financial storytelling | Financial Storytelling

Growth vs Resilience: What the Balance Sheet Really Tells Leaders

Growth often looks confident. Resilience is quieter. The balance sheet shows how leaders hold both — and what happens when one is ignored.

Jan 132 min read

Illustration of Count Jargon, a story character from Once Upon a Balance Sheet, posed in a dramatic stance holding the Sword of Simplicity and Shield of Clarity. He represents a heroic guide who helps readers cut through financial jargon and confusion.

Count Jargon™: Slayer of Jargon, Defender of Clarity.

Count Jargon is more than a character. He’s a guide in the Financial Storyverse™, created to help every reader, leader, and team member cut through jargon and see the story their numbers are telling.

Aug 17, 20252 min read

James C Foo Leong stands inside a printing house, smiling with arms crossed while evaluating the printers for his upcoming book Once Upon a Balance Sheet. The background shows industrial printing equipment, stacks of paper, and a workshop setup.

Printing Press of Finance - The Press That Prints Your Future

The printing press transforms blank pages into a story worth reading. Finance is no different — clarity and precision shape every story.

Jul 20, 20252 min read

James C Foo Leong featured in the SG60 Showcase – Leading Finance as a Global Language. Recognised for redefining how finance is taught through storytelling, structure, and visual clarity.

Leading Finance as a Global Language – SG60 Feature

This week, I’m doing something a little different — I’m sharing the SG60 feature article that tells the story behind Financial Storytelling and the journey to making finance a language of leadership.

Jul 13, 20251 min read

Cartoon image of a pizza with one slice highlighted to signifiy “Profit.” The rest of the pizza represents expenses like rent, salaries, and software — visually showing that profit must be carved out first or it disappears. “C Foo Says. We make finance seriously fun. Money Metaphors™. Visual Finance – Made Human.”

The Pizza Principle™: Protect Profit by Design, Not by Chance

Most businesses treat profit like leftovers. But what if you protected it first? Discover a mindset shift that helps you carve out profit by design — not by chance.

Jun 28, 20252 min read

A wooden alphabet block with a green letter “B,” symbolising “B is for Break-even” in a financial literacy series. Set against a dark background, the image suggests foundational learning in business finance.

B is for Break-even Point: When the Business Begins to Hold

Break-even is the critical shift from running on hope to running sustainably.

Jun 1, 20251 min read

A wooden alphabet block with a bold red letter “A” on its front face, set against light wood grain sides. Below the block, the text reads “A for Accrual” in a playful, rounded font.

Accruals: Why Timing in Finance Tells a Bigger Story

Accruals help you connect numbers to real activity—so your reports reflect what actually happened, not just what was paid.

May 25, 20252 min read

Illustration showing a teapot labeled "$100 Sales" pouring liquid into three glasses labeled "$50 Cost of Sales," "$30 Expenses," and "$20 Profit." The image visually breaks down how revenue is distributed, highlighting how much is actually retained as profit.

The Performance Story: Profit That Stays With You

You can double your revenue and still feel broke. This story shows how the income statement helps you shift from chasing top line to protecting the profit that stays with you—what truly remains after the effort, cost, and chaos of growth.

May 12, 20252 min read