Meet Ryan Pachmayer | Owner Puzzah! Escape Room

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Pachmayer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always been fascinated with owning my own business. From buying, sell and trading collectible cards as a kid to my first official business in the asphalt industry. I enjoy the flexibility and control that it offers. Even when you’re working the typical 60-80 hour weeks during your initial phase, it often feels like half of that due to the excitement of building something that you own and have designed. While there is tedious work, and even some of the best delegating owners have many unforeseen emergencies fall on their shoulders, there is never a dull moment, it’s not monotonous.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Puzzah! started as an idea in 2013. Back then, there were only a couple of escape rooms in the United States, they were more popular in Asia and Europe, but still nothing close to today’s popularity. My partners and I were using escape rooms more as an inspiration than a business model, we aimed to use technology to facilitate challenges and move the story along within an experience. We really felt strongly (and still do) that problem solving is one of the most important tools that a person can have and we aimed to push that motto.

We were the first escape room to incorporate in Colorado and second to open their doors. And within a few years, the industry just exploded. Nobody seemed to predict this. Eventually we adjusted our business model to align a little more closely with typical escape rooms, but our technological feel and focus on problem solving has always remained apparent, even to this day.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Rocky Mountain Pro Wrestling at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in RiNo. I take everyone here. It’s impressive entertainment wrestling at one of the country’s best breweries. We sit ringside and drink beer by the litre, cheering on wrestlers with the crowd. Just keep your glass away from the edge, wrestlers have been known to steal a glass from time to time!

Dead Guy Days in Nederland is another fun event to bring people to, all sorts of creative competitions and events happen there.

I look for local immersive events to check out, there’s often something fun happening and Denver Immersive keeps the city posted on everything going on.

Camp Christmas around Christmas-time is fantastic and Meow Wolf is sort of the iconic new-age museumish experience that is fun for almost anyone.

Good, generally cheap eats off of places like Federal. The local pizza scene has really picked up in number of high quality pizzerias in recent years (Audrey Jane’s, Blue Pan, Cart Driver, Grabowski’s are a few of my regular haunts). A nice hike in the mountains in places like Loch Lomond, Evergreen or anywhere near Guanella Pass. Nearby mountain towns like Idaho Springs and Georgetown are fun as well.

The Brown Palace is my favorite hotel downtown and the afternoon tea is quite a unique experience.

Local short films at The Bug’s Emerging Filmmaker’s Project every third Thursday.

And a show at Red Rocks may be stereotypical, but it’s super popular for a reason, what a venue!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to the larger internet community. A great deal of my learning and troubleshooting as a business owner can be traced back to communicating with others on the internet. I don’t have a strong schooling background, I’ve always been more hands on, so when I run into areas that I haven’t encountered or studied, I often look to the internet for advice and help. I’ve found dozens, maybe hundreds of willing peers to help with advice, whether that’s weighing in on a serious problem or giving me input on a strategic decision. I’ve met friends that I will have until the day I die online, excellent people.

Most people turn to a friend or family member with questions like these and I have done that with success too, but limiting yourself to your own circle is not always wise when you have a much larger world at your fingertips. There are drawbacks; you have to be efficient and deliberate on how you spend your time online, but the connections and possibilities are endless if harnessed properly.

Website: www.puzzah.com

Instagram: instagram.com/ryanofcolorado