Tim Hershberger is a GoHighLevel expert & founder of Automate the Journey. See his methodology, verified client results, and book a discovery call today.
Hiring a GoHighLevel consultant is a real commitment - and the most common hesitation we hear is: "How do I know this isn't just someone who watched a few YouTube tutorials and spun up an agency?" It's a fair question. The GoHighLevel space is flooded with self-proclaimed experts who've never actually migrated a live CRM, rebuilt a broken automation stack, or recovered a client who was hemorrhaging leads. Tim Hershberger built Automate the Journey specifically because that gap - between GHL account ownership and GHL mastery - was costing service businesses real revenue. Read the full picture below and decide for yourself.
Tim Hershberger is a GoHighLevel implementation specialist and marketing automation consultant who builds and optimises automated client acquisition systems for service-based businesses. He is the founder of Automate the Journey, a consultancy focused exclusively on helping service businesses replace manual follow-up chaos with fully automated pipelines built inside GoHighLevel.
Tim has spent years working directly inside GHL accounts - configuring CRM pipelines, building multi-step nurture sequences, designing booking funnels, and integrating the platform with the tools service businesses already use. His clients range from HVAC companies and med-spas to professional service firms and marketing agencies.
The clearest transformation Tim delivers: a service business that was losing leads inside a spreadsheet or an ignored inbox walks away with a system that contacts every lead within minutes, books appointments automatically, and tracks every dollar through a live dashboard.
The rest of this page covers exactly how that transformation happens - and whether it's the right fit for your business.
Tim launched Automate the Journey after observing the same problem across dozens of service business conversations: owners were generating leads but losing them between the crack of first contact and the actual booked appointment.
The specific pattern that triggered the business was consistent. A roofing company ran paid ads, collected form fills, and then had an office manager manually call back leads - sometimes the next day, sometimes never. The leads went cold. The ad spend was wasted. The owner blamed the marketing. But the marketing wasn't broken. The follow-up system was.
Tim recognised that this wasn't a traffic problem - it was a process problem. And process problems have process solutions. When he evaluated the available platforms, GoHighLevel stood out immediately because it was the only tool that handled CRM, automated SMS and email follow-up, calendar booking, and lead pipeline tracking inside a single account without requiring three separate subscriptions and a developer to stitch them together.
Early client conversations confirmed the need at every turn. Business owners weren't asking for more leads - they were asking someone to stop the bleeding on the leads they already had.
Automate the Journey was founded on a single operating principle: no lead should fall through the cracks because a human forgot to follow up.
Tim evaluated HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Keap before committing to GoHighLevel. HubSpot's service-tier pricing made it impractical for SMBs under $1M in revenue. ActiveCampaign handled email well but required separate tools for SMS, booking, and funnel pages. GoHighLevel combined all of it - CRM, funnel builder, SMS automation, calendar, reputation management, and reporting - in one platform purpose-built for the agency and service business market. That consolidation is why Tim built his entire methodology around it, and why he maintains an active GoHighLevel partner relationship.
Tim's path to GoHighLevel wasn't a straight line. His earlier career ran through sales and business operations roles where he spent time inside the actual day-to-day of service businesses - quoting jobs, managing pipelines, and watching leads slip through manual processes that hadn't changed in a decade.
The turning point came when Tim started applying automation logic to problems he'd already lived firsthand. He wasn't theorising about what a follow-up sequence should do - he'd sat on the other side of the desk watching leads go cold because nobody sent the second email.
He completed GoHighLevel platform training and has continued building hands-on knowledge through direct account work across multiple industries. Tim maintains an active GoHighLevel partner relationship and has built 500+ marketing automation systems for service businesses.
The early lesson that shaped the entire Automate the Journey methodology came from a build that was technically correct but operationally useless. Tim built a 12-step nurture sequence for a client, and it performed exactly as designed - but the client's team had no idea how to read the pipeline or respond when a lead engaged. The system worked. The handoff didn't. That failure is why every Automate the Journey engagement now includes a formal Activate & Launch phase with documented team training before anything goes live.
Before you evaluate any GoHighLevel consultant, ask them to describe the last implementation that didn't go as planned and what they did about it. The answer tells you more than any portfolio screenshot.
Tim's work falls across five specific service pillars. Each one has a concrete deliverable and a defined business outcome - not a vague promise to "grow your business."
Tim handles full GHL account configuration from scratch, including sub-account structure, custom fields, user permissions, and pipeline architecture. For businesses migrating from ClickFunnels, WordPress, or an existing CRM, he manages the full data transfer and workflow rebuild so nothing breaks mid-migration. The deliverable is a clean, fully configured GHL account ready to receive live leads.
Tim designs and builds complete funnel systems inside GoHighLevel - opt-in pages, VSL pages, booking funnels, and order forms. Every page is built with mobile speed as a non-negotiable baseline, because a funnel that loads slowly on a phone loses the lead before the headline renders. See the full funnels service page for specific build deliverables.
