Over time, and with his parents’ constant urging, he started helping them out at their Marsiling Market stall. By the time he was 18 and in junior college, Teo had learnt not just the skills of the trade – but that selling seafood was actually a profitable venture.Speaking to TNP, Teo explained his decision, which he made soon after completing his A levels, despite the fact that he qualified for university.
“When I was helping out at the stall, sometimes his customers would tell me to take over my father's business, as it was very profitable.Teo would diligently watch his 60-year-old father Boon Kiong handle and chop the seafood, and duly memorised the steps involved. Generations of fishmongering ran in his blood, after all, as the business was started some 50 years ago by his grandfather.“At the start, I cut quite slowly and poorly.
“I was quite persistent about wanting to take this route. So I proved him wrong. Eventually, he realised that I had the heart to take hold of his business,” Teo said. He does have to keep painfully early hours, though, as the stall at Marsiling Market operates from Tuesday to Sunday, from 5am to 12.30pm.