The Escape Game is a well-known Nashville business. What may be less known is that one of its co-founders, James Murrell, is a Lipscomb University graduate.
A marketing major who graduated in 2011, Murrell and his brother Johnny are two of the four co-founders of the Escape Game. In addition to their current business, Murrell and his brother have run other businesses such as a real estate business and also a dorm food company, which eventually became Candy Galaxy. In 2014, the brothers opened the Escape Game with their business partners Mark and Malinda Flint.
Currently, the Escape Game has five locations — two in Nashville (including its original location in Berry Hill, which is approximately 10 minutes from campus) and one in Pigeon Forge, Orlando and Austin.
While its number of competitors is growing, Murrell said he believes that the Escape Game will continue to differentiate itself through its culture of continual improvement and its all-inclusive game environments.
Murrell said that he didn’t go in to college thinking he would ever have such a business, but his success is a testament to taking advantage of open doors.
“I know that if I worked hard, then I would have opportunities,” he said. “I think God’s given me opportunities and I just wanted to take those.”
As a Lipscomb graduate, Murrell has the following advice for students and recent graduates who are on the job hunt: “Realize that it takes quite a bit of failure — usually,” he said. “We probably failed three or four times. If you’re going to be in a job, the most important thing in the world is just to be consistent.”
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