Technical Project Overview

Project: The Founders Hub
Domain: thefoundershub.co
Core Stack: Systeme.io + Locals.com + Stripe

Architecture Summary

The Founders Hub was architected as a hybrid marketing, membership, and payment ecosystem using three tightly integrated platforms:

• Systeme.io – Marketing automation, funnel management, email systems, landing pages
• Locals.com – Community platform and gated member environment
• Stripe – Secure payment gateway and subscription processing

The build was designed around platform specialization rather than custom-coded infrastructure. Each component handles a specific operational layer, reducing technical debt while maximizing scalability.

System Architecture Breakdown

1. Frontend Marketing & Funnel Infrastructure – Systeme.io

Systeme.io functions as the primary marketing engine of the project.

Responsibilities include:

• Landing page creation and hosting
• Sales funnel architecture
• Lead capture forms
• Email marketing automation
• Campaign sequencing
• Tag-based audience segmentation

All traffic acquisition flows (organic, paid, referral) are directed into Systeme.io-managed pages. User interactions such as opt-ins, webinar registrations, and initial conversion points are processed here.

Automation rules handle:

• Email onboarding sequences
• Conditional tagging
• Funnel stage movement
• Trigger-based workflows

This allows marketing logic to remain modular and adaptable without code deployment cycles.

2. Membership & Community Layer – Locals.com

Locals.com serves as the gated community environment and core member portal.

Once a user completes payment or registration, access is provisioned into the Locals platform, where:

• Members access exclusive content
• Community discussions are hosted
• Digital resources are distributed
• Engagement and retention are managed

Locals handles:

• Account management
• Role-based access control
• Member communications within the platform
• Subscription-linked content visibility

This separation ensures that community functionality remains independent from marketing automation systems.

3. Payment Infrastructure – Stripe

All financial transactions are processed through Stripe.

Stripe handles:

• Secure payment collection
• Subscription billing
• Recurring payment management
• Payment failure handling
• Refund processing
• PCI-compliant transaction security

Stripe integrates with both Systeme.io and Locals to trigger automated access provisioning based on successful transactions.

This structure ensures:

• Payment verification before access is granted
• Automated subscription state syncing
• Reliable recurring revenue tracking

Stripe acts as the financial source of truth within the ecosystem.

Integration Flow

The system operates in the following structured sequence:

1. User lands on a Systeme.io marketing page.

2. User opts in or proceeds to purchase.

3. Payment is processed securely via Stripe.

4. Stripe confirms transaction status.

5. Access credentials are provisioned into Locals.com.

6. Systeme.io triggers onboarding email workflows.

7. Member gains access to gated content within Locals.

All integrations are configured via API connections and webhook triggers to ensure real-time communication between platforms.

Project Management & Deployment Model

The build followed a structured implementation framework:

Planning Phase

• Defined funnel architecture
• Mapped user journey from visitor to member
• Designed pricing and subscription logic
• Structured onboarding automation

Configuration Phase

• Built sales funnels in Systeme.io
• Configured Stripe products and subscription models
• Connected Stripe to Systeme.io
• Integrated Stripe and Locals for access control

Testing Phase

• Transaction testing (live + sandbox validation)
• Subscription lifecycle testing
• Failed payment simulation
• Access provisioning validation
• Email automation trigger testing

Launch Phase

• Domain routing configuration
• SSL verification
• Payment mode switched to live
• Funnel and onboarding activation

Security & Compliance

• Stripe manages PCI compliance for payment processing.
• Secure HTTPS encryption protects all transactional pages.
• Access control within Locals ensures content is restricted to verified members.
• Webhook validation prevents unauthorized provisioning events.

Scalability Considerations

The platform stack was selected intentionally for scalability:

• Systeme.io allows rapid funnel iteration without developer dependency.
• Locals supports growing member communities without infrastructure rebuilds.
• Stripe scales transaction handling globally without performance degradation.

This modular SaaS-driven architecture reduces maintenance overhead and removes the need for custom backend infrastructure.

Operational Model

Ongoing management includes:

• Funnel optimization inside Systeme.io
• Subscription management and reporting via Stripe dashboard
• Community engagement and moderation within Locals
• Automation monitoring and refinement
• Revenue tracking and churn analysis

Because the core systems are API-connected SaaS platforms, updates and infrastructure maintenance are handled at the platform level rather than requiring internal DevOps resources.

Summary

The Founders Hub was built as a strategically integrated SaaS ecosystem using:

Systeme.io for marketing and automation
Locals.com for community and gated content
Stripe for secure payment and subscription management

The project emphasizes modular architecture, automated workflows, secure transaction processing, and scalable member growth — without reliance on custom-coded backend infrastructure.

This design ensures operational efficiency, predictable revenue management, and rapid iteration capability as the platform evolves.