How to Build a Real Business with HighLevel:

Stop Selling Features, Start Solving Problems

In the ever-expanding world of HighLevel (often called GHL due to the domain name), it's easy to get distracted by all the tools and shiny features: missed call text back, voice AI agents, reputation management, social media posting, SEO, and so much more. But there’s a core problem that many new HighLevel users and agency owners encounter:

They approach HighLevel as a product to sell rather than as a solution to a problem.

Let’s dig into why that mindset causes issues and how to flip the script.

The Trap of Selling Tools.

When people are first introduced to HighLevel, they’re often told it’s a business opportunity. You are told: “Sell GHL!” “Sell MCTP!” “Sell AI Agents!” “Sell reputation management.” “Sell Conversation AI.”

But here's the thing: your potential client doesn't care about your tools.

They don’t wake up thinking, “I really need to buy Missed Call Text Back from Keith today.”
They’re worrying, “I’m missing too many phone calls and losing customers.”

That subtle shift, from your perspective to theirs, is essential.

Customer-Centric Thinking.

The path to a real business starts when you stop thinking “How do I sell GHL?” and start solving real-world problems for specific people. Your tools become part of the solution, not the headline.

As Devin Tracy, co-founder and CMO of Windfall Elite, puts it, a “no-brainer offer” is one your ideal customer would feel stupid saying no to. But not everyone will see the same offer as a no-brainer. It only works if it directly solves a problem they already have. For someone with a different problem your solution is only mildly interesting. And that is a good thing because it allows you and them to not waste time on conversations that would lead either to a less than an ideal fit with you constantly chasing custom work or to a you losing a chance to engage with someone whose needs more closely align with your skills.

Becoming a consultant with some specific tools available to solve particular problems allows you to focus your sales conversation on understanding the prospect’s concerns. You are in a diagnostic role rather than pushing a sales script. When you seek to understand the customer’s needs before trying to push for your solution you become both more valuable as a confidante and respected as an authority.

The Power of Niching Down.

Here’s why everyone keeps telling you to “niche down”:

When you try to serve everyone, you blend into the crowd.

When you choose a niche, you can speak directly to the specific pain points of professionals in that particular field, show them you understand, and present an offer that feels like it was built just for them. You start speaking their language and using their industry jargon. You demonstrate empathy.

Niching down simplifies everything else. Your sales conversations become more effective. Your content becomes more relevant. Your fulfillment becomes more repeatable. Instead of reinventing the wheel for each client, you develop proven systems and processes tailored to that niche, increasing your efficiency and profitability. You stop chasing random leads and start attracting ideal clients who are pre-qualified by the very way you show up in the marketplace. This focus isn’t limiting; it’s liberating. It allows you to grow faster with less friction, because you’re not trying to be everything to everyone. You’re becoming the go-to expert for the people who matter most.

Niching down makes business easier and it makes business more meaningful. When you focus on serving a specific group of people, you start to feel a deeper sense of purpose. You’re not just pushing a product; you’re making a real difference in someone’s life or business. You start to care more, because you truly understand their world. And they feel it. When you’re no longer a generalist chasing any paying project they start to see you as someone who “gets” them, someone they can trust. That emotional connection creates loyalty, referrals, and the kind of client relationships that make you proud of the work you do. Niching isn’t just a strategy. It’s a way to build a business you actually love.

Niching gives your business clarity. It gives your marketing direction. It gives your offer power.

The 9 HighLevel Business Models.

The 9 business model framework for using HighLevel gives you a lens through which to see the type of business you want. Each business model has a unique markets, methods, and monetization. Who do you want to serve? What problems do they have? How can you solve those problems?

1. Pure Affiliate

You recommend HighLevel with your link and earn recurring commissions. Great if you already have an audience of business owners or community leaders. Monetization comes directly from HighLevel Inc. A HighLevel subscription is product and HighLevel provides technical support to the customer, you don’t have to. The problem is, you aren’t really in a position to support adoption by your customers and therefore turnover is often high. Plus your offer is a classic case of commoditization, you are offering the same subscription at the same price as everyone else.

