In this episode of the Climbing Gym Growth Podcast, I sit down with Andrew Coffey, founder of The Hive Climbing in British Columbia.

From opening one of Canada’s first bouldering only gyms in 2012 to now running six locations, Andrew breaks down the lessons, systems, and philosophy behind The Hive’s growth.

We talk about:

• Expanding before systems were ready
• The realities of scaling past 150 employees
• The cost of building gyms today
• How COVID reshaped their entire business
• Why “Make Life Better” became their company mission

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Show Notes:

00:00 – Andrew’s backstory & discovering climbing

07:00 – Opening The Hive’s first gym & early lessons

15:00 – Expanding to multiple locations & unexpected challenges

23:00 – COVID, booking systems & changing member habits

30:00 – Profitability, pricing, and rising operational costs

38:00 – Managing 150+ employees & scaling culture

48:00 – Systems, structure & Wildly Important Goals

56:00 – Advice for new gym owners & sustainable growth

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Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@climbinggymgrowth

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climbinggymgrowth

Check us out at: https://climbinggymgrowth.com/

In this episode of the Climbing Gym Growth Podcast, I chat with Andrew Hou from Uplift Climbing in Shoreline, Washington.

We dive into what it really takes to build a community first climbing gym in a competitive market. Andrew shares how he spent years preparing for ownership, why Uplift doubled down on overhanging terrain, how they differentiate themselves from other Seattle gyms, and why focusing on health over growth is core to their mission.

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Show Notes:

00:00 – Introduction

00:10 – Intro class & free week membership experiment

00:20 – Referral strategy that drives long-term growth

00:30 – Working on vs. working in the business

00:37 – Newsletters & building relational marketing

00:43 – Differentiation in a saturated market

00:54 – Andrew’s advice for new gym owners

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Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@climbinggymgrowth

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climbinggymgrowth

Check us out at: https://climbinggymgrowth.com/

What does it really take to open a climbing gym from scratch?

In this episode, I talk with Parker Sims, founder of Gravity Bear Climbing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We dive into how Parker identified a market gap, managed construction while holding a full-time job, and why he thinks climbing gyms are undervalued.

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Show Notes:

00:00 – Parker’s story & Tulsa’s climbing scene

05:00 – Opening Gravity Bear & early surprises

09:00 – The meaning behind “Gravity Bear”

12:00 – Learning flexibility through setbacks

30:00 – Membership goals & community building

45:00 – Why climbing gyms are undervalued

53:00 – “A plan is a place to deviate from.”

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Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@climbinggymgrowth

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climbinggymgrowth

Check us out at: https://climbinggymgrowth.com/