> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tinyhumans.gitbook.io/opencompany/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://tinyhumans.gitbook.io/opencompany/get-started/your-first-company.md).

# Your first company

The operator journey, from install to earnings.

Here's the golden path — from opening the app to your company earning on its own. Every step speaks plain language; you never meet the machinery.

## 1. Install

One download. Nothing to provision — your company's storage is just a folder.

## 2. Connect

Paste your **TinyHumans key**, framed as your company's brain subscription. Validation is immediate, with plain-language failures ("that key didn't work — check for a missing character"). Without a key, the app still opens in **explore mode**: browse templates and read what each company would do.

## 3. Describe your business — or pick a template

The default path is a conversation: *"Tell us about your business in your own words."* The company gets built around your answers — the team, what always asks first, the weekly rhythm.

Prefer to start from a proven shape? Browse the **Template Gallery**. Each card shows what the company produces, the team it comes with (in plain words), and **what you keep** — your human role.

## 4. Name it and review the plan

Name the company and review the plan in plain language: the team, what it will never do without asking, and a suggested monthly budget (always explicitly confirmed, never assumed). Revise in chat — *"add someone for bookkeeping"* — until it fits. Then launch.

## 5. Go live

The company starts working. Daily life happens on three surfaces:

* **Chat** — talk to the company like a cofounder. One voice; ask "who did this?" and get a plain answer without exposing the machinery.
* **Work Feed** — a running log: *"Drafted the May newsletter (attached). Scheduled 3 posts. Two invoices went out."*
* **Approvals Inbox** — anything irreversible waits here with full context and an approve / deny / edit control. Unanswered requests expire to "no" — silence never spends money.

Approvals and money events notify you immediately; everything else digests daily.

## 6. Growth moments

Each is a single decision in **Settings**:

* **Add a channel** — *"Let the company answer its own email."*
* **Loosen the fence** — *"Stop asking me about spending under $5"* becomes a standing rule with visible history.
* **Say something was wrong** — thumbs-down on any work opens a feedback flow; you preview the exact scrubbed text before anything is filed.
* **The company suggests its own tune-ups** — over time, suggestions appear in your Approvals Inbox with their evidence. Approve, deny, or edit — every applied change is one click to revert.
* **Reshape the company** — *"My business changed — rebuild around it"* reruns setup; changes arrive as individual suggestions, never a silent rebuild.

Ready to run it yourself? Head to the [Quickstart](/opencompany/get-started/quickstart.md).