2. Value-Added Affiliate

Like the pure affiliate, your product is a subscription directly to the HighLevel platform, but you add bonuses, templates, training, and/or other assets that increase value and adoption. This option is slower to build, but more stable long-term. A HighLevel subscription is still the base product, but it becomes easier to explain why they should subscribe through your link. HighLevel supports the software and onboards the client; you only have to support your additional value assets.

3. Software as a Service (SaaS)

You sell your own white-labeled version of HighLevel to businesses as a tool they use themselves. The client is still the primary user of the software which is your product. But now that product is an industry-specific system designed to solve specific problems common to businesses in that niche. Because it is your unique solution you are no longer selling a commodity; you can differentiate your niche offer which you then support as the ongoing service.

4. Software with a Service (SwaS)

You sell your customized version of the platform and offer ongoing done-for-you services like reputation management, reactivation campaigns, blog writing, or email blasts. Everything about the SaaS model applies; but, you can further differentiate your unique offer by highlighting the work you do on behalf of your clients beyond simply supporting the software which they must use.

5. Marketing Partner

You become part of your client’s team, managing marketing inside their business with HighLevel tools. Your white label SaaS version of HighLevel becomes the interface between your activities as an outsourced marketing department and the sales and operations staff of the client. Your product is service; the software is only a delivery mechanism.

6. Marketing Agency

You offer traditional marketing agency services (SEO, web design, social media management, reputation management, email marketing) while using HighLevel behind the scenes. The client doesn’t touch the platform; you handle everything. The client is protected from needing to learn a complex software which otherwise might distract them from serving their customers. You are a service provider focused on measurable results the client can see in their bottom line, not a software support entity which shows up as an expense.

7. Coaching & Training

You teach others, either agencies or end-users, how to use HighLevel. You offer courses, group coaching, or consulting. You are a consultant, an advisor, a counselor. Your product is strategy. Your results are measured in the client’s long-term profitability.

8. Service Provider

You support other HighLevel users or agencies with onboarding, tech support, help desk services, or implementation. You are a problem solver and troubleshooter. Whether on-call as needed or on a monthly retainer, you help other people solve issues that arise with their particular instance of HighLevel. For end users with a direct HighLevel subscription, HighLevel Support is available but is only able to solve problems with the core platform, not customizations. And people using a white label SaaS aren’t allowed to call the HighLevel Support desk. Your product is support. Your market is other users of HighLevel.

9. Developer / Coder

You build apps, plugins, or integrations for the HighLevel ecosystem. You solve technical gaps and expand the platform’s capabilities. HighLevel doesn’t do everything. And some of the things it does it doesn’t do well. Developers provide additional capabilities so users can get more utility from their instance of HighLevel. Your product is software.

Each model is a different kind of “hammer.” You wouldn’t offer a roofing hammer to an electrician or a sledge hammer to a mason. Similarly, you don’t pitch SaaS to someone who needs done-for-you marketing services. But if you aren’t prepared to provide traditional DFY marketing agency services; knowing this limitation about yourself allows you to confidently make a referral to someone who does provide agency services without feeling like a martyr. The 9 business model framework for HighLevel gives you a structure for recognizing what business you are NOT in.

Which Business Is Right for You?

A common question for startup businesses is: What’s the fastest path to cash?

Answer: It depends on who you are and what assets you already have.

• If you have a big audience, affiliate marketing may bring quick wins.

• If you have strong client relationships, agency services might be a fast and stable route.

• If you want long-term scaleability, SaaS or SwaS can build recurring revenue; but require systems analysis and deep adoption by the clients.

The more important question is:

What’s the most stable path to cash for you?

HighLevel Is Just the Tool. You Are the Solution.

HighLevel is not “the business.” It’s the platform that enables you to build your business.

What makes your offer compelling is not the software; it’s your ability to understand a market, identify a pain point, and deliver a solution.

So…

• What business do you want to be in?

• Who do you want to serve?

• How do you want to serve them?

Those are the decisions that matter most.

Need Help On Your Journey with HighLevel or starting a laptop style business?

I’m Keith Besherse, Bald Guy Marketing and co-creator of GHL Business Launch and the OmnyHub Challenge. I help business owners and agencies figure out which HighLevel business model fits them best, and how to implement it for real results.

Let’s build something real that is right for you!