This is the core of what Automate the Journey does. Tim builds automated pipeline workflows that trigger the moment a lead enters the system - SMS within minutes, email follow-up within the hour, and multi-touch sequences that continue until the lead books, opts out, or converts. In our experience, cutting lead response time from hours to under five minutes consistently produces the single biggest lift in booked-call rates of any change we make.
Tim configures GHL's built-in reputation management tools to automatically request reviews after a job is completed, route responses to the right team member, and sync with Google Business Profile. For a detailed breakdown of how this works for service businesses, see our GoHighLevel reputation management guide.
From our builds, automated review request sequences - triggered 24 hours after job completion - generate 3x the review volume compared to manual request methods across home service accounts we manage.
Most GoHighLevel consultants hand you a Zap and a Loom video and call it a day. The Automate the Journey methodology runs across five defined phases, each with a named deliverable so you always know exactly where your build stands.
Tim reviews your existing tech stack, current CRM state, active workflows, and lead flow from first touch to close. He identifies where leads are entering, where they're going silent, and which manual tasks are eating your team's time. Output: a written gap analysis document that names every broken handoff and prioritises fixes by revenue impact.
Working from the audit findings, Tim maps your ideal customer journey - from the first ad click or form fill through to a booked call or closed sale. Every trigger, every automated message, and every human touchpoint gets mapped before a single workflow is built. Output: a visual funnel map your team can follow and your future hires can onboard from.
This is the hands-on GHL build phase. Tim configures all funnels, workflows, CRM pipelines, calendar integrations, and third-party connections inside your account. Timeline for a standard build runs two to three weeks depending on scope. Output: a live, fully configured GoHighLevel account with all automations tested and ready.
Before campaigns go live, Tim runs a structured go-live process: final QA on all workflows, team training on how to use the pipeline and respond to hot leads, and handoff documentation so your team isn't dependent on Tim to operate the system. Output: active campaigns running, trained team members, and written SOPs for ongoing management.
Ongoing monthly engagement covers funnel metric review, A/B test results on subject lines and SMS copy, workflow performance analysis, and iterative improvements as your offer or market changes. Output: a monthly optimisation report with specific actions taken and next-month priorities.
Skipping the Blueprint phase and jumping straight to Build is the most common cause of GHL builds that have to be torn down and rebuilt three months later. Never start configuring workflows until the full customer journey is mapped on paper first.
The long-term engagement relationship looks like this: after the initial build, Tim's ongoing clients operate on a monthly retainer where we review what the data says, adjust what isn't converting, and scale what is.
Tim works with service-based SMBs that generate between $250K and $2M in annual revenue, run lean teams of 1-20 people, and deliver their service locally or regionally. The common thread is that every business in this range is already generating some leads - the problem is what happens after the lead arrives.
The ideal client has a GoHighLevel account at any experience level - beginner to intermediate - and is ready to treat the implementation as a real business system, not a set-it-and-forget-it magic button. Tim asks for a minimum two-hour commitment per week during the Build phase for reviews, approvals, and feedback.
Businesses that are not a good fit: e-commerce brands, SaaS companies, enterprise organisations with 50+ employees, and anyone who wants to remain entirely hands-off with zero involvement in the build process. Learn more about industries we serve.
Numbers beat claims every time. Here are outcomes from actual implementations.
A residential HVAC company in the Southeast was running Google Ads and generating 40-60 leads per month. Their office manager was calling leads back manually, typically the next morning. Average response time: nine hours. Booked-call rate from those leads: under 15%.
Tim rebuilt their intake workflow inside GoHighLevel - form submission triggered an immediate SMS from the business owner's number, followed by an email with a direct booking link, and a second SMS 30 minutes later if no response. Within 60 days, average lead response time dropped to four minutes. Booked-call rate from inbound leads climbed to 38%.
A med-spa with a database of 1,200 past clients had not contacted those contacts in over a year. Tim built a three-step reactivation sequence - SMS on day one, email on day three, final SMS on day seven - promoting a seasonal treatment offer with a direct booking link.
The sequence ran for 14 days. 74 contacts clicked the booking link. 31 appointments were confirmed. The med-spa owner reported over $8,400 in booked revenue from a list that had been sitting idle. Total build time: one week.
From our builds, reactivation sequences targeting past clients consistently outperform cold traffic campaigns on cost-per-booked-appointment - typically by a factor of 4 to 6x. The list you already own is almost always the fastest ROI play.
