Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Odenz.
Hi Charles, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Professional Background
My career in real estate began in high school, where I worked as an assistant stuffing mailers. From those early days, I grew into a licensed real estate agent and helped build a top-producing team. After earning my Marketing degree from the University of Florida, I returned to real estate and partnered in launching a successful brokerage in Fort Lauderdale.
Not having much experience in anything other than real estate, I was young and successful enough that I wanted to try to pivot professionally—first working as a private investigator, then moving into casino management. I was eventually recruited to help open what became the second-largest and busiest poker room in the country at the time, located in Maryland. After seven years in the gaming industry, my future wife and I decided to start a family, which brought us back to Florida and back into real estate.
Around this time, I discovered the growing trend of escape rooms—something that reminded me of a concept my brother and I had brainstormed nearly a decade earlier. After experiencing one on my 33rd birthday, I was hooked. That passion led to the launch of Lockbox Escape Room, where we opened our first game on June 9, 2016. Since then, we’ve built a successful business, and the excitement for it hasn’t faded.
Personal Life
In my twenties, I made it a point to travel as much as possible, exploring countries all over the world. To this day, I tell my wife that if we didn’t have a child, we’d probably be nomads until we got tired of it.
Now, I’m a proud husband to my amazing wife, Laura, who has supported my ventures since we were teenagers, and a proud father to Bradley, our energetic and big-hearted six-year-old. Most of my free time is spent with my family, though I still enjoy poker, pool, hiking, traveling whenever possible, and—when life allows—catching up on sleep.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Opening Lockbox Escape Room has been one of the most fun, challenging, and memorable experiences of my life. When we launched in 2016, escape rooms were still a brand-new concept. Few people had even heard of them, which meant our challenges went far beyond marketing. We had to navigate everything from obtaining the right permits, business classifications, and fire regulations to figuring out logistics that simply didn’t exist in a playbook. Vendors were just as new to the industry as we were, so there wasn’t a clear path for sourcing props, building out experiences, or creating immersive environments.
I came into this with a business mindset and a creative spark, but I didn’t have a background in construction, electrical work, or set design. Turning our ideas into reality meant learning as we went—and often through trial and error.
Running a small brick-and-mortar business proved to be anything but simple. Each day brought a new problem to solve: software glitches, props breaking, tweaking game flow to enhance customer experience, creating efficient staff systems, learning new programs, and developing fresh marketing strategies. Like most small business owners, I wore every hat imaginable—HR, payroll, accounting, customer service, IT, maintenance, business development, and more. In larger companies, these roles have entire departments with teams of people. For us, it was all on our shoulders.
Despite the steep learning curve, the journey has been incredibly rewarding. I often think back to the movie The Martian. In the final scene, Matt Damon’s character says:
“At some point, everything’s going to go south on you… and you’re going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem… and then you solve the next one. And then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to go home.”
That line stuck with me. Building Lockbox felt exactly like that—solve one problem, then the next, and the next. And over time, those small wins added up to something bigger: a thriving business that has continued to grow and bring joy to thousands of players.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lockbox Escape Room?
Lockbox Escape Room has been creating unforgettable adventures since 2016. Originally, we planned to open in Gainesville, FL, but after months of searching for the right location, we realized South Florida was a better fit. On June 9th, 2016, we officially opened our doors—and it’s been a wild and rewarding ride ever since.
What truly sets Lockbox apart is the experience we provide from start to finish. From the moment guests walk through our doors, our team is focused on creating a memorable event. We don’t just have “gamemasters”—we call them Experience Directors, because their role goes far beyond running a game. They guide, entertain, and tailor the adventure to each group, ensuring every player has the best possible time.
Our puzzle flow is intentionally designed to create momentum: small wins to build confidence, followed by more challenging moments that push teams just enough to make their eventual success feel incredibly rewarding. The puzzles are engaging and interactive without being overwhelming, and our Experience Directors are trained to provide hints in a way that helps players solve problems on their own—without simply giving away the answer.
While we may not boast the flashiest set designs or the largest venue, every game we offer is carefully crafted to deliver fun, laughter, and challenge in just the right balance. For us, fun is the ultimate goal—and we recognize that “fun” looks different for every group. Sometimes that means cracking jokes to keep the energy light; other times it means stepping back and letting enthusiasts push themselves. Our job is to read the room and make sure every team leaves feeling accomplished and entertained.
We also take pride in being a family-friendly and corporate-friendly escape room, with games designed for all ages and group types. At the end of the day, our mission is simple: to provide a welcoming environment where people can connect, laugh, and create lasting memories together.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice for those starting out in the escape room industry is this: take time to understand what your true goal is.
Many of the first wave of escape room owners got into the business purely out of passion. They were puzzle lovers, builders, designers, and creatives who wanted to craft the most immersive or challenging experiences possible. But what many didn’t realize is that running a business requires far more than creativity. In reality, game design, set design, and puzzle flow make up only a small fraction of your day-to-day responsibilities. The majority of your time will be spent on the business side—operations, staffing, marketing, finances, customer service, and problem-solving.
That’s why it’s critical to define your role and what you want to accomplish. If this is purely a hobby, that’s perfectly fine—focus on what you enjoy and don’t stress about the bottom line. But if you’re opening an escape room as both a passion and a business, you need to strike a balance. If you dislike the business side, owning one may bring more stress than satisfaction.
The good news is that it’s much easier to open an escape room today than it was a decade ago. Vendors, props, and turnkey solutions are now widely available, and proven blueprints exist for game design and operations. But at the end of the day, success still comes down to whether you truly want to be in this industry and involved in the daily grind of running your business.
I’ve started businesses that failed—not because the idea wasn’t good, but because I wasn’t fully committed to doing what it took to make them work. With escape rooms, or any venture, passion is important—but so is the willingness to put in the hard work to sustain it.
Pricing:
- Groups of 3-15 is $35/player
- Groups of 16-20 is $30/player
- 21 or more – custom pricing is available
- Date night and Birthday Add-ons available for $29.99
- Birthday packages available from $449 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lockboxescaperoom.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lockboxescaperoom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lockboxescaperoom/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-odenz-719a78aa/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Lockbox_Escape
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvzmwRPS4x1wH8x7W5Z7ZdQ
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lockbox-escape-room-davie?osq=Escape+Games
- Other: https://g.page/r/CazReMMoLSBoEAE/review
