Mike Melody, with over 16 years of experience, specializes in transforming startups, SMBs, and agencies by optimizing operations, strategy, and execution. He steps in as a strategic operator and execution partner, ensuring businesses have the leadership, structure, and systems to scale efficiently. Whether it’s optimizing operations, leading mission-critical projects, or driving GTM and revenue growth, he provides the expertise and clarity to keep businesses moving forward.
Industry-agnostic, Mike has worked across FinTech, HealthTech, B2B & B2C SaaS, E-Commerce & DTC, Media & Content, Professional Services & Agencies, Web3 & Blockchain, and Sports & Entertainment. He thrives on bringing an outside perspective to new industries, leveraging cross-industry insights to solve complex challenges and unlock new opportunities.
Beyond execution, Mike coaches founders, executives, and emerging leaders to develop the skills, frameworks, and habits for high-impact leadership. His background in psychotherapy shapes his leadership approach, prioritizing open communication, integrity, and psychological safety so founders and teams operate with clarity and confidence. He helps executives improve decision-making, strategic execution, and emotional intelligence, provides founders with an operator’s perspective on scaling and strategy, and guides first-time leaders in managing teams, driving alignment, and leading with high EQ to foster collaboration and influence effectively.
Mike has been an incredible partner for my company, King Tide. He helped reshape our entire sales process, project management process, and created structure around the tools and systems we use to manage our workflows. On top of that, just a really great guy to consult when I need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Highly Recommend!
JR
Jordan RothsteinCEO, kingtide.eth
Work
Issue 47: How Chiefs of Staff Can Evolve into COOs in Startups
As one of the first hires at Blu Digital Group, I played a key role in scaling operations and project management, directly contributing to the company’s growth and paving the way for its Series A milestone.
Co-founded and launched a HIPAA-compliant telehealth app on iOS, delivering real-time audio/video therapy to 200+ students during the pandemic. Drove adoption, secured seed funding, and expanded access to critical mental health support.
Scaled operations 5x, transforming a full-service creative agency into a high-growth product development and venture studio—driving annual revenue from $1M to $5M ARR.
Chief Copilot delivers solutions to optimize operations, overcome challenges, and achieve business goals in strategic leadership, operational optimization, growth enablement, and project leadership.
Expanded the client base by 30% and secured $2M in contracts at a Product Development & Venture Studio by optimizing sales strategy, refining deal qualification, and aligning business goals with tailored technical solutions, clear roadmaps, and structured
Boosted average project profit margin by 10% at a Creative Production Agency across multiple Fortune 500 client projects by optimizing staffing allocation, tightening time tracking accuracy, and implementing a streamlined project estimation framework to r
Drove 33% YoY revenue growth for a HealthTech business by collaborating with the CEO to refine competitive positioning, developing targeted market differentiation strategies, and implementing operational improvements to enhance efficiency and scalability.
Increased strategic initiative success rate by 40% in 6 months for a SaaS startup by implementing an OKR framework to align priorities and drive execution during rapid team expansion from 10 to 50 employees.
May 2024 — Present
Ask a Chief of Staff
Mentor
Mentor for the community members of Ask a Chief of Staff, a platform dedicated to elevating the CoS role through community, education, guest speaking, and 1:1 mentorship.
Feb 2024 — Sep 2024
Monument
Fractional COO
Monument is an online platform focused on transforming how people approach their relationship with alcohol, offering virtual treatment including therapy and peer support.
Increased revenue from insurance reimbursements by 15% by resolving data inaccuracies, optimizing backend systems, and leading cross-functional collaboration to enhance claims processing and accuracy.
Improved HIPAA and SOC2 compliance by 18% and enabled ongoing regulatory risk tracking by leading the design and implementation of a GRC platform in collaboration with the engineering team.
Jan 2020 — Feb 2022
Freely Health
Chief Operating Officer | Co-Founder
As the Co-Founder and lead Product Manager of Freely Health, I played a pivotal role in creating a safe and accessible community for emotional support, offering free resources and licensed services. I led the product lifecycle from vision to implementation, coordinated cross-functional teams, and prioritized product initiatives using data analytics, UX research, and market analysis.
Developed and launched a HIPAA-compliant telehealth app on iOS using AWS cloud services, enabling real-time audio/video consultations, impacting 200+ patients, and securing seed funding
Reduced compliance risks by 20% by implementing Stripe’s HIPAA-compliant payment system, leading the technical solution design, project management, and post-implementation monitoring.
Aug 2015 — Jan 2024
King Tide
Chief Operating Officer
King Tide is a product development agency that designs and develops websites and mobile applications across various industries like Healthcare, FinTech, and E-commerce.
Managed the end-to-end technical implementation of 50+ custom mobile and web applications in sectors like FinTech, HealthTech, and E-commerce, significantly enhancing user engagement and contributing to business expansion.
Accelerated project delivery by 25% through the adoption of Scrum methodologies, demonstrating leadership in process optimization and team management.
Managed a $5M annual project portfolio, ensuring timely and budget-compliant delivery of projects.
Drove a $1M revenue increase in one year by conducting market research and competitive analysis to identify and capitalize on an emerging tech trend, unlocking a new revenue stream.
Jul 2008 — May 2016
BluFocus Inc.
Senior Project Manager
Blu Digital Group, based in Burbank, CA, is a leading brand in the digital media and entertainment industry, offering a wide range of software services and products designed to streamline and automate digital media distribution and entertainment.
Collaborated with engineers to enhance a cloud-based QC reporting platform while using it with clients, reducing issue resolution time by 25% by improving cross-company collaboration.
Delivered 92% of Blu-ray/DVD releases for FOX, Warner, and Sony ahead of schedule and under budget by ensuring strict adherence to quality standards and driving project management excellence.
Sep 2006 — Jul 2008
2K
QA Program Manager
2K Games is a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment, renowned for developing and publishing high-quality video games across various platforms. 2K Games is known for producing critically acclaimed titles in several popular franchises, including NBA 2K, Borderlands, BioShock, and Civilization.
Aug 2005 — Oct 2006
THQ
QA Project Manager
THQ Inc. is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, known for creating content across all major gaming platforms.
Managed the quality assurance process for multiple game projects from inception to launch, ensuring adherence to rigorous standards.
Coordinated with development teams to create detailed test plans and supervised the execution of testing phases to guarantee product quality.
Implemented risk mitigation strategies and facilitated effective communication between QA teams and other departments, ensuring smooth project progress and timely delivery of high-quality games.
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