How Kai Stone turned trench knowledge into a top affiliate spot
Want to hear Kai live? He's speaking at LevelUp 2026, October 26 to 29 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
π Grab your ticket here: www.gohighlevel.com/aiks_blog
In this episode of Affiliate Insider, we sit down with Kai Stone, founder and CEO of StoneSystemsIO and a multi-seven-figure entrepreneur who builds software for contractors, to talk about his real journey with HighLevel and affiliate growth.
From watching local businesses get sold marketing they could never actually run, to powering hundreds of contractors and running roughly 1,500 active SaaS subscribers alongside a top affiliate presence, Kai shares what actually worked, what didn't and what he'd do differently starting today.
We cover topics like:
π₯ Why "trench knowledge" is the thing that separates real affiliates from the rest, and why Kai thinks you need to build a company and fail at a few things first
π₯ How documenting the process from day one gives you content that answers the questions you had as a beginner
π₯ Being open about revenue and about your own weak spots, and why Kai tells people straight up that he isn't the technical one
π₯ Why telling beginners the work is hard leads to better retention than selling them an easy win
π₯ Running SaaS and affiliate side by side, and why Kai would keep his SaaS team closer to four people if he started over
π₯ Where AI genuinely speeds things up, and why the person steering it is still what creates the value
π₯ Hiring Go HighLevel-certified VAs, paying them well and keeping them long enough to actually handle your community
π₯ β¦and more
Packed with honest insights and actionable takeaways, this episode is a must-watch for affiliates ready to grow with clarity and realistic expectations.
Kai is bringing this same approach to the stage at LevelUp 2026. Three days in Dallas with the people actually running the businesses you're trying to build.
π Get your ticket: www.gohighlevel.com/aiks_blog
