Owner’s interview: Clip ‘n Climb Garforth

To continue our Owner’s Interviews series, we had a chat with Michelle Manson. She is the owner of Clip ‘n Climb Garforth, located in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds. Opened since the end of 2019, Michelle is confident for the future as a member of the Clip ‘n Climb network.

How did you find out about Clip ‘n Climb?

My son attended a party at another Clip ‘n Climb centre and my daughter was desperate to give it go too, so we booked a session as a family. We all thoroughly enjoyed it, I could see how popular it was with the young people and just how much fun it was for the whole family.

I had worked in the Recruitment and Education sector for over 20 years, delivering government funded contracts across the country and in 2017 decided I wanted to try something different but wasn’t sure what? I had no previous experience of the leisure industry, and it wasn’t an area I had thought of, however following the visit to the Clip ‘n Climb centre I received a marketing e-mail showcasing a special offer, as I scrolled down, I read “are you interested in investing in Clip ‘n Climb?”

This caught my attention, I emailed the contact, Daniel Hodgson and within 24 hours received a response. We met the very next week and started the search for premises!
 

How would you describe running a Clip ‘n Climb?

This is a hard question to answer given the challenges of the last 18 months. I opened the Clip ‘n Climb Garforth centre in Leeds on the 14th of December 2019 and the pandemic hit in March 2020! Therefore, we have not really had any chance to experience a period of ‘normal’ trading. We are now very much looking ahead and can see that the demand is certainly building, we cannot wait to provide a full offer from June onwards…. fingers crossed!!

What advice would you give to future Clip ‘n Climb centre owners?

For me, it’s all about getting the right staff and that can offer the best customer experience, ensuring that safety and quality is always the priority… and invest in a good coffee brand, its Costa all the way for us, it’s a winner with the parents!

Did you enjoy Michelle’s story and are looking for more information on how to open your own centre? Contact our team today for more information and join our network!