Kelsie Grace was climbing the corporate ladder when she decided to jump off and spend all her savings on opening a bar.
The 25-year-old had worked in marketing for five years and even relocated to Melbourne to chase her career, but after returning from a 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.
For Ms. Grace, it 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 the risk and made her realize that “life is short” and that she should pursue her dreams.
Ms. Grace said it was hard to argue with his logic because she was feeling so “burnt out” and needed to find something to be excited about.
“Having my partner one hundred percent backing me 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’re taking a massive risk,” she said.
Ms. Grace said that has been especially hard because she’s a “people-pleaser” and “not everyone has been stoked.”
It’s also a big financial commitment. Ms. Grace said how much anyone spends to open a bar depends on variables, but there are no cheap options.
“It is not cheap but it is hard to put a dollar figure because there’s so many variables.”
Ms. Grace shared on TikTok that originally she was under the assumption that she didn’t “have enough money” to open a bar.
“How the hell can I do it? I spoke to a lot of people, and the answer was simple: I don’t need to own 100 percent of the business,” she said.
Ms. Grace said she’s managed to open her bar with “no loans” but she’s liquidated all her investments and got investors.
“I sold all of my shares that I’d been investing in. I had to pitch myself to get investors,” she said.
“My partner Taylor is an investor; we are majority shareholders, and I pitched my ideas to friends and strangers.”
“I’ve drained and sold every share I’ve owned and I’ve drained my bank account dry.”
It’s a big risk, especially considering that Ms. Grace quit her secure job.
“Some people do think you’re out of your mind,” she said.
“I was really scared to quit my corporate job, but I’ve never felt more liberated and excited than I do now.”
The 25-year-old said it was a tough decision because she was on a “good wicket” and in line to be promoted.
“I was on the cusp of becoming a senior figure just as I was leaving,” she said.
She thought she’d feel “anxious” and “stressed” but she’s mostly just felt relieved and excited for the future.
Gracie’s Wine Room will open in January in Melbourne’s South Yarra, and she’s thrilled.
“If it doesn’t work out I can go back to a corporate job,” she said.
But she’s optimistic it will because she has passion and feels there’s a gap in the market.
Ms. Grace said that, while there are plenty of trendy wine bars in Melbourne, there are not as many in South Yarra.
“We can’t always be [taking] $50 Ubers to Fitzroy,” she pointed out.
“I think my dream it is to create a space where me and my friends want to go too that feels communal and feels like everyone is friends.”
