I made $600,000 last year from my online business. Skipping college paid off — I'm the first in my family to own a home.

• Oliur Rahman leveraged smartphone customization to start making money online after high school.
• He sold designs on Tumblr before a stint at a startup and expanding into an online store and YouTube.
• His passive income streams carried him through a cancer diagnosis and now he earns $600,000 a year.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Oliur Rahman, a 31-year-old YouTuber and entrepreneur in the UK. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I come from a South Asian background but was born and raised in the UK. We weren't wealthy — I grew up on benefits in social housing. None of my family members were formally educated or owned property.