Web Launch Academy LogoWEB LAUNCH ACADEMY
Build guide · Stripe payments

Your Stripe setup.
The one thing only you can do.

Your build includes Stripe payments — and Stripe requires personal identifiable information (tax details, EIN or SSN, bank account) to open an account. We will never ask for or handle any of that, so this one step is yours. This guide walks you through it in about 20 minutes, and your build can't be completed until it's done — so it's the best first thing to knock out.

Before you start

Have these five things
within reach.

  • Your legal business name (or your own name if you're a sole proprietor)
  • EIN — or your SSN if you don't have one (sole proprietors use SSN; that's normal)
  • Bank account & routing numbers — where Stripe deposits your money
  • Business address and phone
  • Your website address — the domain we're building for you is fine, even before it's live
Step 1 of 2

Open and verify
your Stripe account.

Go to dashboard.stripe.com/register and create your account, then complete the "Activate payments" onboarding — Stripe walks you through the business details, tax info, and bank account from the list above. Answer everything as your business actually is; there are no trick questions.

Verification is usually instant, but Stripe sometimes takes a business day or two to confirm identity or banking details — that wait is why a Stripe build adds a few days to your estimate. You'll see "Payments active" on your dashboard when it's done.

Step 2 of 2 — pick a path

Connect it to your build.
Two ways — both fine.

★ Easiest — 2 minutes

Path A: Invite us as a developer

Stripe lets you add team members with limited roles. The Developer role can manage API keys and webhooks — but cannot touch your banking, payouts, or tax info. You stay the only owner.

  • In your Stripe dashboard, go to Settings → Team → New member
  • Invite hello@weblaunchacademy.com
  • Choose the Developer role (not Administrator)
  • Done — we'll grab the keys, set up the webhook, wire it in, and test it end-to-end
  • After launch you can remove us any time: Settings → Team → ⋯ → Remove
Do-it-yourself

Path B: Send us three values

Prefer not to add anyone to your account? Copy three values from your dashboard and send them to us. Each one is on this page: Developers → API keys (top-right "Developers", then "API keys").

  • Publishable key — starts with pk_live_. Safe to share; it's public by design. (We use it as NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY.)
  • Secret key — click "Reveal", starts with sk_live_. Treat it like a bank password. (STRIPE_SECRET_KEY.)
  • Webhook signing secret — starts with whsec_. We'll email you the exact webhook URL and the two-minute steps to create it (Developers → Webhooks → Add endpoint) once your site's address is ready — it can't be created before then. (STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET.)

Sending keys safely: paste them into your Mission Control chat (it's a private, signed-in channel) — or reply to your build email if that's easier. We store them as environment variables on your hosting, never in your website's code, and you can rotate them in your dashboard at any time (Developers → API keys → Roll key).

After that

We take it
from here.

  • We connect Stripe to your site and set up the webhook that keeps orders in sync
  • We test the whole flow with Stripe's test cards before a single real dollar moves
  • On Full Launch, payments get walked through live during your guided test-drive
  • You own the Stripe account outright — the money always goes straight to your bank, never through ours

Stuck anywhere? Email hello@weblaunchacademy.com with a screenshot of where you are and we'll get you unstuck — usually same day.