At the age of sixteen, Kuo went to Kaohsiung and found work as a clerk in a textile store. He later set up a sidewalk stand and saved enough money to open his own store.
他每天起早爬晚工作十八小時，將攢來的錢一分一毫地存下來。卅二歲那年，他前往日本，進入百貨公司工作，一方面賺錢，一方面見習。