Case Study: The Lead King's Recurring Revenue Model with HighLevel

TL;DR

This is a case study detailing one agency's business model and financial performance using HighLevel. No action is required by the reader at this time.

Who this affects

This briefing affects HighLevel agency owners and SaaS entrepreneurs interested in business models for recurring revenue. It may be relevant to those looking to leverage HighLevel sub-accounts for client delivery and community building. Specifically, it details a model where all clients and students use a HighLevel account provided by the agency.

What changed

This briefing covers a case study on 'The Lead King'.

• The Lead King's business model mandates all clients and students use a HighLevel account.
• Russ Ward, of The Lead King, migrated approximately 100 funnels to HighLevel in 2018.
• The Lead King currently supports 37 active paying customers with one full-time team member.
• The Lead King has been recognized as a two-time HighLevel SaaSPRENEUR Gold Award winner (2024 and 2025).
• The business generates recurring revenue, reaching roughly $12,000 monthly after a speaking panel.
• Around 120 community members are signed up at $97 per month, each operating on a HighLevel sub-account provided by The Lead King.
• Monthly gross revenue was negative $122 in August 2023 and rose to $22,115 in August 2024.
• Annual gross revenue was $112,590 in 2023 and $139,060 in 2024.
• The Lead King secured a new $6,000 monthly car dealership marketing partnership in October 2025.
• HighLevel has not confirmed who is affected by this specific change.
• HighLevel has not confirmed where in the product this change is located.
• HighLevel has not confirmed if this replaces or breaks existing functionality.
• HighLevel has not confirmed any limits or plan gating associated with this.
• HighLevel has not confirmed the rollout status of this.

Where to find it

This is a case study of an agency using HighLevel, not a product feature. Therefore, there is no specific location within the HighLevel product itself. The information is derived from a HighLevel YouTube video.

How agencies will use this

Agencies can study The Lead King's approach to implementing HighLevel as a core part of their business model. For example, an agency looking to build a community around their services could emulate The Lead King by offering a monthly membership. Each member would receive their own HighLevel sub-account, managed by the agency, possibly pre-loaded with snapshots of workflows, funnels, or templates relevant to their niche. This model ties client success directly to their continued use of the agency-provided HighLevel instance, generating predictable recurring revenue from both the membership fee and the underlying HighLevel sub-account. The agency would focus on providing value through community support and tailored HighLevel features, rather than complex custom development.

Our take

This update is not a product change; it's a financial and operational overview of a successful HighLevel agency. It offers practical insights into how one operator has leveraged HighLevel sub-accounts for a recurring revenue model. The financial data, showing growth from negative monthly revenue to over $22,000, provides a clear example of what is possible. While not a new feature, it serves as a significant case study for agency owners looking to scale.