Melisa Mikko
Slow to react, quick to execute.
People-first operator
About Mel
Slow to react, quick to execute. My greatest joys come from helping individuals and teams grow. I love seeing a spark when someone learns something new.
If I can guide people to develop a new skill or skills and re-engage them in ways that they want to make not just themselves but the whole of the organization stronger, then I have done my job. Build the people, and the people build the business.
Zero to One
Starting from nothing means choosing clarity over noise: a small, honest scope, a visible first milestone, and room for people to bring their best ideas.
I bias toward teaching and systems so the first version is not a hero sprint — it is something the team can own, extend, and defend when I step back.
Execution is kindness: ship something real, learn in the open, and turn feedback into the next loop. The goal is momentum with integrity, not perfection on day one.
Portfolio
Most impactful projects
A few high-leverage initiatives — impact, audience, and why they mattered. Edit copy in src/data/site.ts.
Projects
- 1. LuminaryLife.com website rebuildVisit →Impact: HighCompany-wide
Rebuilt the entire company website from scratch using Next.js, Vercel, and Supabase — migrating off WordPress.
- Shipped 100+ pages including all agent bios.
- Trained Vivian to contribute commits and maintain the site.
- Built the foundation for future tools: calculators, guides, client resources.
- "Vibe coding is addicting" — and I shipped production code.
Why it matters: I took a legacy WordPress site and turned it into a modern, maintainable codebase the company can build on. This was not ops-only work — it was founder-level execution.
- Next.js
- Vercel
- Supabase
- WordPress
- 2. Agent Resource Hub (intranet replacement)Impact: HighAll agents + support teams
Built and launched the new internal portal on Google Sites, replacing the old intranet.
- Centralized carrier resources (American Amicable, MOO, GTL, RNA).
- Added tools: Rate Increase Calculator, payroll calendar, timesheets, help desk links.
- Posted Monday Town Hall replays.
- Announced company-wide and adopted immediately.
Why it matters: This became the single source of truth for ~100 agents. I built it, documented it, and launched it — cutting down "where do I find X?" noise across the org.
- Google Sites
- Operations
- Enablement
- 4. Daily agent performance reference docImpact: HighAnalytics + sales leadership
Created the definitive documentation for all agent performance metrics in the DSB CRM.
- Metric definitions: Touched, Contact Made, Dials, Long Calls, Close %, Appt Set.
- Dialing system logic and lead pool behavior.
- Interpretation callouts for accurate reporting.
- Shared with the analytics team via Slack and attributed to me by leadership.
Why it matters: Before this doc, nobody agreed on what the numbers meant. I created the single source of truth for how performance is measured.
- CRM
- Documentation
- Analytics
- 5. Remote call center Q1 launch frameworkImpact: HighRemote sales leadership
Designed a 13-week phased launch plan for the remote final expense call center.
- Phase 1: Foundation validation.
- Phases 2–3: Detailed in working sessions (not fully visible in Slack archive).
- Phase 4: Scale prep.
- Flagged CRM performance visibility as the key infrastructure gap.
Why it matters: This gave Ashley and the remote team a structured roadmap instead of "just start hiring" — operational scaffolding that prevents chaos.
- GTM
- Call center
- Planning
- 6. Tech stack audit & risk identificationImpact: Very highExecutive + engineering
Led a full-stack technology audit from a RevOps lens and prepared structured follow-up questions for owners.
- DSB CRM risk: single-developer dependency (Maged), aging PHP codebase, little documentation.
- LISA risk: opacity around architecture (Daniel).
- GitHub fragmentation: code scattered across personal and contractor accounts.
Why it matters: I surfaced the two largest technical risks in the company and gave leadership a framework to address them before they become catastrophic failures.
- RevOps
- Risk
- Engineering
Blog
Essays and notes. Add posts in src/data/blog.ts.
Values
- Integrity first
- Always
- Curiosity
- Clarity
Let's connect
Email is best for a thoughtful reply. For code, video, and career history, use the links below.
hello@example.comPlace your PDF in the public folder and set resumeHref in site.ts to match the filename.
Toolbox
Tools and platforms I have actually used in CRM and sales operations, engineering, data, AI, delivery, and collaboration — including a few I evaluated, requested access to, or explored for the stack.
56 tools across 10 categories — edit in src/data/toolbox.ts.
