We recently connected with Jason Pap and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jason thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think being successful depends on a few different things.

First, I believe you have to be the best in your industry. In mine, it’s crucial to keep pushing the envelope and always offer something new and different. Entertainment is all about giving people experiences they’ve never had before. In the escape room world, I always aim to create one-of-a-kind experiences (though it doesn’t always play out as planned, it gets people talking). For example, one of my latest projects was an escape room made entirely out of ice in Charleston, SC—a place where it rarely gets cold.

I bought a massive industrial freezer and hired a team of ice sculptors to bring this wild idea to life. The project looked incredible, but it came with so many problems that I had to shut it down in less than a year. I quickly learned why no one had ever done this before! From losing power during a hurricane and having the ice melt and flood the store to issues with the electrical systems in such extreme cold, it was a challenge. Plus, the temperature had to stay in the single digits Fahrenheit to keep the ice from evaporating (I never knew that was a thing), and customers didn’t exactly enjoy freezing. This is just one of the many crazy things I’ve tried with escape rooms.

To be successful, you have to be “on” from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed. A lot of people can’t handle that. It’s not possible to just turn off work when you leave for the day. At any moment, an emergency can come up that threatens everything you’ve worked so hard for.

I also believe being comfortable with risking it all is a key part of success. A lot of people dream of creating a business but talk themselves out of it when it’s time to pull the trigger. They’re scared of the competition or the potential problems they imagine before even starting. Starting a business is terrifying. When you sign a huge lease that you personally guarantee, and the landlord hands you the key, it’s one of the scariest moments—but I use that fear of failure to fuel my drive. It makes me work my ass off to build something great that people can enjoy.

Jason, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was just some high school dropout—quit in my sophomore year. I had zero drive and never wanted to grow up. But eventually, life tells you it’s time to do something. By 25, I was working in hotels doing everything from valet to bellman, airport shuttle, pool boy—you name it. None of these jobs were serious, and they never gave me serious responsibilities. I was good with people and knew how to pretend I cared (haha). But I was broke, couldn’t afford to eat, and was literally living in a pet store.

One thing I was always good at, though, was pranking people. Who would’ve thought that would lead me to my dream industry? I eventually stumbled across the escape room concept. It had just started in Europe, and none existed in the U.S. yet. I partnered with a few friends in Pompano, Florida, and we created the first escape room in Florida—and maybe the second in the entire country. For months, we had no business, then one day, everything just boomed.

Eventually, I made enough money to start opening more locations. This was still very early in the industry, and no one really knew what escape rooms were. Me and a buddy decided to open one in Myrtle Beach, then Charleston, and finally Mount Pleasant. I had a bunch under my belt and was running them while making a killing. I was living in my business, showering in buckets, but I had never been happier. The escape rooms became really popular; it was a new type of entertainment everyone wanted to try.

I loved building these games because every corner had a prank or a way to mess with customers—and people loved it! Turns out, people enjoy being messed with. I think the reason for my success in the escape room business is that I was literally living my dream every day, building the rooms with my best friends and pranking customers. People couldn’t get enough, so I kept opening more games and locations.

Eventually, I ventured into other parts of the entertainment world. I started opening axe throwing locations, which evolved into an activity center with axe throwing, mini-golf with a prank twist, splatter painting, floor is lava, and a bunch of other fun things. People could come, drink beer, and have a great time with their friends. Again, it was a concept that didn’t exist, and I was the first to open something like it.

The most recent thing I’ve opened is a game show experience. You and your friends, family, or coworkers can play a game show just like on TV and compete against each other. We have a hilarious host and a really cool stage with buzzers—it’s probably one of the most fun things I’ve ever opened.

What I’m most proud of is creating something completely new and seeing people’s reactions. It’s so rewarding to see people put their phones down, enjoy the moment, and work together.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I pivot often. In my industry, I’m constantly chasing fads and creating new ones, but these trends inevitably fade over time. When I notice numbers trending downwards, I always create something new in the space. For example, my axe-throwing business has seen a significant decline as both the economy and the excitement around axe throwing have slowly waned.

So, I decided to take a bigger risk and expand the business to offer more activities. Now, we don’t just offer axe throwing; we’ve added basketball connect four, mini-golf with a puzzling twist, floor is lava, splatter painting, and more. My goal was to have something that piques everyone’s interest in a group. Axe throwing is great, but not everyone is excited about it—it’s challenging and pretty physical.

Now, when a group walks in, 9 times out of 10, we have something that appeals to them. This also gives us more opportunities to upsell to customers, which has created additional revenue.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

When I start a business, I like to go all in. Going all in means living in a very scary place, but it pushes me to work harder than I ever thought possible. Some people might say this is a horrible idea, but it works for me. Every time I’ve played it safe and stayed in my comfort zone, my business has failed.

When I build a new place, payroll is always a huge concern because the new concept consumes all the funds. I need to be extremely smart about where those funds go.

I also like to be very hands-on during the build, which often sends me to the hospital—haha! Whether I’m working so hard and long that I literally faint, or I fall off a ladder, you never know with Jason Pap!

Contact Info:

• Website: Mountpescapegames.com Chucktownactivities.com Charlestongameshow.com
• Instagram: @ChucktownActivities @Eliteescapegames @Charlestongameshow

Image Credits

Photo credits go to Frankie Gilmore