'No going back': Chloe was miserable at her 9-to-5, so she walked away from everything she had ever known

While many people have thought about quitting the 9-to-5 to pursue their own business, only a handful actually take the leap and do it.

In Australia, about 20 per cent of small businesses fail within their first year, with 50 per cent closing in their first five years.

Knowing this, it takes a special kind of bravery and dedication to quit a high-paying job to strike out on one's own.

Chloe Barry-Hang has bucketloads of both.

Barry-Hang started a TikTok account documenting her day-to-day life as a woman working in finance, gaining millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers.

After 18 months in the lucrative role that helped her build her online following, she quit at the start of 2025, saying she felt isolated, unsupported and mistreated as a woman in the male-dominated field.

"I had to make some tough calls," she told nine.com.au.

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"I had to decide what I wanted to do with my life and my career first, it's very difficult to speak out that way and get another job in the same area."

Because she had grown her following by talking about her day-to-day working life, she decided to make a video explaining what happened to her 153,000 followers.

In the video, she recalled some of her experiences on the job, including a male co-worker she claimed covered her mouth with his hand "multiple times" when she tried to talk.

More than a year after posting the video, she admits she knew it was a risky move.

"I knew if I were to speak out, I wouldn't be able to go back ... It had been maybe six weeks before I spoke about it," she said.

"I couldn't keep it on my chest anymore, I needed to get it out."

Barry-Hang started a side hustle while she was still working full-time – a line of robes called K-Juliet.

During her break from the corporate world, she said the business naturally started to grow.

"I left with the intention of only taking a year off to travel, and then things started to happen on their own," she recalls.

"The brand started growing, I though, 'This is such a good opportunity, I need to do this full-time.'"

Although the business was growing, Barry-Hang was still terrified at the prospect of striking out on her own.

"If you had told me two years ago that I quit and I'm not in corporate anymore, I would have called bulls--t ... there was no way," she said.

"It was super scary. My whole life through uni, then my career, was all corporate. It was a big part of my personality, working hard and being considered smart were how I identified myself.

"I was walking away from the only version of myself that I knew ... I was going into unmarked territory."

"It was never my intention to become an influencer. Finance was my whole world."

Since taking the leap of faith, she says K-Juliet is on track for its biggest sales ever, and she's focused on the brand's new winter line and trying to grow into the US market.

Barry-Hang has leaned into another passion since she quit her corporate role: travelling the world and trying new experiences.

She has become an official partner of Adrenaline Adventures, working with the company to promote its new package aimed at getting Australians out of their comfort zone.

According to research from the company, 58 per cent of Australians want to step out of their comfort zone, but three-quarters of us default to our regular routines.

"It's so important to get out of your comfort zone because you learn so much about yourself ... it builds confidence and you feel like you can achieve something."

Barry-Hang believes so much in getting out of your comfort zone, she even offered to go skydiving with me during our interview after I mentioned my fear of heights.

Although I declined, it's obvious the influencer and business founder has an immense zest for life and is deeply passionate about her company.

It's safe to say she has no regrets about stepping outside of her comfort zone!

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