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You're Building Your Climbing Walls All Wrong - A conversation with Jason Thomas, Founder of Redpoint Studio
A new way to go about designing and building your climbing walls for your climbing gym.
3 days ago1 min read


Tips for a Successful Climbing Gym in 2026
2026 is going to be about performance, and more performance., More gyms are opening, the market is getting more educated and competitive. Build a great company that can keep up now.
Feb 26 min read


Rise Above Consulting's 2025 Climbing Gym Industry Insights & 2026 Predictions
The following insights are aggregated from our unique, first-hand look under the hood in the climbing gym industry
Jan 147 min read


Want to Sell Your Climbing Gym? Read This First
At least once a month, someone reaches out to me about selling their climbing gym business. In this blog we will discuss some of the key considerations for selling your climbing gym
Nov 19, 20256 min read


Why Your Climbing Gym Needs Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is what connects your vision to measurable results. It’s how you align your team, clarify your purpose, and track progress in a way that’s specific, realistic, and achievable
Oct 15, 20252 min read


How to do Incident Response in a Climbing Gym
If you run a climbing gym, an incident is going to occur. Someone is going to get hurt. Potentially seriously. This isn't an "if" situation, it's a "when". So the question is: WHEN this happens, are your staff ready? Are you ready? Is your business ready?
Oct 8, 20254 min read


The Paradoxes of Leadership, Pt. 5 - Committed vs. Flexible
Adaptability requires you to change, resilience requires you to hold steady. Which is right for your business today? And which comes most naturally to you as a leader?
Sep 24, 20254 min read


The Paradoxes of Leadership, Pt. 4 - Creative vs. Focused
Would you rather be innovative or efficient? Of course, we would all choose both if we could, but innovation is inherently inefficient with many stops and starts along the way. Efficiency meanwhile requires that we don’t waste resources on things we aren’t positive will work.
Sep 17, 20256 min read


The Paradoxes of Leadership, Pt. 3 - Commanding vs. Collaborative
Commanding and Collaborative are complementary antonyms because the complete leader must understand when it is most valuable to inspire their team and when it is more important to mentor them. And the complete leader must equally be able to perform both functions.
Sep 4, 20256 min read


The Paradoxes of Leadership, Pt. 2 - Decision Making
what makes a good decision and how you, as a leader, should be self aware in how you approach your decision making.
Aug 27, 20255 min read


The Paradoxes of Leadership, Pt. 1
You can’t effectively grow your business if you’re not actively growing the capabilities of your leadership.
Aug 20, 20253 min read


Rise Above Consulting Announces Multiple-time CEO Pete Ward as Partner
Rise Above Consulting Announces Multiple-time CEO Pete Ward as Partner
Aug 7, 20252 min read


Why the Climbing Industry Needs High Quality Leadership Now More Than Ever.
transformative success is only possible if our industry, our businesses and our careers are self-directed, not reactionary.
Aug 6, 20255 min read


7 Proven Steps to Build a Strong Human Resources Function in Your Climbing Gym
Building a strong HR functionality isn’t just smart—it’s strategic.
Jul 28, 20254 min read


The Climbing Gym Business Model: A Practical Guide
This blog explores how climbing gyms operate, how they make money, and the key metrics that guide their success.
Jul 2, 20254 min read


Navigating Commercial Real Estate for a Climbing Gym: A Practical Guide
One of the most critical decisions you’ll make early on is choosing the right commercial real estate. This guide will walk you through what you need to know to successfully secure space for your climbing gym
May 5, 20254 min read


The Importance of Data in Running a Successful Climbing Gym
Discover The Importance of Data in Running a Successful Climbing Gym. Learn how leveraging data can enhance operations and sales
Apr 9, 20256 min read


Buying a Climbing Gym for Sale:The Due Diligence Guide
A guide to due diligence for buying a climbing gym
Mar 26, 20254 min read


Top Customer Experience Trends & Best Practices: How CX Drives Business Growth
Explore Customer Experience Trends & Best Practices to boost business growth. Discover strategies to exceed expectations and foster loyalty.
Feb 26, 20254 min read


Securing Funding to Open a Climbing Gym: A Comprehensive Guide
This guide provides practical steps to obtain financing, with a focus on Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) loans, their requirements
Feb 26, 20255 min read
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