Woman, 25, says she ’emptied my bank account’ and quit cushy marketing job to pursue dream: ‘I never thought it would come true’

Kelsie Grace was climbing the corporate ladder when she decided to take the plunge and spend all her savings on opening a bar.

The 25-year-old had worked in marketing for five years and had even moved to Melbourne to pursue her career, but after returning from holiday she realized she needed a change.

“I think for everyone in corporate jobs there’s always this thing you’d rather be doing,” she told news.com.au.

Away from Mrs. Grace, was opening a wine bar somewhere community-minded that could be a place for people to hang out and connect.

“I never thought it would be a reality because of the cost and time,” she said.

The 25-year-old said that her partner encouraged her to take risks and made her realize that “life is short” and that she should follow her dreams.

mrs. Grace said it was hard to argue with his logic because she felt so “burned out” and needed to find something to be excited about.

“Having one hundred percent support from my partner made me feel like ‘this is possible,'” she said.

She said the reaction from family and friends has been a “mixed bag”.

“Your friends and family have to accept that you are taking a big risk,” she said.

mrs. Grace said this has been particularly difficult because she is “more of a people pleaser” and “not everyone is into it”.

It’s also a big financial commitment. mrs. Grace said how much someone spends to open a bar depends on variables, but there are no cheap options.

“It’s not cheap, but it’s hard to put a dollar figure because there are so many variables.”

mrs. Grace shared on TikTok that she was initially under the assumption that she “didn’t have enough money” to open a bar.

“How the hell can I do it? “I talked to a lot of people and the answer was simple: I don’t need to own 100 percent of the business,” she said.

mrs. Grace said she managed to open her bar with “no credit”, but she liquidated all her investments and took on investors.

“I have sold all my shares in which I have invested. I had to put myself out there to get investors,” she said.

“My partner Taylor is an investor; we are the majority shareholders and I pitched my ideas to friends and strangers.”

“I drained and sold every stock I owned and emptied my bank account.”

It’s a big risk, especially considering that Ms. Grace left her secure job.

“Some people think you’re out of your mind,” she said.

“I was really scared to leave my corporate job, but I’ve never felt more liberated and excited than I do now.”

The 25-year-old said it was a difficult decision because she was on a “good track” and in line to be promoted.

“I was on the verge of becoming a senior figure as soon as I left,” she said.

She thought she would feel “anxious” and “stressed,” but mostly she just felt relieved and excited about the future.

Gracie’s Wine Room is set to open in January in Melbourne’s South Yarra and she’s excited.

“If it doesn’t work out, I might go back to a corporate job,” she said.

But she is optimistic because she has passion and feels there is a gap in the market.

mrs. Grace said while there are plenty of trendy wine bars in Melbourne, there aren’t that many in South Yarra.

“We can’t always be [taking] $50 Ubers to Fitzroy,” she noted.

“I think my dream is to create a space where me and my friends want to go too that feels communal and feels like everyone is a friend.”