Summer Issue, 2013

Ryanne Lai 黎曉洋 (LLB 2006; PCLL 2007) Taking the road less travelled After working for law rm Mayer Brown JSM for nearly four years, Ryanne quit her job in June 2012 and started Perpetu (http://perpetu.co ), a company providing a service that allows you leave your nal wishes on your social accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter, and keeps your photos for your loved ones. “The word Perpetu is derived from perpetual,” explains Ryanne. “We enable people to decide what happens to their online accounts, such as Facebook or Gmail, after they pass away. However, our service is not just about death. By using our service, we hope people will be inspired to think more about their own lives.” “Life is short: break the rules” is Ryanne’s motto, and also her reason for quitting a job with a good salary and prospects. “It's better to take risks early if you can afford it. Then you can follow your passion and save yourself from regret.” Setting up Perpetu was tough at the beginning. “Rents are so high in Hong Kong and it’s also very expensive to hire a full-time employee when we were yet to generate income. Fortunately, a friend offered to work for me on a freelance basis at a reduced rate and I found shared space in Tin Hau as a temporary of ce.” Launched in April 2013, Perpetu already has nearly 1,000 people signed up, over a half of whom are from the US and Europe. By offering a free trial, Ryanne has been able to collect feedback on her site from all over the world. Like other online businesses, Perpetu is mostly being promoted via social media tools such as Facebook and Google Ads. Ryanne’s next step will be to collaborate with insurance companies, will writers and social enterprises that provide advance planning funeral services. Although Ryanne has left the legal profession, her four years of training at HKU has not gone to waste. “The legal training I received, whether at universityor at work, helps me think more critically and deal with issues more effectively.” She also believes that the legal knowledge she acquired at HKU helps her run the business smoothly. Ryanne is well aware that she is only at the beginning, and she expects to face more challenges in the future. “Many friends asked me if I have set a deadline for the business, in case it cannot make a pro t,” she says. “It’s hard to say, but right now I would rather continue to invest time in it.” Although she has not yet seen any nancial results, she has already learned a lot from the business. “Now I’m con dent about promoting my business ideas to people. I’ve also learned to evaluate the return of every cent that I spent.” 49 “ Take risks early if you can afford it and save yourself from regret.”