About My Story
Hello, I’m Chi!
I also go by Sam!
01
My First Escape Room Experience
Every escape room owner remembers playing their first ever escape room — this is my story.
I grew up playing console games: Gameboy, Sega Mega Drive, Sony PlayStation (PS1). Then my brief love affair with console gaming ended when I discovered PC gaming in the late '90s. One of my earliest memories was playing 'Point & Click' online escape room games, and I was instantly hooked! The variety of online escape rooms was endless, and the puzzles were so cleverly designed.
Fast forward to 2014, when I went on holiday with some friends to Budapest, Hungary. According to TripAdvisor, the number one thing to do there was an escape room called TRAP. I played the Medieval-themed room. I didn’t have any expectations going in, but the hour flew by, and my mind was completely blown! With only minutes to spare, we escaped, and it felt like such an incredible achievement. It was like stepping into a real-life video game. My sense of awareness was heightened, and I physically felt connected to the game, solving puzzles with my bare hands instead of using a controller.
On the plane back home, I had an overwhelming sense of clarity — an epiphany. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. All I could think was, "This is my time, my calling." The next day, I quit my job.
02
My Very Own Escape Room Business
Loving escape rooms and owning your own are two entirely different things.
I made a grave mistake by quitting so quickly. It took me an entire year to figure out the business side of things, let alone design my first escape room. With my life savings invested and the reality of London's high rent, it was a struggle. Fortunately, a successful Kickstarter campaign saved the dream, and with a bit of luck finding a suitable venue, Enigma Escape was born!
It was 2015, and we were one of the first escape rooms to open in the UK. Our two games, The Killer and The Breakout, received the TimeOut Critics’ Choice award, TripAdvisor Excellence awards, and thousands of 5-star reviews. But running a business isn’t easy. No one tells you that it takes more than great games to build a successful business. There are things like bookkeeping, payroll, HR, bills, maintenance, and countless other tasks that pull you further away from the initial excitement of creating fun escape rooms for people to enjoy. We never had the chance to create more.
Despite the ups and downs, Enigma Escape was a success! In 2021, we sold the business to No Escape, another escape room owner, for six figures. And with that, rest at last.
03
Working for an Escape Room Owner
Running my own escape rooms was easy. Helping others run theirs — that was the hard part.
It was my chance to escape the escape room scene — but it pulled me back in! Selling my 'baby' was bittersweet, but it soon became surreal to be working again in the very escape rooms I had created. In the end, it was a turning point I’ll never regret.
Over the next few years, I was fortunate to simultaneously manage the books and oversee multiple escape room builds, both small and large, as the Bookkeeper and Head of Projects for No Escape. My unique perspective gave me a deep understanding of what works — and what doesn’t — and how to adapt projects with data-driven support from the numbers. My favourite project was building the award-winning Purgatory Bar, a two-storey cocktail bar and escape room venue, complete with drinks and games that perfectly fit the theme.
What fascinated me most in this role was how differently each person approaches escape room design. Another interesting dynamic was working as a former escape room owner for another escape room owner. But the biggest lesson I learned was that business owners run their businesses for different reasons, and to truly be of service, you need to align with their goals. I was ready for what came next.
04
Now I’m The Escape Room Bookkeeper
After years of searching, I think I’ve solved the puzzle of my purpose.
Do you believe in fate? Looking back, it seems the stars were aligning, guiding me toward my next calling as a professional bookkeeper. Focusing on escape room bookkeeping felt like a natural next step, since that’s where my expertise lies. When I talk to others about my niche, I’m quickly becoming known as the ‘Escape Room Bookkeeper.’ Not a bad nickname — I’ll take it.
I have a knack for spotting patterns in numbers, which is probably why I’m good at escape room puzzles, especially the mathematical ones. I also enjoy teaching, and I’ve discovered I’m great at simplifying complex concepts for others. So, when I had the chance to reflect on what to do next, it became clear: I should build an escape room bookkeeping and insights business.
Enter Immersif — my new venture with a mission to help escape room owners worldwide. I want to share my insights and experience to support the industry I love and bring joy to the world through escape rooms. It must be fate that you’ve read my story this far, so let’s have a chat and see where fate takes us.
Chi Yun Wai MICB
CERTIFIED BOOKKEEPERAbout My Story
Hello, I’m Chi!
