The startup capital should also cover at least part of the operating costs for the first couple of months of the escape room business, especially regarding the rent fee, which is the bulk of your operational costs.

Your operational budget consists from the following:

1) Monthly lease fee and community charges;

2) Taxes;

3) Royalty payments (in case you are joining a franchise) – could be increased according with profit rising;

4) Staff's salary (administrator, game masters, marketing specialist, accountant, electrician and etc);

5) Marketing expenses (advertising, discounts, creating promotional materials);

6) Communication expenses (Internet, including wi-fi connection at the venue, (optional) and phone fees);

7) Cleaning expenses – usually from one to four times a month;

8) Different supplies (it is very useful to have duplicate little fragile details and to remember that the players might break your props or even electronics, which sometimes could not be covered fully by your insurance plan);

9) Office expenses (coffee, tea, cookies and sweets for customers, office supplies – paper, pens etc.);

10) Transportation (taxi fees for your operators if needed – for example, after games late at night) – optional;

11) Charge-off (money that should cover the expenses for wear and tear of your props, furniture and equipment in the long term) – this section could also be optional.

Please note that this text is introductory – we will cover the matters regarding all things budget in a stand-alone section. Stay tuned