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HighKey Enterprises CEO Luke Lintz shares what it’s really like to build an eight-figure business

Jordan, Luke, and Jackson Lintz live a lifestyle that leaves many in envy—and curiosity as to how they made it. 

HighKey Enterprises
Photo courtesy HighKey Enterprises
Photo courtesy HighKey Enterprises

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Jordan, Luke, and Jackson Lintz live a lifestyle that leaves many in envy—and curiosity as to how they made it. 

All still in their 20s and already sporting their dream cars, sitting atop a successful group of companies, and working closely with some of the world’s most famous names, the Lintz brothers share what it’s truly like to build HighKey Enterprises into an eight-figure business.

Spoiler alert: It’s no way near easy.

Before Jackson (the youngest of the Lintz brothers) came on board, Jordan and Luke founded their first company, HighKey Technology, which hit seven figures in revenue while Luke was still in high school. 

It was a feat, indeed, as Luke Lintz admitted that he and his older brother, Jordan, didn’t even know much about marketing at the time. Fortunately, their customers saw the amazing tech products behind the cringey Instagram marketing. 

“I was feeling so caught up, so on top of the world,” says Luke. “It’s not every day a high school student starts a business from scratch and builds a seven-figure revenue before they even graduate.”

As any seasoned entrepreneur would say, however, at the end of the day, it’s not the revenue that matters most—true success is reflected in the profit the business owner takes home when all is said and done.

And for the idealistic brothers and co-founders Jordan and Luke Lintz, HighKey Technology’s early success meant a measly profit of 5%.

“It was a horrible 5% profit split between three business partners since we had another good friend join us in the venture,” says Jordan Lintz. “Between marketing costs, fulfillment, warehousing, and shipping costs, product-based businesses are truly a struggle.”

In a desperate attempt to bring those profit numbers up, the brothers made colossal mistakes that would eventually almost bury them in debt.

“We bought new products that weren’t tested in the marketplace, and we ended up losing more money than we could afford to lose,” says Jordan. “That served as a wake-up call for us to explore beyond product-based services.”

Building an Empire

Jordan and Luke then took a step back and thought about how they could build their company in a way that pays them better. Looking at the 100,000+ followers they had amassed on Instagram at that point, they realized where their talents truly laid: building an online presence.

“We weren’t taking home a lot of profit, but we certainly knew how to get customers through the door,” says Luke. “We know how to grow a presence.”

From there, the brothers decided to build HighKey Agency—a company that does branding services for celebrities, athletes, influencers, and anyone who wants to build a stronger personal brand online.

Banking on their self-developed Instagram celebrity giveaway model, HighKey Agency has helped Cardi B, Lil Baby, Da Baby, and dozens of other celebrities and influencers build a stronger presence online. 

“After our first few highly successful giveaways, word of our services spread like wildfire,” says Luke Lintz. “Other people started coming up to us, asking when the next giveaway would be. And before we knew it, we had a full roster of clients just waiting to pay top dollar for top services.”

Jordan and Luke then decided to split their branding services between HighKey Clout, which manages their Instagram celebrity giveaways, and HighKey Agency, which deals primarily with their press services like content creation and SEO strategy. It was also during this time that Jordan and Luke’s younger brother, Jackson, joined the fray in leading the HighKey empire. 

Then came the opportunity to work with Kevin Hart. 

“The campaign went so well,” gushed Jordan Lintz. “It was the most money we’ve ever made in a two-week timespan. We were back to feeling like we’re on top of the world.”

Word to the Wise on Hitting Eight Figures

Indeed, the brothers might as well be sitting on top of the world. Between HighKey Technology, HighKey Agency, HighKey Clout as well as significant investments in the crypto market, HighKey Enterprises has grown into an eight-figure business.

As the enterprise gradually approaches the nine-figure mark, the Lintz brothers share some hard-hitting advice for those who are hoping to follow their trail and build highly successful businesses:

Be prepared. 

“When we started out, all our leads came from direct marketing on Instagram,” says Luke Lintz. “Jordan and Jackson would have their faces glued to the screen for 10-14 hours a day looking for our next clients. They hardly slept.”

Sure, the HighKey Enterprises team eventually grew big enough to hire a superstar global sales team, but before they got there, Jackson says that it was all hard work and guts.

“It’s exactly as Elon Musk described it: growing a massive business was like staring into the darkness while eating glass.” Jackson says. “Difficult is an understatement.”

Despite the massive challenge aspiring business owners encounter, Luke says they can’t wait too long before taking that first leap of faith—especially if their goal is to reach eight, even nine figures in revenue.

“Prepare yourself, but don’t wait too long,” says Luke. 

“You have the greatest opportunity to take the biggest risks while you’re still in high school, all the way up until you reach 25. So, take the biggest, craziest risks you can during that time. Just go for it. Go for the moon and start attacking your biggest dreams 12 hours a day. Because you could wake up one day, and suddenly you’re 30. And then it will be too late to take on those risks,” he adds.

Just a few years from now, it will be the Lintz brothers turn to wake up in their 30s. 

It remains to be seen where HighKey Enterprises will be by then, but the fact that its founders have taken the biggest risks and hustled the hardest in their 20s make them optimistic about what’s yet to come.

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Written By

George Nellist is a public relations, marketing and strategic brand expert who has executed social media and strategic marketing campaigns for a variety of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. For more information, visit Ascend Agency.

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