Three founders walk into the Blues Kitchen in Shoreditch. Louisiana tile, live blues every night, the kind of place where the atmosphere does half the work for you.

This week, Emma Campbell brings the guest, and she brings someone Helen has never met: Calum, founder of Escape Rooms Cardiff and front man of 60s soul band Bayside Boogie Men. Eleven years ago he watched a Shia LaBeouf video, quit his mortgage broker job, and opened his first escape room in five weeks.

He didn't think he fit the brief for a founder podcast. He's done £1.2 million in the last 12 months.

In this episode:
• Why Calum doesn't see himself as an entrepreneur (and what he calls himself instead)
• The Shia LaBeouf 'Just Do It' video that changed everything
• Going from £150K projected revenue to £1.2M actual
• Surviving COVID as a bricks-and-mortar leisure business and the boom that followed
• Why the corporate clients are the worst customers and the date-night grandparents are the best
• Stepping back from day-to-day so the team can grow
• The £300K new venture that's been a year coming

Calum's C-Word is CREATE. He wants to leave a mark on Cardiff that lasts longer than he does.

Guest links:
Escape Rooms Cardiff: https://www.escaperoomscardiff.co.uk
Bayside Boogiemen: https://baysideboogiemen.com/

Three Founders Walk Into A... is hosted by Emma Campbell and Helen Wingrove-Sanders.
New episodes drop every Friday at 1pm. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Emma Campbell: https://www.thecpoint.co.uk/
Helen Wingrove-Sanders: https://hfbac.com/

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Three Founders Walk Into A... is hosted by Helen Wingrove-Sanders (HFBAC) and Emma Campbell (The Coaching Point).

New episode every week.

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