What’s the origin story of your business?
Hello, my name is Jared Dauenhauer and I am the owner of the Murfreesboro Escape Rooms. Each of our rooms is totally unique & originates in-house. We love the creative process of dreaming about what we could make and then figuring out how to make it reality, so we don’t purchase our room concepts or puzzle sequences from a creative think tank — it’s too much fun being the creative think tank. This business idea came from another escape room we had in west Tennessee. We started the escape room in Jackson Tennessee and had many conversations about expansion. Looking further back in my journey, I did an event using a college dorm when I worked on campus and it blew up from there! We did pop ups and it turned into a business!
What’s an obstacle that you’ve had to overcome to build your business?
I would have to say an obstacle that I had to overcome to build my business would involve myself. I hit a breaking point when there were certain things in my business that were not going the way I planned and that was something that I couldn’t figure out at the time. I went to a conference and talked to people and figured out what I needed to do!
What is unique about owning and running a business in Murfreesboro?
I would have to say that running a business in Murfreesboro is run on home grown support and the people here are great. I love that this town is expanding and has a small town feel.
As a business owner, what keeps you up at night?
I would have to say keeping a balance not only in my business but outside of it as well. There are a-lot of things that you have to think about when you are running a business and keeping up with everything can be a stressful task.
If you could wave a magic wand and make one problem go away in your business what would it be?
This is a great question! I would have to say to the waiting when you are in the creative process. I have a lot of ideas and wish it was as easy to see them right in front of me at that moment in time.
If you could travel back in time to the day you started your business, what advice would you give yourself?
I would have to say don’t take on a lot of partnerships when you are first starting a business. It might seem like a good idea at first but it can get messy. I would have rather been in control of all aspects of the business upfront.
What time of the day are you most productive?
I am most productive in the mornings and go to bed pretty early so I am definitely a morning person. When I was in college I was always the first one up and the first to go to sleep!
What’s one thing you’d say to a person starting a new business?
I would have to say that do what you’re good at and hire someone to do the things that you’re not educated in. There are always going to be things that you don’t know but that doesn’t mean you have to struggle!
What’s one thing you’d say to a person who’d owned a business for a long time?
I would ask them questions about how they got to where they are today and how they keep the love for it even though the struggles.
To learn more about Murfreesboro Escape Rooms visit their website!
