27-year-old boosted his income from $50,000 to $432,000 at Amazon in 5 years—it allowed him to quit and start his own business

This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Millennial Money series, which examines how people earn, spend and save their money.

Nabeel Khan knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur early in life.

In high school, Khan hired “12 of the smartest kids I could find,” he says, and co-founded an AP tutoring company. They charged between $20 and $50 per hour and made “about $5,000″ within the first month, he says. He says he loved the challenge of working in customer service and balancing costs and earnings.

The now-27-year-old went on to study materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, thinking he might dive into the world of sports equipment after college. But over time, he says he realized he could have a bigger impact as an entrepreneur in the tech world.

When he graduated in 2020, Khan accepted an offer as an operations manager at an Amazon warehouse, which became an entryway into tech.