How do I start? | Locus Founder
The fastest way to start an online business with AI is to open a Locus workspace, describe your idea in plain language, and let the agent take it from there. Most founders have a live website on a real domain within the first hour. No code. No configuration menus. No project management.
What actually happens when you start
When you open a workspace, Locus greets you in a chat interface — on the web, via iMessage, or via Telegram. You describe your idea the way you would to a cofounder over coffee: "I want to sell a course on sourdough baking to home cooks" or "I have a local lawn care business and want to get leads online."
The agent asks a few focused questions to understand your audience and goal, then starts building.
Within the first session it typically:
- Registers a domain name for your business
- Builds and deploys a real website to that domain
- Sets up a Stripe account connection to take payments
- Drafts an initial cold-outreach sequence
- Creates a CRM to track leads and customers
You're not clicking through a wizard or filling in a template. The agent reads what you said and does the obvious next thing. When it's time to publish something customer-facing — a message, an ad, a price — it stops and asks for your approval first. You keep the final word.
Step by step
1. Open a workspace
Go to locusfounder.com and sign up. Every new workspace starts with a 24-hour free trial: $5 of agent credit, no charge until the trial ends. You'll need a card on file, but if you cancel before 24 hours you're never billed.
2. Describe your idea
Type a sentence or two about what you want to build. Don't overthink it. The agent will ask follow-up questions if it needs more. The description you give in chat is used directly — Locus does not substitute its own idea for yours.
3. Review and approve as the agent works
The agent takes initiative between chat turns — it doesn't wait for you to prompt every step. It will surface decisions that require your input: approving the domain name, reviewing ad copy, confirming a price. For anything else, it just does the work and reports back.
4. Connect your Stripe account
Customer payments go directly into your own Stripe account, not through Locus. Locus adds a 1% fee on each successful charge. You own the relationship with your customers.
5. Watch the business launch
A real website is usually live within the first hour. Outreach typically starts within a day. The agent continues working in the background between your sessions — running tests, following up with leads, iterating on what isn't working.
How is this different from using a website builder or an AI app builder?
Most tools in this space — Wix, Squarespace, Lovable, Bolt.new — are instruments you operate. You build the website. You write the copy. You run the ads. You manage the CRM. The tool does what you tell it.
Locus is an autonomous operator. It does the building and the marketing and the selling, end-to-end, and reports back. The distinction is the same as the difference between a hammer and a contractor. Using AI to start a business the Locus way means you're directing the outcome, not doing every task yourself.
For a deeper look at this distinction, see the guide to the best way to build an internet business.
What does it cost?
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Founder Monthly | $25 first mo, then $50/mo |
| Founder Annual | $500/year (two months free) |
| Free trial | 24 hours, $5 agent credit |
| 1% fee per customer charge | On successful payments to your Stripe |
| Revenue share | 5% of revenue above $1,000/month |
Each plan includes a monthly agent-credit allowance. Once that's spent, additional agent activity (models, APIs, compute) is billed at cost plus a margin of up to 30%. Auto-top-up is available but off by default — you won't be surprised.
The first $1,000 of revenue your business earns each month is entirely yours. Revenue share only kicks in above that line.
What if I already have an idea but I'm not sure it will work?
Start anyway. The 24-hour trial exists precisely for this. The agent can build and deploy a landing page, run a small batch of cold outreach, and report back on whether anyone responds — all before you've spent anything beyond the trial credit.
The honest answer to "will my idea work?" is that nobody knows until you've shown it to real people. Locus compresses that test from weeks to hours.
Do I need technical skills?
No. You communicate entirely through plain-language chat. There is no dashboard to configure, no plugin store to navigate, no DNS settings to fiddle with. If you want to go deeper — edit the site, change a prompt, customize the CRM — you can, but nothing about the launch process requires it.
More questions
See the full Locus FAQ for answers on billing, domains, Stripe, data ownership, canceling, and more.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a live website? A real website on a custom domain typically goes live within the first hour of starting a workspace. The agent handles domain registration, site build, and deployment without any manual steps from you.
Can I use my existing domain? Yes. You can connect a domain you already own. The agent will walk you through the handoff.
What happens if I cancel before the free trial ends? You are never charged. Cancel any time during the 24-hour window and the card on file is not billed.
Do I own my website, domain, and customers? Yes, fully. The domain, site content, customer list, and Stripe account are yours. Locus provides one-click export if you ever want to take everything and leave. Locus is the cofounder, not the owner.
Ready to start? Open a workspace at locusfounder.com — you'll have a live business in your hands before your free trial ends.