GoHighLevel Setup Checklist for a Space Startup
Affiliate disclosure: Space Launch Agency is a HighLevel affiliate and may earn a commission if you sign up through our links, at no extra cost to you. We run our own website on HighLevel and offer HighLevel setup for space companies. Check HighLevel's own signup page for current terms.
TL;DR: Set up GoHighLevel (HighLevel) in this order: connect your domain, set up a dedicated email sending subdomain, add a phone number and register for A2P 10DLC if you'll text US numbers, import contacts with custom fields and consent, build one sales pipeline, create a booking calendar, add forms with a lead source, then turn on a few core workflows. Finish with tracking and team training. Doing it in this order avoids rework and protects your email reputation.
Key takeaways
- Email and phone setup come first, because everything else sends messages through them.
- Build one pipeline that matches your real space sales stages before adding more.
- Capture lead source and consent from day one.
- Start with three to five workflows, not thirty.
What should you do before you start setting up GoHighLevel?
Write down three things on one page:
- Who you sell to. For example: satellite operators, prime contractors, government program offices or other space startups.
- Your sales stages. From first contact to signed contract. Our post on the space startup sales process can help.
- What a lead needs next at each stage. A reply, a technical call, a proposal or a reminder.
This one page becomes your pipeline, your fields and your workflows. Our space startup CRM guide and free Space CRM Kits give you ready-made pipeline stages to start from.
If you don't have an account yet, you can open a HighLevel account (affiliate link) while you plan, since email warm-up and A2P 10DLC approval take time.
Step 1: How do you connect your domain?
Connect the domain you'll use for your website and funnel pages. HighLevel's guide to connecting your domain walks through the DNS records. If your main website lives elsewhere, use a subdomain for HighLevel pages so you don't disrupt the existing site.
Step 2: How do you set up email sending?
Set up a dedicated sending domain before you send a single campaign. HighLevel's getting started guide for email, phone and SMS has you go to Settings, then Email Services, then Dedicated Domain and IP, add a domain such as a subdomain of your main domain, verify it and set headers.
HighLevel recommends a subdomain (for example mail.yourdomain.com) and DNS verification. New verified domains go through an automatic warm-up with daily limits that increase in stages.
Our email deliverability guide covers SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and our GoHighLevel email deliverability guide shows the HighLevel-specific steps.
Step 3: How do you set up phone and SMS?
Add a number under Settings, then Phone System, as described in the email, phone and SMS guide. You can also set call forwarding so calls reach your team.
If you'll text US recipients from a standard 10-digit local number, you need A2P 10DLC registration. In HighLevel this is done through Settings, then Phone System, then Trust Center. Carriers make the final approval decision, so describe your real use case and consent process clearly.
Many space buyers prefer email and calls over texts. Decide where SMS actually helps, such as meeting reminders, before you build SMS into every workflow.
Step 4: How do you import your contacts?
Before importing, create the custom fields you need, such as organization type, program, mission segment or event met at. Then follow HighLevel's import guide: upload a CSV, map each column to a field and set consent preferences during the import.
Clean the list first. Remove duplicates, fix company names and drop contacts who never agreed to hear from you.
Step 5: How do you build your first pipeline?
Go to Opportunities, then Pipelines, then create a new pipeline, as shown in HighLevel's pipeline guide. Use the stages from your one-page plan. A simple space B2B example:
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| New lead | Contact info captured |
| Qualified | Real need, timeline and decision path confirmed |
| Technical call | Engineers have talked |
| Proposal sent | Quote or proposal delivered |
| Negotiation | Terms, procurement or contracting |
| Won / Lost | Outcome recorded |
Link each opportunity to a company record so everyone at a customer organization stays together. HighLevel supports associations between opportunities and companies.
Step 6: How do you set up calendars and booking?
Create a booking calendar for discovery or technical calls. If several people take calls, a round robin calendar spreads bookings across team members based on availability. You can also add a consent checkbox to calendars so consent is recorded when someone books. Check with your counsel on consent wording.
Step 7: How do you set up forms and lead source tracking?
Build forms for each way leads arrive: contact page, lead magnet, event sign-up. Add the hidden Source field so every submission records where it came from. You can override the source with a URL parameter, so one form can serve several campaigns. HighLevel also stores first and latest attribution on each contact.
Step 8: Which workflows should you turn on first?
Workflows run a set of actions when a trigger fires. Start with these:
- New form lead: send a confirmation email and notify the owner.
- Booked call: send a confirmation and create a prep task.
- Stage changed: create the next-step task for the owner.
- Stale deal: alert the owner when a deal sits too long, using the Stale Opportunities trigger.
Our HighLevel lead follow-up automation guide covers the follow-up timing, and our 10 GoHighLevel workflows for space sales teams adds more.
Step 9: How do you set up tracking and monitoring?
- Connect Google Postmaster Tools to watch your sending reputation with Gmail.
- If you run Google Ads, plan offline conversion tracking. Our ad tracking setup guide explains the basics.
- Review pipeline value and stage counts weekly.
Step 10: How do you get the team using it?
Write a short operating guide: where leads come from, who owns each stage and what "done" means. Our HighLevel team training SOP gives you a template.
What does the full GoHighLevel setup checklist look like?
- One-page plan: buyers, stages, next steps
- Domain connected
- Dedicated sending subdomain verified and warming up
- Phone number added; A2P 10DLC registered if texting US numbers
- Custom fields created; contacts cleaned and imported with consent
- One pipeline with real stages; opportunities linked to companies
- Booking calendar with consent checkbox
- Forms with a Source field
- Three to five core workflows live and tested
- Postmaster Tools connected; ad tracking planned
- Team guide written and shared
If you haven't opened an account yet, you can get started with HighLevel here (affiliate link) and check current terms on HighLevel's site. Our page on HighLevel for aerospace and space companies explains how we set it up for this industry. If you'd rather not do it yourself, our space industry CRM automation service handles setup.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to set up GoHighLevel?
It depends on how much you build and how ready your plan is. Email domain warm-up and A2P 10DLC approval also take time outside your control, so start those steps first.
What should I set up first in GoHighLevel?
Your domain, a dedicated email sending subdomain and your phone number. Every workflow, reminder and campaign depends on them.
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration?
You need it if you send business texts to US recipients from standard 10-digit local numbers. In HighLevel, registration is done through the Trust Center in Phone System settings.
Can I import contacts from a spreadsheet?
Yes. HighLevel imports contacts from a CSV file. You map columns to fields and set consent preferences during the import.
How many pipelines should a space startup start with?
One sales pipeline is usually enough to start. Add more, such as partnerships or investors, once the first one is used consistently.
Should I use SMS for B2B space sales?
Use it where it helps, such as meeting reminders for people who have agreed to receive texts. Email and calls remain the main channels for most B2B space buyers.
Want this built for your space company?
Book a free Growth Audit. On a free 20-minute call, we look at your marketing and sales, find the step that is holding growth back and show you what we would do first.
