Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Crowley
Hi Daniel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I started the escape room, I was a few years out of college and feeling lost. I had tried a few different career paths, but nothing had really clicked. I was burnt out in a dead end job when I did my first escape room. It was an amazing experience, and as soon as I got home I had one thought: I could build one of these. I talked my close friend Jesse Miller into helping me, and we were off. We spent every spare moment building puzzle after puzzle. A year later it was time. We opened in a beat up old building in a rough part of downtown LA. The first few weeks of business were some of the most stressful of my life, but we held on for dear life and refused to give up. Within a few months the business was stable and we had made it past the first major hurdle.
With some success under my belt, two years later it was time to expand and move to a nicer location. I was lucky enough to meet Christine and Jeremiah Lutes and they agreed to partner with me. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and I will owe them for the rest of my life for all their help and patience. As the business continued to expand, the momentum continued to build. I was able to get Brian Corbitt as another partner, and eventually Casey Chattle as my most recent partner. Each person was an invaluable addition to the business and I wouldn’t have made it this far without them. We all came together with a similar vision: to create something special. There have been endless challenges but with their support we have made that happen. We are fortunate to now be the highest rated escape room in Los Angeles, and the 34th best escape room in the country.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a very bumpy road. There have been three major challenges along the way: struggling with marketing the business, funding the business, and how much of my life the business takes up. When I first started I believed that if I built an amazing product, the rest would take care of itself. The first month we had two customers. As amazing as our room was, I didn’t know how to get that message out to people. Groupon saved us in the early days but also took a 40% commission. I eventually learned enough about marketing to get away from them, but it continues to be our biggest struggle. We have won several international awards and get a steady stream of escape room enthusiasts because of our reputation. However, those are not enough to sustain the business. We need to reach more of the general population, which despite trying a few different approaches, we still struggle to do.
Money has also been one of our biggest struggles. Escape rooms can be outrageously expensive to build, especially because we are so ambitious with our builds. Outside investment from the partners, a lot of debt and more help than I deserve from my family has been the only reason I have survived this long. Every dollar has to be stretched as far as possible and there is a lot of pressure to not waste any money. This financial strain reaches a climax at the end of each build as there is tremendous pressure to get the room open before money runs out. We barely made it with our latest build and were forced open sooner than we should have. The pressure was extremely stressful and is by far the worst part of the business.
These issues have created the final struggle of the business, which has been the personal strain on my life. I love creating escape rooms, but to make this work I have had to sacrifice any life outside of work. I drive an old beat up car, live with roommates, don’t spend much time with friends and don’t go on many dates. I put everything I have into the business. At first it was a sacrifice I was happy to make but as the years go on and I get older it becomes a heavier burden to carry.
Despite all these challenges I still love the business. There is a magic to creating them and it’s what keeps me going. You start with a blank canvas, take an idea from the depths of your mind, and turn it into something your guests rave about. It is very rewarding.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Escape Rooms are typically rated on two things: immersion and gameplay. The immersion is based on how well the game is able to pull you into the world they are trying to create. The gameplay is based on how fun or satisfying the puzzles are in the room. My specialty is puzzles and I like to think I’m one of the best in the business. A good puzzle needs to do a few things. The first thing is it should be intuitive. One of the biggest concerns people have going into an escape room is that they are going to feel stupid. A good puzzle should never do that, it should make you feel smart and accomplished. The answer should make sense at the end. The player should think, “Of course that’s what I was supposed to do”.
At its core a good puzzle should center around a cool experience. It could be digging through a vat of slime, using a toy cannon that shoots a hole in a wall, or shaking Christmas presents to figure out what is inside. You should enjoy the process and feel a sense of magic. If done right, it can be a delightful experience for the player.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along the way is the importance of having a good relationship with people around you. There can be a lot of different things to balance in business and the people helping you deserve the highest level of priority. Unfortunately I learned those lessons through making mistakes. There have been times I focused too much on productivity and did not spend enough time building bonds. I have had unrealistic expectations and expected more than was reasonable from the people around me. I have let the stress of the business get to me and taken it out on the people who didn’t deserve it. I have tried to balance too many things at once and put people and projects on the back burner when they should have been my focus.
After being through these experiences I try to take a different approach. Even when time is tight, I try to set aside time to build bonds with the people around me. Even when things are stressful I make sure to treat people with kindness and respect. I keep realistic expectations about what people are going to put in and am grateful for their contributions. That time and effort has been worth every second. Those relationships are the most important part of business and can be the most rewarding part as well if you let them.
Pricing:
- 40$ Per Person
- 45$ Per Person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://braingamesescaperoom.com/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/brain-games-escape-rooms-san-pedro
- Other: https://morty.app/location/brain-games-escape-fka-the-laboratory/los-angeles
