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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