Rage room ownership involves renting space in which you’ll invite customers to therapeutically destroy the content within. Rage rooms are also known as anger rooms. Business owners generate revenue by buying objects of glass, ceramic and other destructible materials at as low a price as possible, arranging the content in the rage room space and being paid by customers to commit pleasurable havoc.
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Start a rage room by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Rage Room
- Form your Rage Room into a Legal Entity
- Register your Rage Room for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Rage Room
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Rage Room
- Get Rage Room Insurance
- Define your Rage Room Brand
- Create your Rage Room Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your rage room. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Rage Room Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a rage room?
Your major initial costs of establishing a rage room can be kept to a minimum. For $5,000 or less you should be able to start operating. Here’s where you’re likely to spend your money:
- Rental space – You’ll need a room or building to set up your tableaus and book customers. Also, keep in mind that you’ll need storage space for all of the breakable objects you must regularly acquire. This might be provided with your rental, or perhaps you can store items in your own garage or basement. Rental rates vary greatly depending on your region, city and even the part of town where you set up operation, but it’s likely to be your highest cost. Your space might be a vehicle outfitted as a rage room. If you go in that direction, you might have to buy or rent a trailer or otherwise spend to outfit your mobile vehicle appropriately. And of course your costs will go way up if you must buy a vehicle to go into mobile operation.
- Breakable goods – If you’ve come up with winning strategies for finding the objects, this cost might be minimal. Try to get most of what will be destroyed for free.
- Liability insurance – You’re going to operate as safely as possible, but minor injuries could still happen. And your landlord might refuse to rent to you unless you acquire liability insurance, so talk to an insurance broker even before you’ve signed your lease.
- Safety gear – Buy hard hats, goggles and work gloves so that your customers don’t get hurt by flying glass. You’ll also provide bats or other tools of destruction.
- Publicity/promotion/advertising – Start by promoting your business through free media. You should be able to get stories placed online and in local media. It’s only as your business loses its novelty or acquires competitors that you should consider paid advertising.
- Employees – It might be beyond your initial budget to hire any employees. Instead, seek out the voluntary services of close friends or family members. When your business expands you can start to think about paying for help.
Read our rage room purchasing guide to learn about the materials and equipment you’ll need to start a rage room, how much to budget, and where to make purchases.
What are the ongoing expenses for a rage room?
Once you’ve figured your rent, insurance and employee costs (if any) into your equation, the only variable costs are the acquisition of breakable items and the cost of promoting your business. As mentioned, you’ll want to pay as little as possible–or nothing–for the articles to be destroyed, and you’ll figure out what that cost is over time. As for promotional costs, first concentrate on social media and free publicity. That should carry you for at least the first several months. While that’s going on, ask your customers where they focus their attention. That will give you an idea of where she should put your money if you must start paying for media attention. As to how much money that will be, that depends on media costs in your city. But you can go online and get ad rates.
Who is the target market?
Most customers will be able to see the humor in the mock violence. They will take their swings to let off steam and have a good time without causing any meaningful destruction. This could include customers booking the space for birthday celebrations, bachelor or bachelorette parties or stressed workers on lunch break.
However, it may be beneficial to attract customers with a more critical need to vent. This might include individuals or groups who’ve become recently unemployed or who are involuntarily out of a relationship or otherwise filled with unreleased anger.
How does a rage room make money?
A Rage Room makes money by charging more for the experience than the cost of acquiring the breakable objects that will be arranged for destruction. Overhead costs must also be covered. These include:
- Rental of the room or rooms
- Energy costs, if not included in the rent
- Paid advertising and other expenses incurred in promoting your business
- Employee costs, which can include staff to arrange the tableaus, obtain costumers, host bookings, provide security and cleanup after one booking and prepare the room for the next—though these tasks may be carried out by the owner himself
How much can you charge customers?
Prices—and even the methods to set the rate—can vary considerably. The Smash Shack in Jacksonville, North Carolina charges by the number of items demolished. Rates start at $10 for 15 items, and escalate to $75 for 50 targets.
The Rage Room in Dallas charges by time, starting at $25 for five minutes of destruction. And Tantrums LLC in Houston charges a flat rate of $85 for a theme room destruction experience.
The point is, rates vary depending on location and the experience offered. Survey your audience to find out what they’d pay. You’re better off starting modestly and escalating with your growing success than to start too high and turn off your customer base.
How much profit can a rage room make?
Start by adding up all of your anticipated expenses–from rent to employee costs to utilities, insurance, interest on money borrowed, promotional expense and the acquisition cost (if any) of the items to be destroyed–and figure out what you’ll be spending. Then ask yourself what the minimum amount of a salary is that you require. (Best scenario is that you’ve saved enough to go without salary for a year.)
Add up all of those costs, then figure how many days you’re going to be open and how much you plan to charge per person or per booking. How many groups can you expect to book on a typical day? Provide an estimate in two scenarios. For one, be very conservative and then be more aggressive with the other. Your estimated profit will be the difference between your expenses and your prediction of revenue generated. Is it enough?
