I went from earning $65 an hour to building a multimillion dollar business on my own in two years. Here are the 4 most important steps I took.

Courtesy of Luisa Zhou

Luisa Zhou.

• Luisa Zhou's career is built around teaching people how to start their own six-figure-plus businesses working for themselves.
• Within less than a year of striking out on her own, Zhou was bringing in over a million dollars in sales. She has since continued to grow her profits year over year.
• She began by offering advice to people online for free for several months - and gradually, a few of those people turned into paying customers.
• Zhou also took measured risks in the beginning, and says she consistently over-delivered to make her company stand out.
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When I hit a six-figure salary in my 20s, I thought I'd made it. After all, it was everything I (and my immigrant parents) had dreamed of.

So when I decided to start a business with the goal of ultimately leaving my job, I made myself a promise: I was going to make it count. Otherwise, I would have given up the career I'd worked all my life for, for nothing.

Thankfully, the decision paid off. Within less than a year, I'd built my business to over a million dollars in sales and have since continued to grow my business year over year. Here are the four most important steps I took to make it happen.