I went from making $250,000 a year to now expecting around $33,000 this year, and I'm so much happier now than I was before.

@cnbcmakeit

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SoundTikTok sound · original sound - cnbcmakeit

Promoted product

Matcha Househttps://smartlink.bio/t/cnbcmakeit ↗

Why it worked

The video uses a strong financial contrast hook—$250k vs $33k—to immediately pique curiosity about the creator's lifestyle and values, making the personal story highly relatable and engaging.

Summary

A former software engineer shares her journey of leaving a high-paying tech career to open a matcha cafe in Manhattan. She details her financial transition and current lifestyle, emphasizing her increased happiness despite a significant drop in income.

Structure

1Introduction of career change and salary drop
2Motivation behind the initial pursuit of wealth
3Realization that tech work was unfulfilling
4Decision to open a matcha cafe
5Breakdown of current monthly expenses

Product placement

The video features the creator's business, Matcha House, showing the storefront, the interior, and the process of making matcha.

Call to action

See how she built her business in the link in bio.

Original caption

Michelle Yeung, 29, used to earn around $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York — enough to stop worrying about money for the first time in her life. Despite the high salary, spending her days behind a computer screen no longer felt meaningful to her. Today, Yeung runs Matcha House, a cafe on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. See how she built her business in the link in bio.

More from @cnbcmakeit

On-screen text

Software engineer quit a $250K/year job to open a matcha cafe in Manhattan Michelle Yeung Owner, Matcha House Before leaving tech, Yeung earned about $250,000 a year She expects to pay herself about $33,000 in 2026 Michelle Yeung's spending in March 2026 $1,750 on rent, $258 on food, $112 on transportation, $38 on utilities, $25 on subscriptions and memberships, $15 on my phone bill, $94 on other things.

Transcript

I went from making $250,000 a year to now expecting around $33,000 this year, and I'm so much happier now than I was before. For as long as I could remember, my older brothers and I are main goal was always like, we got to get rich. Like we got to get to a point where we don't have to worry about money again. I ended up going to college for applied math and ended up a software engineer. When I got my first offer as a software engineer, it was $160,000 and I was in shock. I started to realize the freedom I had with that amount of money. I realized pretty soon that I was doing it because of the amount of money that was providing me, and the work itself wasn't really doing anything. I started to realize I needed to switch careers completely, and that there wasn't any good matcha places in New York. I decided I really wanted to open a store. I saved up $200,000 to open up the cafe, and now I'm just always working. But at the end of the day, I just feel happy about what I've done. Nowadays my expenses are just what's necessary. I spend $1,750 on rent, $258 on food, $112 on transportation, $38 on utilities, $25 on subscriptions and memberships, $15 on my phone bill, $94 on other things.