"We relaunched in 45 days, then saw consistent double-digit growth every month. You can't convert unless they get to your site - Tim and his team drive them there." - Barney Statcher, COO · High Falls Hemp
"ATJ always found a way to execute the vision - which resulted in YOY growth. I've worked with Tim for almost 3 years and am continually impressed." - Justin Tolle, President · Snipers Edge Hockey
"He took the time to understand our niche business and build a robust campaign. Meets timelines, excellent communicator. He will be an asset to any team." - Lindsay Steiner, President · Bradyl Storage Solutions
The three alternatives service business owners typically weigh are a generalist digital marketing agency, a freelance GHL VA from Upwork or Fiverr, and doing it themselves.
A generalist agency spreads its attention across SEO, paid ads, social media, and web design simultaneously. When you bring them a GoHighLevel problem, they assign it to whoever has the lightest schedule that week - not to someone who has built 40 GHL accounts in a single niche. The result is a technically functional account that doesn't reflect how your specific business actually closes deals.
A freelance VA from a platform marketplace brings hourly rates but typically operates from templates and tutorials. When your automation breaks at 2am on a Friday because a workflow trigger misfired, you're opening a ticket and waiting. In our experience, the "cheaper" build almost always costs more to fix than it cost to build.
The DIY path is genuinely viable - GoHighLevel is well-documented and the community is active. But the cost is time, and for most service business owners at the $500K-$1.5M revenue stage, the hours spent inside a GHL tutorial library are hours not spent closing jobs or managing the team. The opportunity cost is real.
Tim brings GoHighLevel-specific depth, a service-business niche focus, and the accountability of a named specialist who owns the outcome. When something isn't converting, you don't wait for an account manager to relay the message - you get a direct answer from the person who built it.
The single clearest value proposition: you get a GoHighLevel expert who has solved your specific problem before, not someone learning on your account.
Tim structures engagements three ways depending on where you are and what you need.
One-Time GoHighLevel Setup & Build - designed for businesses that need a complete, professionally configured GHL account built from scratch or rebuilt correctly after a failed first attempt. This covers the full Audit → Blueprint → Build → Activate process. Scope and investment confirmed on discovery call.
Monthly Retainer - for businesses that want ongoing optimisation, A/B testing, workflow management, and monthly reporting after the initial build. Tim runs the Phase 5 Optimise & Scale process on a rolling monthly basis so your system improves as your business grows. Scope and investment confirmed on discovery call.
VIP Intensive Day - a compressed single-day build sprint focused on one specific deliverable: a booking funnel, a reactivation sequence, or a CRM pipeline rebuild. Best for business owners who already have a functioning GHL account and need one high-impact piece built fast. Scope and investment confirmed on discovery call.
Full details and scope breakdowns live on the packages and pricing page. All engagements begin with a free 30-minute discovery call to confirm fit before any investment is discussed.
What is Automate the Journey? Automate the Journey is a GoHighLevel implementation consultancy founded by Tim Hershberger. We build and optimise automated client acquisition systems for service-based businesses - replacing manual follow-up with pipeline automation that works around the clock.
Does Tim work 1:1 or through a team? Tim leads every engagement directly. He may work with trusted technical support for specific integrations, but the strategy, audit, blueprint, and ongoing optimisation are handled by Tim personally - not delegated to a junior contractor.
How long does a typical GoHighLevel implementation take? A full build - Audit through Activate - typically runs four to six weeks depending on the complexity of your offer and existing tech stack. VIP Intensive Day projects complete within 24 hours of the session.
What platforms does Tim work with besides GoHighLevel? GoHighLevel is the primary platform. Tim also works with tools that integrate into GHL, including Zapier, Google Business Profile, Stripe, and major calendar systems. He does not offer standalone builds on HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, or Keap.
Is Automate the Journey right for my business? If you're a service business with $250K-$2M in revenue, an existing or new GHL account, and leads that aren't converting at the rate they should - yes. If you're in e-commerce, SaaS, or enterprise, we're not the right fit.
How do I get started with Tim Hershberger? Book a free 30-minute discovery call at /go_high_level/book-call-2. No prep required - just show up ready to describe where your leads are going and where they're going quiet.
What does onboarding look like? After the discovery call, Tim sends a scope document and an onboarding questionnaire covering your current tech stack, offer details, and lead flow. Phase 1 (the Automation Audit) begins within one business day of the signed agreement.
If you're tired of chasing leads manually and ready to let GoHighLevel do the heavy lifting, Tim Hershberger builds the system that makes that happen.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call at /go_high_level/book-call-2. Every call is confirmed within one business day. There's no pitch - just a direct conversation about where your leads are dropping and what a working system looks like for your specific business.
Spots are limited to the number of active builds Tim can manage without compromising quality. If you're evaluating now, book now.
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Book a no-pressure discovery call with Tim to map out exactly where your lead follow-up is breaking down and what a fixed system would look like for you.
Written by Tim Hershberger, founder of Automate the Journey. Tim has built 500+ marketing automation systems for service businesses. Book a free strategy call to see how we can help.
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