Self-Made Millionaire Shares Key Strategies Behind 10x Income Growth in a Decade

Sora Lee, a 34-year-old entrepreneur and former tech executive, grew her income from $40,000 to $400,000 in just over a decade — and became a self-made millionaire by 2024 through consistent investing and strategic career moves.

Lee, who has held roles at Netflix, Meta, and TikTok, now runs Kurated Agency, a company she founded in 2023 to connect Korean beauty brands with creators and media in the U.S. Her journey into tech began unexpectedly after majoring in economics and political science at UC Berkeley and landing her first role at the startup TubeMogul.

Reflecting on her career growth, Lee credits four core principles for her success:

Woman working on a project | Source: Pexels

1. Build Adaptable, Transferable Skills

Lee emphasizes the importance of developing skills that are relevant across industries. “Be adaptive and focus on building skills that you can translate to other companies easily,” she says, noting that what you study in college may quickly become outdated in fast-changing fields like tech.

2. Interview Frequently to Clarify Your Goals

Comparing job interviews to dating, Lee encourages candidates to interview often to better understand what excites them and learn from the good and bad ones. She added that people should focus on how those experiences make them feel.

Woman working in a car | Source: Pexels

3. Focus on Monetizable Skills

Beyond passion, Lee urges professionals to recognize which skills have real earning potential. “Figure out what you’re good at that people would pay money for,” she says, warning that passion alone doesn’t always translate into financial stability.

Authenticity is a key asset, Lee explains. “Be really unapologetically you,” she says, adding that her content creation side hustle boosted her confidence and appealed to employers looking for candidates with a strong personal brand and digital fluency.

Lee’s path highlights the power of skill-building, strategic self-awareness, and authenticity in creating long-term financial and professional success.