CRM & Sales Operations
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| DSB CRM | Primary CRM — reporting, lead management, agent performance tracking. | |
| LISA | Call center AI tool — script on screen, journey automations. | |
| ICD (Insurance Calls Direct) | Lead distribution, call queue, dialer management. | |
| AMS | Agency Management System — policy servicing, status tracking. | |
| Insurance Toolkits | Agent quoting platform. |
Development & Engineering
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel (opens in new tab) | Hosting & deployment (LuminaryLife.com). | |
| Supabase (opens in new tab) | Database backend for web apps. | |
| GitHub (opens in new tab) | Version control, repo management. | |
| Cursor (opens in new tab) | AI-assisted coding IDE. | |
| Docker (opens in new tab) | Containerization for MCP / development setup. | |
| Next.js (opens in new tab) | React framework for website builds. | |
| PHP (opens in new tab) | Backend language (DSB CRM codebase). |
Data & Analytics
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Snowflake (opens in new tab) | Data warehouse (being phased out). | |
| Tableau (opens in new tab) | BI dashboards, sales reporting, persistency tracking. | |
| AWS (RDS) (opens in new tab) | Database infrastructure. | |
| DataGrip (opens in new tab) | Database IDE for querying. | |
| Streamlit (opens in new tab) | Analytics apps built by data team. |
AI & Automation
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Claude (Anthropic) (opens in new tab) | AI assistant — coding, documentation, workflows. | |
| ChatGPT (opens in new tab) | Ideation, transcript extraction, general prompting. | |
| VAPI (opens in new tab) | Voice AI for outbound calling. | |
| n8n (opens in new tab) | Workflow automation (scraping, integrations). | |
| Attention.ai (opens in new tab) | Call scoring and coaching analytics. | |
| Apify (opens in new tab) | Web scraping. | |
| GitHub Copilot (opens in new tab) | Referenced by Maged. |
Project Management & Documentation
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Asana (opens in new tab) | Task management, cross-functional project tracking. | |
| JIRA (opens in new tab) | Engineering tickets, sprint planning (dev team). | |
| Figma (opens in new tab) | UI/UX mockups, feature specs. | |
| Loom (opens in new tab) | Video walkthroughs, async communication. | |
| Google Docs (opens in new tab) | Documentation, SOPs, reporting. | |
| Google Sheets (opens in new tab) | Documentation, SOPs, reporting. | |
| Lucidchart (opens in new tab) | Flowcharts, process diagrams. | |
| Google Sites (opens in new tab) | Agent Resource Hub / intranet. | |
| Excalidraw (opens in new tab) | Requested access. |
Communication & Collaboration
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Slack (opens in new tab) | Primary communication. | |
| Zoom (opens in new tab) | Video meetings, persistent “war room”. | |
| Dialpad (opens in new tab) | Phone system, call recordings. | |
| Fathom (opens in new tab) | Meeting recordings. | |
| Granola (opens in new tab) | Requested access. |
HR & Recruiting
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| ADP (opens in new tab) | Payroll, attendance tracking. | |
| Wonderlic (opens in new tab) | Pre-hire assessments. | |
| Objective Management Group (OMG) (opens in new tab) | Sales talent assessment (evaluated). | |
| Teamtailor (opens in new tab) | ATS / recruiting platform (evaluated). |
Design & Content
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Canva (opens in new tab) | Image enhancement, quick design. | |
| Design Pickle (opens in new tab) | Outsourced design (discontinued). | |
| WordPress (opens in new tab) | Legacy website (migrated off). |
Carrier & Insurance Platforms
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| GTL Portal | Carrier system. | |
| Validifi (opens in new tab) | Bank account verification API. | |
| TransUnion (opens in new tab) | Mentioned in call context. |
Other / Miscellaneous
| Logo | Tool | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier (opens in new tab) | Requested connector access. | |
| Jam (opens in new tab) | Requested connector access. | |
| Tailscale (opens in new tab) | VPN / secure network access (referenced). | |
| Kubernetes (opens in new tab) | Referenced in infrastructure discussions. | |
| RabbitMQ (opens in new tab) | Referenced in infrastructure discussions. | |
| Hyros (opens in new tab) | Marketing attribution (recommended for stack). | |
| Gong (opens in new tab) | Sales call intelligence (recommended for stack). | |
| Roku API (opens in new tab) | TV advertising integration (explored). |