A former DoorDash manager who walked away from a $390,000 annual salary to start her own fashion label says the decision continues to test her confidence — but she believes the risk is worth it.
Shiyao Tang, a 34-year-old business owner who splits her time between New York City and Paris, quit her high-paying tech role in 2025 to build Soir Si, a silk womenswear brand focused on minimalist design and accessible luxury. While the move followed months of careful planning, Tang admits that doubts still surface.
“I still constantly ask myself if I made a huge mistake,” Tang said. “I think to myself, ‘How could I just leave a job that most people would dream of?’ It was high-paying, the benefits were great, and there was room for learning. But I don’t want to look back and think I climbed the wrong mountain,”according to Business Insider.
From tech success to creative calling
Tang joined DoorDash in 2022 as a strategy and operations manager on the company’s homepage team, a role she described as both challenging and rewarding. She earned $390,000 annually and felt she was on a strong upward trajectory, with opportunities to grow further within the company.
Despite professional success, Tang said something felt missing. “When I was honest with myself, my heart wasn’t in it,” she said, explaining that she missed being closely connected to the people she was building products for.
Her pull toward entrepreneurship wasn’t new. Earlier in her career, Tang had worked on a fashion wholesale startup, where she built customer relationships from scratch. That experience stayed with her, as did her multicultural background — moving from China to the US at 16 and later studying in Paris — which shaped her creative instincts.
“Tech created a structure for me to learn and expand my horizon, but I was ready to try entrepreneurship again,” Tang told Business Insider.
Over five months, she quietly prepared her exit, spending weekends journaling, researching business ideas, speaking with potential customers, and attending founder events. Eventually, she settled on Soir Si, a brand focused on sculptural silk pieces.
“Leaving to start my own silk womenswear brand wasn’t an instantaneous decision; it was a long-term calling inside of me,” she said. “It took a lot of courage to quit and choose the unknown.”
Fear, self-doubt, and building from scratch
Tang said the first weeks after leaving DoorDash were filled with momentum and focus as she worked on branding, design identity, and building a website. The self-doubt crept in later, as she encountered the realities of manufacturing and supply chains.
“I realized I had no idea what went into manufacturing or production, or even how to find a pattern-maker,” she said, recalling early meetings with garment manufacturers in New York. “They treated me like I had no idea what I was doing,” she told Business Insider.
Despite those challenges, Tang says small wins — like forming partnerships with designers in Italy and manufacturers in Portugal — reinforced her belief in the decision. “Establishing those relationships from scratch without any experience gave me the assurance that I can really do this,” she said.
She now divides her time between New York and Paris, drawing inspiration while continuing to develop products and supplier relationships. While the uncertainty remains, Tang says the emotional payoff has been significant.
“There are still moments when I’m super scared about the path I chose,” she said. “But underneath it all is a steady sense that I’m building something that aligns with who I am, not just the perception of success or stability. I’m finally excited about life again.”
Reflecting on her leap, Tang acknowledges that many would view her choice as risky. “People might say this is a risky move,” she said, “but everyone starts from nothing. I just had to be willing to take the first step.”