINKS
- Oh! Key Escape Games
- Yellowstone Bandits Escape House
- A Crooked House by Agatha Christie
- Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- The Escape Warehouse
- Labyrinth Escape Games
- Box One board game
- Mark Rober YouTube Channel
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Even in small towns, an escape business can be successful.
- A Christmas room can be popular year-round.
- Creating games with storylines that tap into local legends can be a smart move.
- Almost nobody wants math in an escape room. Not even math teachers.
- Keep in mind the different learning intelligences when designing a game.
- “It’s an escape room second, it’s a candy shop first. If you can’t convince me why that would be in a candy shop, we’re not doing it.”
- No matter what your price is, high or low, you’re going to get pushback that it’s too high.
- Parades can be a fun form of marketing.
- Consider fun merch to sell like crochet monsters.
CONNECT AND FOLLOW OH! KEY ESCAPE GAMES
MYSTERY SOUP PODCAST HOSTS
CURT JACKSON
CHRIS KALLAL
