Robin Alex is the co-founder of HighLevel, a marketing automation and CRM platform that has grown to more than two million users since launching in 2018. The company scaled rapidly—doubling and tripling year after year—largely through a white-label model that allows agencies and implementation partners to resell the platform under their own brand. HighLevel now operates with roughly 2,000 employees worldwide and continues to ship new features, including AI-driven tools, at an unusually fast pace.
In this conversation, Robin talks through the real reason HighLevel gained traction, how they've structured support to handle growth without a sales team, and why simplicity always wins.
He also shares how they prioritize product development and decide what to build, what to ignore, and how to test ideas quickly.
The episode offers a clear look into the operational principles behind HighLevel's rapid growth, its product philosophy, and how the team continues evolving the platform for agencies, implementers, and small businesses.
Key Takeaways
00:00 Intro 00:58 What Really Drove HighLevel's Early Growth 03:20 The Breakdown of HighLevel's User Base 05:47 Handling Customer Support at Scale 07:45 Leveraging AI to Improve Customer Support 09:12 Growing to 2,000 Global Employees 10:33 The Biggest Downside of White Labeling 12:24 Why the Best Product Doesn't Always Win 14:04 The Real Key to Faster Customer Outcomes 15:02 The Fastest Path to Early Agency Revenue 17:11 How HighLevel Decides What to Build Next 21:48 How HighLevel Users Are Leveraging AI Today 25:49 The STL Framework for Implementing Quickly 30:40 Why They Only Plan One Quarter at a Time 32:17 How the Three Founders Divide Responsibilities 38:10 Why They Raised Money Despite Not Needing Capital 43:19 The One Thing Agency Owners Need to Stop Doing
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u1_hXrRTbho
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