When the goal is fun, everyone wins

by Jill Abrahamsen

Yassen Nikolov loves his work. As General Manager of Funtopia, NorthAmerica, he feels good about helping children lead active and healthylives. An active entertainment center, Funtopia gets kids moving and off their devices. “There’s nothing better than seeing happy kids running around and having fun,” Nikolov says.

In his home country of Bulgaria, rock climbing is a huge sport. In fact, Nikolov started his journey into the business as part of The Walltopia Group, the largest producer of climbing walls in the world. The company offers wildly creative, custom-made rock walls that run the gamut from traditional rope and bouldering walls to military walls and speed walls. The company also produces themed, kid-centric “fun walls,” which were the inspiration for Funtopia.

MAKING FUN A PRIORITY

Nikolov and his partners recognized the need for an active entertainment center where kids could get exercise in a fun and safe way. Funtopia was launched in Bulgaria in 2012 and Nikolov became General Manager of North America in 2015. Using the climbing walls as a foundation, they included several mini-concepts to the mix, including rope courses, zip lines, ninja courses, artificial caving, and trampoline fields. “Offering variety keeps it interesting,” Nikolov says. Visitors experience imaginative scenarios such as riding dinosaurs, jumping off skyscrapers, or climbing beanstalks. “At Funtopia, kids get to use their muscles and their imaginations,” he adds.

Funtopia’s dedication to healthy lifestyles doesn’t stop at rope courses. For example, there’s no junk food at the snack bar. “We offer only healthy options like baked chicken, fruit smoothies, and juices made without sugar,” Nikolov says.

Funtopia franchises are spreading around the globe, including locations in Australia, Israel, and Pakistan. Since 2016, franchise opportunities have been offered in the U.S. and Canada. Franchisees enjoy a feel-good business in a growing market, ongoing support, and training. “This is a great opportunity for an investor, but it has to be the right fit,” says Nikolov. “We like to see some passion for the business. Most importantly, we want franchisees who follow the system and like our culture.” For more information, visit www.funtopiaworld.com.

Funtopia active entertainment center gets kids moving and off their devices. Instead of just focusing on one activity, the company offers several mini-concepts, including rockwall climbing, rope courses, zip lines, ninja courses, artificial caving, and trampoline fields.