In Episode 46 of the HerStory Podcast, Kylie King sits down with Shelley Cootes, co-owner of Narrow Escape Rooms in Penrith and 2024 ALIBI Awards Brick & Mortar Business of the Year winner, to talk about turning a love for escape rooms into a thriving, award-winning business.

Shelley shares how a casual experience playing escape rooms with family sparked the idea to build their own and how those conversations quickly turned into action. From designing immersive rooms from scratch to balancing creativity with logistics, Shelley explains what it really takes to create an experience-based business that keeps customers coming back.

The conversation also dives into the realities of running a physical business, including team dynamics, cash flow, insurance lessons, and recovering from major setbacks like flooding which happened right before peak season. Shelley openly shares how preparation, resilience, and the right advice helped the business survive challenges that could have shut the doors for good.

If you’ve ever dreamed of turning a passion into a brick-and-mortar business, or wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a successful local attraction, this episode is a powerful reminder that growth comes from problem-solving, teamwork, and backing yourself.

What You’ll Learn in Episode 46

• How Shelley went from playing escape rooms to owning one

• What an escape room business actually involves behind the scenes

• Why teamwork and communication are essential in experience-based businesses

• The biggest challenges of running a brick-and-mortar business

• Lessons learned from insurance, risk, and unexpected setbacks

• Why awards and recognition matter for local businesses

• Practical advice for anyone starting a physical or experience-based business

Shelley owns and operates Narrow Escape Rooms in Penrith with her brother Craig & sister-in-law Kit. An escape room is an indoor game where couples or small groups work together to discover clues, solve puzzles, and complete a mission.

She is a wife and mother of two teenagers and a dog. My career prior to being a business owner was mainly in Human Resources with some time in payroll, WHS, workers compensation, administration, and accounts payable.

She is also a lifelong volunteer, being a Girl Guide and leader when I was young and now Volunteer Event Director at Penrith Lakes parkrun.
She loves getting to know more people in her community and hearing of their challenges and triumphs.

Find Shelley:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/narrowesc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narrowescaperooms
Website: https://narrowesc.com.au/

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