Agency founder cut tool costs 90%, grew to $2.9M annual revenue

TL;DR

Adam McChesney's agency scaled to $2.9 million in annual revenue, significantly cut operating costs, and reduced team size by leveraging HighLevel. This update provides a case study of agency optimization; no action is required.

Who this affects

Agency owners struggling with tool costs or seeking models for growth should review this information. Those with established, profitable operations on HighLevel may find validation. New agency owners can consider this a benchmark for efficient scaling. HighLevel has not confirmed specific plan levels or sub-account setups that are affected.

What changed

Adam McChesney's agency, Builders for Authority, achieved significant operational changes:

• The agency generated $2.9 million in gross revenue in 2024.
• Builders for Authority serves approximately 8,300 total buyers, with about 240 on active recurring monthly plans.
• Monthly tool overhead was reduced from approximately $4,000 to between $297 and $497 per month after migrating to HighLevel.
• Team size was reduced from a peak of 19 employees to 4 total 1099 contractors.
• The agency's income mix is roughly 60% coaching, 25% agency services, and 15% HighLevel affiliate income. HighLevel has not confirmed any limits, plan gating, or rollout status related to this case study.

Where to find it

This briefing concerns an agency success story, not a product feature within HighLevel. Therefore, there is no direct navigation path inside HighLevel. The information was sourced from a HighLevel YouTube video.

How agencies will use this

Agencies can review McChesney's model for operational efficiency and revenue diversification. An agency owner could analyze their current tool stack costs against McChesney's reported $297-$497 monthly overhead with HighLevel. For instance, if an agency currently uses separate CRMs, email marketing platforms, two-way SMS tools, booking calendars, and course platforms, they could map these functions to HighLevel's native capabilities. They might then consolidate these services into a single HighLevel account. This could involve migrating existing client data from a separate CRM into HighLevel's Contacts section, rebuilding email campaigns using the HighLevel Email Builder, and replacing external booking links with HighLevel Calendars. The goal is to reduce monthly software subscriptions and streamline operations. Additionally, agencies could consider diversifying revenue by incorporating coaching services or affiliate income, as Builders for Authority has done, leveraging HighLevel for course hosting or affiliate tracking.

Our take

This is a major update. While not a new feature release, it is a detailed case study demonstrating how an agency can achieve substantial financial and operational improvements by fully adopting HighLevel. The reported cost savings and revenue growth figures provide concrete benchmarks for other agency owners. It offers a clear example of operational leverage achievable within the HighLevel ecosystem.