This talk first aired at RECON Remote 23 on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
Watch this talk to learn more about the basics of cash flow and financial checks for escape room owner-operators.
The Business of Fun: Operations & Financials
This video is now available on the Room Escape Artist YouTube channel!
Speakers: Dino Paulo & Gary Kelly
Company: HintHunt Africa
Join Dino and Gary as they share how they overcame financial malfeasance and pandemic-related challenges to save their escape room business. Learn about implementing financial checks and operational refinements to prevent mismanagement and thrive. Perfect for small businesses seeking practical knowledge from similar experiences to succeed.
Here is the Money Matters spreadsheet discussed in the talk.
Why this topic?
We’ve long wanted to present a talk on the financial operations of an escape room.
Survivor South Africa winner Dino Paulo, and experienced businessman and MBA holder Gary Kelly brought this potentially dry topic to life. They co-own HintHunt Africa, a leading escape room in the developing market of South Africa.
If you’re new to the business of business, this talk is for you.
Highlights from the live Discord chat
In the live Discord chat, RECON attendees were struck by the vulnerability and honesty of the presenters. They strongly agreed with the red flags for financial malpractice happening in a business. There was strong endorsement for small business owners regularly reviewing their bank statements and knowing exactly what is going on day by day. There was a great enthusiasm also for spreadsheets and accountants (get a good one!). There was discussion around going cashless and whether it would be possible in different regions. Attendees also shared software recommendations for different business processes.
Behind the Scenes
In preparing this talk, we would have side conversations with Dino about puzzles, escape rooms, and social strategy games. However Gary was much more formal, reserved, and focused on preparing the talk. We pigeonholed Dino as the ‘fun creative’ one and Gary as the ‘serious business’ one.
During our live videochats during RECON, Gary’s excitement for the escape room industry seemed to turn on. He was animatedly discussing all the possibilities! This is one of our rewards for holding a remote, global convention; we can spread bright ideas internationally.
RECON Los Angeles 24
Join us in person for RECON’s next curated lineup of talks. We’ll be in Los Angeles, California, August 18th & 19th, 2024.
Tickets are on sale now!
For more, you can listen to Dino on REPOD here:
