This year marks the 10th anniversary of my journey as a financial advisor. Time flies. I never imagined I could come this far, and I never imagined that the decision I made 10 years ago would shape the path of my life so significantly. I hope to take this opportunity to share my story with you and to keep this as a record for my future self to re-read.
PS: I first shared my journey 10 years ago here and on my 5 year mark here, you may want to re-read.
2015 – Where It All Began
In 2015, I made a decision that changed the course of my life. I left behind a well-paid, stable job to dive into the unknown — to become an entrepreneur. I wasn’t sure where this path would lead, but I knew one thing for sure: this was something I truly loved and believed in.
The idea had been brewing for two years. It wasn’t an overnight decision. It was a burning desire to do more, to make a real impact, and to chart my own destiny. When I came across the opportunity to take up a dual licence as a financial advisor and remisier, I jumped right in, knowing that I would be able to offer more solutions to my clients.
2016 – The First Full Year: Building From Ground Zero
That first year was all about laying the foundation. As someone starting from scratch, I had to learn fast and work hard. I knew I was in the people business, so meeting more people became my number one priority. I lived by one golden rule: at least one appointment per day. Rain or shine, that was my non-negotiable.
I also began running seminars to reach a wider audience, sharing educational content through platforms like Dr Wealth. It wasn’t about sales — it was about service and education.
2017 – Reaching More People Efficiently
With a growing client base, I realized the importance of mass communication. I started sending daily emails using Outlook. However, I wasn’t sure if anyone was actually reading them. Sending multiple unique attachments to different individuals also made mass emails a challenge.
As they say, frustration leads to change. I eventually turned to Mailchimp, which made it easier to keep clients informed and connected. I could track engagement and tailor emails based on segmentation, ensuring clients only received content relevant to them.
This shift taught me the power of mass communication and systems. Until today, when there’s any urgent update, with just one click, I can reach all my contacts.
2018 – Facing Rejections, Staying Resilient
Not every year is smooth. 2018 reminded me that rejection is part of the journey. Business slowed down, but instead of giving up, I focused on strategy.
Being an entrepreneur means being resilient. It means showing up even when it’s tough. Instead of staying put, I enhanced my business. I increased the number of seminars I conducted and reached out to other communities — through corporate events, societies, and various financial education topics.
The year ended on a high note, despite the mid-year slowdown. Had I accepted the lull and stayed passive, my business might not have recovered.
2019 – From Selling to Branding
I stopped focusing on selling. Instead, I focused on value. I committed to branding — to creating something meaningful, sustainable, and trustworthy.
That mindset shift changed everything. Whether it was a marketing event, seminar, or video recording, my focus was always on how to add value to the audience.
I’ve always been fortunate to have a group of followers who believe in me. My seminars and events are often full house. Because they believe in me, I never want to disappoint them. I always do my best and continually upgrade my knowledge and materials to value-add to my clients.
2020 – A Year of Chaos and Clarity
Then came 2020 — the year of COVID. Probably the biggest shift in the financial industry.
When COVID hit, face-to-face meetings were out. I still recall the circuit breaker period — we could only go out for essential services and in pairs. This was a huge blow to the financial advisory business.
Soon, we understood the severity and adapted with a non-face-to-face advisory process. Initially, I resisted, thinking COVID was temporary. But I soon realized this was permanent.
I adapted my business and embraced the non-face-to-face approach. Zoom replaced in-person meetings. Commute time was eliminated, and applications were processed faster. Webinars replaced seminars, letting me reach an even wider audience.
In 2020, my advisory business tripled in production.
The remisier side also boomed due to market volatility. The surge in account openings and order volumes was significant.
To better serve my clients, I engaged a full-time staff — also a remisier — to assist with administrative work. I’m still fortunate to have her on my team today.
And during this same year, I welcomed my first child.
I always heard that life changes once you have a child. I thought I was prepared — but the change was beyond expectations. It was chaotic, yet beautiful.
This was a year of massive change, but also one of the most pivotal years for both my business and my family. I will certainly never forget 2020.
2021 – Sharing My Story
I was honoured to be invited to speak at our company’s gala dinner and share my journey. You may watch the recording here
It was surreal to reflect on how far I had come — from struggling solo to inspiring others.
Though public speaking isn’t new to me, this was one of the biggest moments. Back in 2011, for a 2-hour training, I prepared a full script and took a day off to rehearse. Now, I simply speak from the heart — no script, just genuine sharing.
Writing this article brought back memories of my late father — an entrepreneur in his own right. A hawker selling drinks and toys outside a primary school in Penang.
To me, he was the greatest entrepreneur I’ve known. He had no business model, no Excel sheets — just intuition. He saw demand, seized opportunities, bought in bulk, and sold in smaller volumes. That was his way of supporting our family through to tertiary education.
He truly inspires me.
2022 – A New Chapter: Holistic Wealth Planners
With a strong foundation in place, I took the leap — starting my own branch: Holistic Wealth Planners.
More than a name, it was a philosophy. A commitment to holistic, client-first service.
To be honest, I never thought of starting a team. Financial advisory is a tough business. We often joke that we need to know everything under the sun.
When you think of groceries, you think of NTUC FairPrice. For breakfast, maybe McDonald’s. But for financial planning? There’s no go-to brand — yet.
I hope one day, Holistic Wealth Planners (HWP) will be the go-to brand for financial planning. That’s the vision.
2023 – Life Becomes Even More Colorful
We welcomed our second child this year. Life became busier, noisier, and infinitely more joyful.
Balancing work and family became even more important — and fulfilling.
As entrepreneurs, we do have flexible schedules, but that also means we must plan everything ourselves. Thankfully, due to the non-face-to-face advisory model, I was able to adjust my schedule to be with my family while still serving my clients effectively.
2024 – Systems and AI: Working Smarter
This year, I focused on building a duplicatable system for my team.
With the rise of AI, we found ways to increase productivity and maintain high standards — not just for ourselves, but for those we serve.
Take this article, for example — what used to take a week to write and edit, I can now complete in a day with the help of AI.
I’ve always been a top-down, systems-oriented person. When I started Holistic Wealth Planners, I was fortunate to attract like-minded advisors.
To support them better, I built systems that allow them to duplicate my business model: marketing funnels, event organization, investment approaches, holistic planning templates, product comparison tools, and more — all co-developed with my team managers.
These systems have helped us grow together as a team.
2025 – A Record Year, But the Journey Continues
Now in 2025, I’m reaching new highs.
Not only have I become one of the top producers, but my team — Holistic Wealth Planners — has become the top-producing team in the entire company.
We started just three years ago, and I could never have imagined this kind of exponential growth.
It’s been 10 years — and yet, I feel like I’m just getting started.
The secret?
Stay committed.
Stay focused.
Stay consistent.
We continue to attract like-minded people to join us. If you’re keen to find out more, reach out to us here
