Article author: Lesean, MetaEra
Growth: Stories in the eyes, no frost on the face
She is decisive and resolute in her work and casual, playful and cute in her life. The Aquarius traits of being approachable and innovative, as well as keeping learning and exercising for decades, make her look not only young and smart, but also energetic in her thinking and actions.
"Halfway through my life, I look back. I have studied for 2 master's degrees and am currently pursuing a doctorate. I have lived in 7 cities on 4 continents. I have experienced 8 years as a senior professional manager and 8 years as a cyclical entrepreneur." Jessica talked slowly with her eyes full of stories when discussing the topic of "growth" with reporters, as if it was all right in front of her. "My life has been saying goodbye to the past. Every time I ask myself, 'If life goes on day after day, should you make a change?' - and often at this time, I already have the answer. In fact, the few key turning points in our lives usually happen outside of our plans. If we want to find its root motivation, it requires us to have the wisdom to recognize our own limitations during a period of great change, and have the courage to say goodbye to yesterday's self and face the new unknown calmly."
Turning point: How can we talk about worldview without seeing the world?
"I like to share with my friends the motto 'If you haven't seen the world, how can you have a worldview?'" Jessica continued, "The ancients taught us to 'read thousands of books, travel thousands of miles, and make friends everywhere.' In fact, what we see, what our hearts desire, the heights we have reached, the careers we have done, the wealth we have created, the friends we have made... is our world."
When asked about the "turning point in life", Jessica replied, "Looking back over the past decade, from a value perspective, going to the United States to study, work and settle down was one of the important turning points in my life. It reshaped a value system based on multiculturalism, tolerance, freedom and equality for me, and enabled me to follow my heart and do the right thing without any doubts or worries in every choice in my future life. From a career perspective, entering the Web3 industry and meeting a group of great entrepreneurial partners was another important turning point. It opened an upward acceleration channel for a Chinese immigrant on the other side of the ocean, and made me more determined and calm on the road to transforming into a circular entrepreneur. Now that I am back in Hong Kong to start a business and study, I know that this will be another exciting turning point. 'After half a lifetime of wandering, I am still a teenager when I return.' I am still honest, sincere, and ambitious, but now I can better understand the world and have stronger strength. I want to do better things and I will definitely do better."
Challenge: Female leaders should be brave enough to be themselves
When asked about the "challenges of female leaders", Jessica shared, "People often say that humility and peace are female virtues, but in the career track, women cannot benefit from these virtues. You know, at work, the most suitable for us is usually a job where we are less than half competent. Only in this way can you have room to learn and constantly improve yourself until you are fully competent. If you are already 90% competent in the work content, then it is time to trigger a change and seek a more challenging opportunity. Whether you feel you have 100% ability to try a higher position or lead a new project, you should bravely lean in and challenge yourself."
"The real opponent in life is yourself." Perhaps this is why Jessica bravely makes changes again and again. From traditional industries to Web3, from professional managers to circular entrepreneurs, from New York to Hong Kong, she has never stopped at getting and owning, and will not be limited by her female identity. On the contrary, she believes that the Web3 industry provides more opportunities for women. "Compared to traditional industries, the Web3 industry actually has fewer fixed things, creating more opportunities for working women to enter senior positions. If you have your own professional field, such as product design, market operations, data analysis, financial management, etc., if you join early and keep learning and growing quickly, you will have many opportunities to become an industry OG or corporate executive. It is also worth mentioning that the Web3 industry is also more inclined to provide flexible working hours, which helps women better balance workplace affairs and family responsibilities. After working in Hong Kong, I found that the working women here are very independent, career-oriented, well-educated, and financially strong," Jessica continued, adding, "But in Eastern culture, most men take the pursuit of wealth and power for granted and regard their careers as their lives. Women need to handle multiple roles better and make a dynamic balance between family and career in the long run. This requires them to be braver to be themselves and manage multiple roles well.
Achievement: Passion can outlast the years
When asked about achievements and plans, Jessica smiled and said, "I like the word plan, but I don't like making plans. Because simply making [plans] is not enough, what is more important is to achieve [results]. The most scarce thing in our life is time. Only by being [goal-oriented] and managing our resources and energy well can we leverage time." Speaking of achievements, she continued, "We are fortunate that MetaEra achieved a tenfold business growth and a 2x valuation growth in 2024. In the past year, we have found the right strategy and positioning for the company, and have made good results in the two business lines of marketing and conference services. This is the result of the joint efforts of the team."
"If we talk about my career and life goals for 2025," she continued, "the following will definitely be in the top three of my list: First, MetaEra's innovative technology business line will be smoothly implemented, and the company will achieve at least another 100% revenue growth and a valuation growth of more than 2 times; second, while studying for a doctorate, systematically sort out and iterate my own theoretical knowledge framework and apply it to Web3 business practice cases; third, while in Hong Kong, I can spend more time and more time with my mother."
When it comes to hobbies, Jessica's answer is also impressive: "Focus and simplicity are the secrets to my happy life, which can leave more time for important things. In-depth reading and independent thinking are necessary; communication with highly cognitive people from different regional and cultural backgrounds is important, and they deserve a certain proportion of time; no matter how busy I am, I will set aside relatively stable time for fitness, and good physical function makes me more energetic and more efficient.
“If I’m lucky enough to have a whole vacation, I’ll go skiing.” Jessica said with a smile. The spring sunshine in March shone on her body, as if she was standing on a vast, flawless white snow field.
About Jessica
Jessica is currently the CEO of MetaEra. She was the co-founder and COO of the digital currency trading platform BitMart, and was responsible for supply chain financial product management at the commodity exchange BOCE (China Bohai Commodity Exchange).
Jessica holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Johns Hopkins University and is a PhD candidate at the School of Business and Economics, University of Hong Kong.
