- Shanna Nasiri, 34, decided to quit her tech job when she no longer felt connected to work.
- Earlier this year, she opened a natural wine bar in Williamsburg called With Others.
- Nasiri said her previous tech job served her well after becoming a bar owner.
This essay is based on a conversation with Shanna Nasiri, the 34-year-old owner of With Othersa natural wine bar in Brooklyn, New York. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified Nasir’s salary.
I grew up in the Bay Area near Silicon Valley, and everyone I knew was in some variation of technology. I continued on that trajectory.
My first job was working for the corporate venture team at Qualcomm. After that I worked in semiconductors for several years. Then, I went back to business school and got a job in product marketing for a regulatory technology startup.
I liked some aspects of what I did. The benefits were good. I had full benefits. And there was the salary. I was making about $200,000 at the time I left, plus a bonus. I also have many stock options.
I used to work for startups, so I got the chance to be on the ground level, build teams and craft messages. I felt like I had an impact.
But I wasn’t fulfilled creatively. I didn’t like what I was doing. It didn’t resonate with who I am. I was kind of embarrassed to tell people that I did product marketing for regulatory tech startups. I felt like I was speaking another language.
At that time, I broke up. This is me at work and this is me in my personal life. I just accepted my life for what it was and realized that you can never be completely happy at work.
That started to change when I turned 30
Around my 30th birthday, I started having these existential questions and ideas. I had recently moved from San Francisco to New York City. This was also right at the onset of COVID, so I had a lot of time alone to reflect.
I was seeing this whole new world in New York City, with so many different careers. In San Francisco, I met a lot of tech founders. But when I moved to New York, I began to realize that entrepreneurship could have a greater meaning beyond technology.
Shanna Nasiri moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2021. Courtesy of Shanna Nasiri/Getty Images
I had always fantasized about opening a space, but it wasn’t something I thought I would actually do.
I moved to Williamsburg in 2021. It was still pretty deserted back then. There were many empty storefronts. I would take these long walks and start fantasizing about what I would do with the space.
I have always been passionate about hosting. I like to curate an environment. I obsess over small details like the glass, the music, the lighting and the choice of sparkling water. I grew up in a family where my mom and grandma threw big parties all the time and I was the mini hostess. I am from the Middle East and I think there is a sense of Middle Eastern hospitality that is ingrained in me.
My summer journey started young. My stepfather collected limited production Pinot Noirs. He introduced me to wine and taught me how to enjoy it and the craftsmanship that goes into production.
When I think about it now, it was pretty shameless to open a wine bar. But it was COVID, and life felt so short and precious. I wanted to show myself that I could do it
It was either get stuck in this unfulfilling career trajectory and climb the corporate ladder, or try to be an entrepreneur. It was a huge leap of faith and required me to believe in myself 100%
So, in the summer of 2022, I took a job at a wine bar in Brooklyn to see what it was like. I was very fond of her.
After that, I started pursuing my wine education and got my Wine and Spirit Education Trust certificate, which is a globally recognized qualification. I got a job at a wine shop. And I fully committed myself to opening my bar.
My tech experience came in handy
A lot of my past work came in handy as I was building the bar. I knew how to manage teams. I had always worked at ground level, so I had experience juggling a lot of responsibilities and working with limited resources.
I started asking everyone to introduce me to other entrepreneurs and asking about their contractors, agents and plumbers.
Courtesy of Shanna Nasiri/Getty Images
I used my own money and opened the bar with a very small budget.
It took me a year to find the space because I was only looking for places within a few blocks of my house. I wanted her to really integrate with the community. I found the space in June 2023 and started construction in October 2023.
We opened in March of this year. It’s been incredible. It is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.
It has quickly become a neighborhood spot. We have regulars who come twice a week. And the coolest thing has started happening lately, where I’ve met probably 11 or 12 parents of our regulars.
I have constantly reinvested in the bar. For example, the backyard construction happened three months after we opened. After that, I built the basement and cellar. Then I invested in hiring a general manager and growing the wine list.
It has been a huge lifestyle change from technology
I don’t have health insurance. I’m working maybe 12-hour days. There is a lot to do in terms of maintenance. And I do service every night.
In technology, I could work from anywhere. I traveled a lot and worked remotely. Now I have a physical space. I haven’t left a 20 mile radius since Christmas and I don’t plan to.
But I feel very connected to what I’m doing. It feels like what I’ve always wanted to do. I work more hours than I do in tech, but it’s not that hard.
I am so amazed at what we have been able to create in such a short time.