Once you’re actually in business for a few months or half a year and can plug in real numbers you’ll get a better idea of the profit potential of your business. If it’s not enough, it’s time to get creative and figure out more services to offer or ways to expand your audience base.
How can you make your business more profitable?
One prime source of revenue enhancement will be in figuring out how to find a steady stream of breakable objects at the lowest possible price. You’ll want to regularly seek out garage sales, flea markets and curbside castoffs. Homeowners regularly put out broken televisions, sinks, toilets, washers, dryers, cabinets and other large and small breakable objects for refuse pickup. Get to know garbage day for every nearby neighborhood and community, and show up the night before with a pickup truck. The more objects you can find for free, the greater the profitability potential of your operation.
Once you’ve figured out the basics, consider expanding by adding rooms or a mobile component to your operation.
Finally, consider associated services that might generate additional income? For example, consider offering beverages and snacks and professional videography services to commemorate the visit.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your rage room is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your rage room were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?
Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a rage room business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
In addition, certain local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply. For more information about local licenses and permits:
- Check with your town, city or county clerk’s office
- Get assistance from one of the local associations listed in US Small Business Associations directory of local business resources.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
Release of Liability
It is strongly recommended to have customers sign a liability waivers. Rage rooms can be high-risk environments, and a liability waiver will help protect your business in the event of an injury. An adult guardian should sign for children under the age of 18. Though waivers should be custom-made, this example liability waiver can serve as a helpful example.
Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional release of liability form for your rage room business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.
Music Licensing
In order to play music in a business setting, permission must be acquired from the composer or license holder. Typically, it is possible to obtain a “blanket” license allowing a businesses to play music owned by a large catalog of artists and recording studios. Such licenses can be obtained from Performance Rights Organizations, such as ASCAP or BMI.
Certificate of Occupancy
A rage room business is generally run out of a warehouse or large storefront. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.
If you plan to lease a space:
- It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
- Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a rage room business.
- After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.
If you plan to purchase or build a rage room:
- You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
- Review all building codes and zoning requirements for you business’ location to ensure your rage room business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Rage Room needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Rage Room.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a rage room
- Invite the media – As mentioned, initial media interest should be high. The rage room concept has only been around since about 2008, and the media is always on the lookout for a good story. Invite the media to send a still photographer or film crew to witness a booking.
- Use social media – Set up a Facebook group under your company name as well as a Twitter feed and Instagram account. You can use your smartphone to video record a booking and post it to your YouTube rage room account. Then ask around and find out what other social media your prospective customers are using. The beauty of social media is that it’s free and pervasive.
- Reach out – What sort of customer base would you like to attract? If you’re thinking about birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette events, hang out where people are planning such celebrations. For instance, consider running an ad in magazines or on websites that attract brides-to-be. If you’re operating from a mobile base, try to position your rage room near a major employer for stress breaks or after-work venting sessions.
How to keep customers coming back
This is a critical talent. Since the concept is so new, you’ll have to start by explaining what a rage room is. Do you have experience or a talent getting booked on local television or radio talk shows? Can you entice a journalist to write a story? Perhaps a television news crew could even be invited to film a session.
You should also be a good communicator on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and other social media where your customers are likely to check in. Donna Alexander, who runs the Anger Room in Dallas, has managed to gain national and even global interest with stories placed on ABC News, the Huffington Post and in the pages of the New York Times.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
The ideal rage room business owner will be able to obtain breakable content on a regular basis at as low a price as possible and keep the space filled and arranged so customers can book time to let off steam. She or he must see opportunity in the novelty and the humor of the business and know how to get the word out.
This business demands creative thinkers who can find ways to bring customers in the door and provide an experience that will encourage repeat business and positive word of mouth.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a rage room?
- Acquiring an always changing inventory of breakable objects at low or no cost
- Setting up the breakable objects in tableaus what resemble real-life environments, then quickly removing the destruction from one booking to quickly set up another tableau for the next
- Promoting business in local and social media through both paid advertising and free publicity
- Providing an overall customer experience that will be gratifying and enjoyable, encourage return visits and generate positive word of mouth
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful rage room?
Your prime talents will be creativity in acquiring breakable goods, promoting your business and drawing customers.
What is the growth potential for a rage room?
A Rage Room business is limited by the number of rooms it can provide and fill, the customers it can draw, and the rates it can charge for bookings.
After achieving success with a single room or location, it is possible to expand through additional rooms or locations, mobile rooms, or even by eventually franchising.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
How and when to build a team
Your first “employees” might be family and friends donating their time to help you get started. Or you might have to do everything solo to save time. But as you expand, you’ll want to start hiring people who are responsible, responsive and promotional. Your team should see the fun in the concept and feel as passionate about the business as you are.
Useful Links
TRUiC Resources
Industry Opportunities
Real World Examples
Further Reading
- WGNTV – Breaking stuff, smashing glass helps rage room participants release stress
- The Dallas Morning News – Dallas’ Anger Room lets clients attack their frustrations by smashing objects