Let’s be real—starting a HighLevel agency is not just plug and play.
If you’ve ever asked yourself:
- “Why isn’t my domain working?”
- “Did I mess up SaaS mode?”
- “Wait… where do I even start with white labeling?”
You’re not alone.
We recently hosted a 🔥 Zoom training with Mario Aldayuz (Head of Partnerships at HL Pro Tools), and what came out of it was honestly one of the most useful breakdowns we’ve done in a while.
It wasn’t theory. It was:
✅ Real agency struggles
✅ Real HighLevel missteps
✅ Real solutions you can use today
Here’s what we covered—and how you can make sure you’re not slowing yourself down with small mistakes that snowball into big setbacks.
Let’s Talk Setup (Because Most People Get This Wrong)
I’ve seen it a hundred times: someone signs up for HighLevel, gets excited, and then…
they hit a brick wall trying to get their domain, SaaS pricing, or branding right.
Here’s the truth: Success doesn’t start with flashy funnels. It starts with your foundation.
Mario walked us through exactly where most people trip up:
❌ Domains configured incorrectly
➡️ SSL errors, DNS confusion, or just not connecting at all.
❌ SaaS mode turned on too early
➡️ You lose access to key features if you don’t set this up in the right order.
❌ White labeling half-done
➡️ Clients see “HighLevel” in URLs or email headers, which kills trust.
What You Should Do Instead
If you’re just getting started—or even scaling up—use this as your quick checklist:
✅ Use Cloudflare for your DNS setup. It gives you more control and faster propagation.
✅ Don’t activate SaaS mode until your Stripe products are tested. Play in sandbox mode first.
✅ Audit your branding everywhere. Dashboard, domains, email addresses, client comms. Your agency should look completely like your own brand, not HighLevel’s.
Want to go next-level? Use tools like our Theme Builder to white-label the whole user experience—down to the buttons and icons your clients see.
Branding isn’t decoration. It’s a trust signal.
Stuff Nobody Tells You (But We Did in the Zoom Call)
One of the best parts of the session? The open Q&A.
These are the kinds of questions you won’t find in the official docs—but they’re game changers:
👉 “How do I disable Afterpay in Stripe?”
You’ll need to contact Stripe directly—they hide some of that stuff in support settings.
👉 “Where do I find my Agency ID for API integrations?”
Pop open developer tools in your browser, look in the XHR tab, and search for agencyId. It’s there, just hidden.
👉 “Should I give full admin access to my VA?”
Nope. Bad idea. Use restricted roles or work with trusted partners like HL Pro Tools or Extendly.
Real Talk: You’re Not Supposed to Know All This
If you’ve ever felt like everyone else “just knows” how to set up HighLevel the right way, let me stop you right there.
HighLevel is powerful, but it’s not always beginner-friendly. That’s why I built HL Pro Tools—to help agencies skip the trial-and-error phase and go straight to growing a business that actually works.
Whether you’re configuring your first domain or trying to scale to 100+ SaaS clients, you don’t have to go it alone.
👉 Come see what we’ve built for you at hlprotools.com
Cool Free Thing: Steal My Testimonial Workflow
Before you can help businesses with your service, you need to build trust.
The fastest way to do that?
⭐️ Testimonials.
In the spirit of giving away cool free stuff that actually helps…
I’m handing you our exact Testimonial Workflow.
It’s what my team uses to:
✅ Ask for testimonials (without being awkward)
✅ Organize and edit them fast
✅ Turn client wins into conversion fuel
No fluff. No opt-in trickery. Just a real system that saves time and builds proof.
