About me

About Jane

Hello, I am the owner and founder of The Better Melon. I am from Toronto, Canada, which means I live in a climate that swings between -30°C during the winter and 30°C during the summer.

I got my start in data design at a global market research firm called Kantar. Shortly after, I switched to the broader field of communications to support organizations, studios, and creators with their marketing. I’ll admit that my naivety early in my career led me to overlook email marketing in favour of trendier channels like social media and influencer marketing.

However, I’ve come to learn that email marketing is one of the most successful ways to reach an audience and build retention. For every social media user, we have an email user, but not vice versa. Yet, when a new business is established, the next course of action is to setup their social media accounts, not an email list.

Email marketing is a critical channel across all verticals and it will continue to grow as people seek authentic thought leadership and guidance. I’m on a mission to help my clients see the potential of email marketing and how they can develop genuine relationships with their audience.

What does the Better Melon mean?

The name is derived from the bitter melon, a gourd widely consumed in Asia, Africa, and Caribbean. It tastes as it sounds, bitter, and that’s how it’s enjoyed. I grew up being told: “eat this, it’s good for you”. Despite disliking how it tastes, I would force it down because of its health benefits. I often hear my elders say “吃苦” in Chinese, which literally translates to “eating bitterness”. It's a mindset of “no pain no gain”. I perceive it as a form of long-term thinking, in which we recognize that if we want to be rewarded, we need to work hard for it, no matter how hard it gets.

Marketing is a long game and it takes time to see results, often involving many rounds of testing and experiments. This is an important attitude to adopt as it sets your mindset on the right course while assuring you that hard work will pay off. It may be bitter now, but it will get better.