I also go by Sam!
01
My First Escape Room Experience
Every escape room owner remembers playing their first ever escape room — this is my story.
I grew up playing console games: Gameboy, Sega Mega Drive, Sony PlayStation (PS1). Then my brief love affair with console gaming ended when I discovered PC gaming in the late '90s. One of my earliest memories was playing 'Point & Click' online escape room games, and I was instantly hooked! The variety of online escape rooms was endless, and the puzzles were so cleverly designed.
Fast forward to 2014, when I went on holiday with some friends to Budapest, Hungary. According to TripAdvisor, the number one thing to do there was an escape room called TRAP. I played the Medieval-themed room. I didn’t have any expectations going in, but the hour flew by, and my mind was completely blown! With only minutes to spare, we escaped, and it felt like such an incredible achievement. It was like stepping into a real-life video game. My sense of awareness was heightened, and I physically felt connected to the game, solving puzzles with my bare hands instead of using a controller.
On the plane back home, I had an overwhelming sense of clarity — an epiphany. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. All I could think was, "This is my time, my calling." The next day, I quit my job.
02
My Very Own Escape Room Business
Loving escape rooms and owning your own are two entirely different things.
I made a grave mistake by quitting so quickly. It took me an entire year to figure out the business side of things, let alone design my first escape room. With my life savings invested and the reality of London's high rent, it was a struggle. Fortunately, a successful Kickstarter campaign saved the dream, and with a bit of luck finding a suitable venue, Enigma Escape was born!
It was 2015, and we were one of the first escape rooms to open in the UK. Our two games, The Killer and The Breakout, received the TimeOut Critics’ Choice award, TripAdvisor Excellence awards, and thousands of 5-star reviews. But running a business isn’t easy. No one tells you that it takes more than great games to build a successful business. There are things like bookkeeping, payroll, HR, bills, maintenance, and countless other tasks that pull you further away from the initial excitement of creating fun escape rooms for people to enjoy. We never had the chance to create more.
Despite the ups and downs, Enigma Escape was a success! In 2021, we sold the business to No Escape, another escape room owner, for six figures. And with that, rest at last.
03
Working for an Escape Room Owner
Running my own escape rooms was easy. Helping others run theirs — that was the hard part.
It was my chance to escape the escape room scene — but it pulled me back in! Selling my 'baby' was bittersweet, but it soon became surreal to be working again in the very escape rooms I had created. In the end, it was a turning point I’ll never regret.
Over the next few years, I was fortunate to simultaneously manage the books and oversee multiple escape room builds, both small and large, as the Bookkeeper and Head of Projects for No Escape. My unique perspective gave me a deep understanding of what works — and what doesn’t — and how to adapt projects with data-driven support from the numbers. My favourite project was building the award-winning Purgatory Bar, a two-storey cocktail bar and escape room venue, complete with drinks and games that perfectly fit the theme.
What fascinated me most in this role was how differently each person approaches escape room design. Another interesting dynamic was working as a former escape room owner for another escape room owner. But the biggest lesson I learned was that business owners run their businesses for different reasons, and to truly be of service, you need to align with their goals. I was ready for what came next.
Now I’m The Escape Room Bookkeeper
04
After years of searching, I think I’ve solved the puzzle of my purpose.
Do you believe in fate? Looking back, it seems the stars were aligning, guiding me toward my next calling as a professional bookkeeper. Focusing on escape room bookkeeping felt like a natural next step, since that’s where my expertise lies. When I talk to others about my niche, I’m quickly becoming known as the ‘Escape Room Bookkeeper.’ Not a bad nickname — I’ll take it.
I have a knack for spotting patterns in numbers, which is probably why I’m good at escape room puzzles, especially the mathematical ones. I also enjoy teaching, and I’ve discovered I’m great at simplifying complex concepts for others. So, when I had the chance to reflect on what to do next, it became clear: I should build an escape room bookkeeping and insights business.
Enter Immersif — my new venture with a mission to help escape room owners worldwide. I want to share my insights and experience to support the industry I love and bring joy to the world through escape rooms. It must be fate that you’ve read my story this far, so let’s have a chat and see where fate takes us.
Chi Yun Wai MICB
CERTIFIED BOOKKEEPER