How does a tool for automating Facebook Ads achieve $190K MRR with only 4 employees?

It’s not about complexity—it’s about solving a problem with precision.

UpHex, founded by Sam Carlson and team, took on the challenge of simplifying Facebook Ads for local businesses. By targeting marketing agencies with a white-label solution and partnering with HighLevel, they created a scalable, community-driven growth engine.

In this article, we’ll explore how UpHex turned a “scratch-your-own-itch” idea into a thriving SaaS business.

The Problem They Solved

Facebook Ads Manager is notoriously complex. For local businesses, hiring a skilled media buyer to handle campaigns can be prohibitively expensive.

They solved the pain point of complexity by offering an easy-to-use tool that allows even a novice to launch Facebook Ads in just 30 seconds.

What makes this approach brilliant is the business model:

• Instead of selling directly to local businesses, UpHex partnered with marketing agencies.
• Agencies resell UpHex under their own branding, leveraging its integration with HighLevel CRM.

By addressing the gap between small businesses’ needs and agencies’ capabilities, UpHex created a win-win solution.

The Strategy

UpHex’s growth was rooted in strategic decisions that positioned them as an essential tool for marketing agencies. Their pivot to focus on automating Facebook Ads for local businesses was a game-changer, especially when paired with their seamless integration with HighLevel CRM. This clear niche focus set the foundation for their success.

One of the smartest moves they made was partnering with HighLevel. By showcasing their product in the HighLevel Spotlight series, they reached their target audience—agency owners—directly and gained instant validation.

This exposure led to a surge of interest, resulting in over 100 trials within weeks. 🎯

Building a community of agency owners further cemented their growth. This wasn’t just about retaining customers; it created a collaborative environment where users felt empowered, engaged, and invested in the product’s success.

Iterating and Educating for Success

UpHex didn’t stop at just attracting users—they listened, learned, and adapted. After a rocky start with trial conversions, they revamped their platform to simplify onboarding, improve user experience, and make launching campaigns effortless.

• Added a template library for ready-to-go ad setups.
• Improved onboarding to ensure users could launch ads on day one.
• Enhanced UX to make the platform intuitive for all users.

These improvements, combined with webinars and case studies showcasing real-world success, turned early challenges into a scalable growth engine.

Metrics & Milestones

Here’s a snapshot of UpHex’s impressive growth:

• $190K MRR with just 4 employees.
• 15,000+ businesses served through agency clients.
• 2.2M ARR and growing month over month.

Takeaways & Practical Tips

What can other SaaS founders learn from UpHex’s journey? Here are five actionable tips:

✅ Niche Down: Focus on a specific audience. UpHex targeted agency owners and positioned their product as a perfect complement to HighLevel.

✅ Leverage Partnerships: Collaborate with platforms your audience already uses. The HighLevel partnership was instrumental in UpHex’s early success.

✅ Build Community: Create a space where users can connect, share feedback, and grow together.

✅ Iterate on User Feedback: Listen to your customers and improve your product based on their needs.

✅ Educate Your Market: Webinars, case studies, and free courses can drive awareness and establish credibility.

UpHex’s success isn’t just about automating Facebook Ads—it’s about understanding their niche, building strong partnerships, and creating a community of loyal users.

Their journey proves that with the right strategy, even a small team can achieve big results.

If you liked this story, the chances are you’ll also like to find out how Growave scaled from being a free app to $110K MRR.

Are you ready to take inspiration from UpHex and scale your SaaS business? Start small, iterate often, and never stop learning.