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

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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