About

The person behind the budget.

I'm Melissa, founder of Well Spent.
For years I ran my own online fashion brand and paid for every ad myself, while I also managed paid social ads for other brands. So I know both sides: what it feels like to pay the ad bill at the end of the month, and how to make that bill pay you back.

Read on for the full story, and when you’re ready, I’d love to hear about your brand.

MelissaSpeak soon,Melissa

The story

From my own budget to yours.

Where it started

My own online business

For almost seven years I ran my own online fashion brand and did all the marketing myself, from social media and email to paid ads and influencer marketing. I grew the brand's Instagram following by up to 200% each year, by A/B testing influencer collabs, community events and content creatives. The money was my own, so every campaign had to earn its place.

At the same time

Paid social ads specialist

I've spent more than ten years in paid social advertising, working agency‑side and as a freelancer. At my busiest, I managed up to €130k a month in ad spend across several clients at once, so I'm comfortable working with budgets of any size. My specialty is D2C e‑commerce in fashion, beauty & cosmetics, and FMCG. I've run ads at every stage, from the first small test to scaling what works.

Today

well spent.

Everything I learned on both sides, now working for you. An owner's eye for every cent and a specialist's hands on every ad campaign. Running my own brand taught me what really pays off, while working agency‑side and for other brands taught me how to scale it. Today, I bring both to every brand I work with, from the Netherlands to the US and Hong Kong.

Track record

The story so far, in numbers.

Paid social adsMetaTikTok

10+years in paid social adsFor my own brand, as a freelancer and agency-side.Own brand, freelance, agency‑side
50+clients and brands to dateWith monthly ad budgets up to €60k per client.Monthly ad budgets up to €60k each
€3.8M+in ad spend managed so farAcross all accounts.Across all accounts

Email marketingKlaviyo

35%+of online revenue from emailFor one D2C household brand, over 12 months.One D2C brand, 12 months
55%came from automated flowsOf the €1.6M email revenue, through welcome, cart and browse flows.Of the €1.6M total
€1.6M+in email revenue generatedFor that same brand.For that same brand
PlatformsFacebook, Instagram, TikTok and Klaviyo
SpecialtyD2C e‑commerce, with B2B experience
How I workHands-on, test-led and intentional with every euro. Each decision is focused on your growth.

Why Well Spent

I've been the client, too.
Now I'm the partner I wished I'd had.

I ran my own ads until my business grew big enough that my time was needed elsewhere. Handing them over should have made things easier. Instead, I ended up with partners who over-promised and under-delivered, which cost me time, money and momentum.

That experience is one of the biggest reasons I started Well Spent, because I knew it could be done better. I know exactly what I didn't want as a business owner, so I know what to offer instead.

What I got as a client

  • Plans that stayed vague
  • Promises that weren't kept
  • More time steering than growing

What you get with Well Spent

  • A plan that's followed
  • Promises that stay realistic
  • Someone who cares about your growth as much as you do

Melissa helped our brand achieve explosive online growth. Her skills and dedication to the craft show in everything she does.

Brand owner, D2C fashion brand

Fun facts

Two fun facts and one expensive lesson.

1

Which two cities did I once call home?

2

What do psychology and ads have in common?

3

One of my biggest beginner's mistakes?

Tap to turn overHover to turn over
1

New York and Hong Kong

I'm Dutch, but I once lived and worked in both. Two cities where everything fights for your attention, a lot like a social media feed.

2

More than you'd think

I studied psychology and marketing, with a master's in both fields. The psychology still plays a big role and shapes my work every day, because every good ad starts with one question: why do people buy?

3

The bestseller that barely sold

My online fashion brand had just started, and I was so sure one sweater would sell like hot cakes that I spent nearly half of my first monthly stock budget on it. The result? I sold only five, and the rest stayed in the warehouse. Lesson learned: buy a few, see how customers respond, then stock up. I run social ads almost the same way today: test as much as I can to gauge initial customer response, with a clear plan, and only then iterate and scale the winners.

Tap to turn back

Contact

Curious what's possible?

Share a little about your business and your ads. You'll get a clear view on what to change first, and how Well Spent can help. No strings attached.

  • An honest look at your account
  • No hand-offs to juniors, you work with Melissa directly
  • A reply by email within two working days, in English or Dutch
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What can Well Spent help you with?

Pick one or more.

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Prefer email?
Send a message to hello@wellspent.studio

The story