James C Foo Leong Receives Spirit of Enterprise Award One Year After Publishing Setback

Visions.One Consulting and Financial Storytelling founder marks his book's first anniversary with international honours and the Spirit of Enterprise Award 2026.

SINGAPORE, November 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Prof James C Foo Leong, Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore, founder of Visions.One Consulting Pte Ltd and creator of Financial Storytelling, received the Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) Award 2026 in the Established Companies category on 5 November, just two days before the first anniversary of his book, Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits.
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The award was presented by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Minister for National Development, at the SOE Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.
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The recognition marks another milestone in Prof Leong's entrepreneurial journey, which began when he founded Visions.One Consulting in 1998 and has evolved into a mission to make financial education more accessible, engaging and useful for business leaders.
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FROM PUBLISHING CRISIS TO INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
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Before the book's launch on 7 November 2025, Prof Leong faced an unexpected setback when his original publisher went bankrupt, leaving him with flattened PDF files instead of the editable production files needed to complete publication.
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Rather than abandon years of work, Prof Leong rebuilt the material, eventually becoming his own publisher.
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"The publishing setback was something I had never anticipated, particularly after investing years in developing the book," said Prof Leong. "I believed strongly in its purpose and was determined to find another way forward."
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Over the following twelve months, Once Upon a Balance Sheet reached Kinokuniya and POPULAR bookstores and entered the National Library's collection. It became an Amazon bestseller, won the 2026 International Impact Book Awards in the Business: Management Accounting category, and was named a Finalist in the Business: General category at the 2026 International Book Awards.
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RECOGNISING A BROADER ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY
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The Spirit of Enterprise Awards recognise entrepreneurs who demonstrate qualities including courage, perseverance, innovation and leadership, alongside business sustainability and contribution to the wider community.
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Selection involves a formal evaluation process by the SOE Board of Governors, considering factors such as leadership, strategy, people, customers and business performance.
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Prof Leong's entrepreneurial journey extends beyond publishing. A former Fortune 500 regional finance head, he has spent decades helping non-finance professionals and business leaders develop financial understanding, commercial judgement and decision-making confidence.
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Through Financial Storytelling and his Financial Storyverse^®, Prof Leong combines financial expertise with storytelling, visual learning, humour and practical business applications.
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"Financial statements are stories about a business told in numbers," said Prof Leong. "When leaders understand those stories, they can ask better questions, make better decisions and turn financial clarity into a leadership advantage."
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His wider entrepreneurial story is documented in an official Spirit of Enterprise honouree feature, which explores his transition from corporate finance to entrepreneurship, the development of Financial Storytelling and the publishing challenges behind his book.
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Read the official SOE feature:
https://soe.org.sg/james-c-foo-leong-financial-storytelling-at-visions-one/
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A MEANINGFUL FIRST ANNIVERSARY
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Receiving the SOE Award just two days before his book's first anniversary has given Prof Leong an opportunity to reflect on an eventful year.
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"A difficult chapter does not have to determine how the story ends," Prof Leong reflected. "I am grateful to my clients, participants, readers, team members, friends and supporters whose trust and encouragement have helped me continue this journey."
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He remains committed to helping leaders make finance more understandable, practical and engaging through Financial Storytelling.
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ABOUT PROF JAMES C FOO LEONG
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Prof James C Foo Leong is an Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore, a Chartered Accountant of Singapore and Australia, and a Certified Speaking Professional. He is the creator of Financial Storytelling and the Financial Storyverse^®, and author of the Amazon bestselling Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits.
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ABOUT VISIONS.ONE CONSULTING PTE LTD
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Founded in 1998, Visions.One Consulting Pte Ltd provides financial, business and leadership learning programmes for organisations and professionals. Its Financial Storytelling programmes help non-finance managers and leaders understand financial information, connect business decisions to financial outcomes and strengthen financial confidence.
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Website: https://www.financialstorytelling.com

James C Foo Leong
Visions.One Consulting Pte Ltd