Have you found yourself running a business you never expected—or even intended—to start? Maybe you were providing freelance services and things simply grew beyond what you planned, or perhaps an opportunity unexpectedly fell into your lap, and you ran with it. Suddenly, you're not merely an entrepreneur; you're an agency owner facing a set of challenges and expectations you hadn't anticipated.
Stepping into the role of an accidental agency owner comes with its unique difficulties. There's no strategic runway, no meticulously drawn blueprint, often just a realization of “Oops, I own an agency now… what do I do next?” How do you evolve from an individual specialist to the leader of an expanding team? How can you manage growth when you hadn't envisioned scaling in the first place? More importantly, how can you turn these accidental beginnings into sustainable success?
If you've ever found yourself or currently find yourself in these shoes, you're not alone—and today's guest understands your situation better than anyone. Mickey Mellen didn't set out to start a thriving digital agency, yet today, he's not only successfully at the helm of GreenMellen Media but also a respected thought leader, community contributor, and expert at leveraging strategic frameworks for growth. Mickey is going to share his inspiring story with us—the real-life journey of accidental agency ownership—and reveal the frameworks, processes, and approach he used to turn a surprise start into unstoppable success.
Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Mickey Mellen about:
⭐ Learn from Mickey's journey, recognizing how unintentional beginnings can blossom into intentional growth by being open to new frameworks and proactive learning.
⭐ Understand practical frameworks like Traction/EOS, why they're helpful for agency owners facing scales they didn't initially plan for, and how they've changed the trajectory of GreenMellen.
⭐ Empathy and coaching emerge as powerful elements—not just as nice additions but as deeply strategic tools—in building lasting client relationships and guiding agency decisions.
Learn more about Mickey Mellen
Connect with Mickey Mellen on LinkedIn
Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode
GreenMellen
Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo
Green Mellen Media
Ali Green
EOS
Traction
Rocket Fuel
The 12 Week Year
How to Structure Your Agency to Win Using EOS
Emeric Ernoult
Ninety
Blumer CPAs
ClickUp
WordCamps: A WordPress Conference
Notion
Google Workspace
QuickBooks
Drupal Developer
Podcast: Stacking Knowledge by Mickey Mellen
2 Bobs Podcast
Blair Ennz
David C. Baker
Seth Godin
Gary Vaynerchuk's
Day Trading Attention
Mickmel.com
Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/oops-im-an-agency-owner
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Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.