Winson Foo

Winson Foo was born in 1953. He grew up with 7 brothers in Sungai Siput, a small town in Kuala Kangsar District, Perak, Malaysia. After he completed secondary school, his family couldn’t support him in further studies. He did a few odd jobs before he found the opportunity to go to Singapore to take up a military service job. As he is talented in volleyball, he was mostly playing volleyball while others are serving their compulsory National Service. 

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He was in Singapore for less than two years because Malaysia was asking their citizens to return to the country or they may lose their citizenship. Some of his friends stayed in Singapore and became Singaporeans. 

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Upon returning to Malaysia, he worked in a factory but it was not the right job for him. He found the job too routine and didn’t fit his outgoing personality. He had some electrical training and he joined a security company to install alarm systems for offices and homes. After he learned the trade, he struck out on his own as he could earn more by running his own small business. 

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He got married when he was 27 years old and his first child was born one year later. He had another child three years later. His third child was born when he was 37 years old. He became the sole breadwinner before he had his third child.

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In his 30s, he started a finance leasing company. He was lending money to businesspeople and he took collaterals. He also started to learn about the booming stock market in Malaysia. Eventually, he was doing stock trading on a full-time basis. Money was easy to make in the 1990s. But the good days didn’t last. When the Asian Financial Crisis hit in 1997, he lost a substantial amount of money in the stock market. 

 

The financial situation was quite dire and he doesn’t have a job. He contemplated going to Singapore again to find a job.

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Instead, he saw an opportunity to be a financial planner. One of his younger brothers has started an insurance agency. He decided to join forces with his brother. With his flair for selling, a good financial mind, and a strong network, he achieved success quickly. He was in a financial planning job for 15 years. 

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To perform his job well, he found many ways to expand his network. He joined sports activities like running and cycling to meet people. He was going door-to-door to meet small business owners by introducing discounted phone call services. 

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When his youngest child graduated from university, he turned 60 years old. He decided to call it a day and go into retirement. In his retirement, he devoted his creative energy to cooking and gardening. He enjoys learning recipes and he finds joy in preparing meals for family and friends. His garden is full of fruits and vegetables. 

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He has a wide circle of friends and he meets them regularly. He keeps himself active by exercising regularly. He has six grandchildren today. 

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In 2023, he turns 70 years old. He is my dad and he is my first career coach.