Will Baumann

Will Baumann is the CEO and co-founder of Fourthwall, a company that provides an all-in-one website builder for creators. Prior to Fourthwall, Baumann had experience in building mobile apps, including a receipt app called Smart Receipts. He co-founded Fourthwall with others, including one founder who previously started Teespring.

Here’s a deeper look at Baumann’s journey and business endeavours:

• Early Career: Before Fourthwall, Baumann created mobile apps for Android and iOS, including Smart Receipts, which became a number one app in its category on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This suggests an early interest in technology and entrepreneurship.
• Founding Fourthwall: Baumann and his co-founders started Fourthwall after observing the challenges that content creators faced with monetisation. They saw that creators struggled with setting up product sales, donations, and memberships, often having to use multiple platforms. The founders wanted to build a platform where creators could own their brand and have end-to-end ownership. They believed that creators should focus on content creation rather than spending time on the complexities of e-commerce. The company was founded just over five years ago, and the first three years focused on building the foundations of the platform.
• Fourthwall’s Mission: Baumann’s main goal for Fourthwall is to enable creators to build their online presence, sell products, offer memberships, and engage with their fans, all in one place. He aims to simplify the monetisation process for creators, so they can focus on creating content and building communities. He wants creators to build their own brand instead of someone else’s.
• Key Features and Philosophies:
  • Creator-Centric Approach: Fourthwall prioritises creators by allowing them to own their branding and audience. It’s designed to be a “drag-and-drop experience” that handles manufacturing, fulfillment, and customer support.
  • No Percentage Fee: Fourthwall does not take a percentage fee on top of a creator’s sales from e-commerce, but makes money through manufacturer discounts in exchange for driving sales. However, a 5% fee is taken on sales through the membership platform to cover video hosting costs.
  • Focus on Speed: Baumann believes in shipping features quickly to see what works, prioritising speed over perfection. He also highlights the importance of empowering the team to make meaningful differences for creators.
• Growth Strategy: Fourthwall’s growth strategy involves sales outreach, attending events where creators are, and word of mouth. They also use social media, blog articles, and SEO. Baumann notes that word of mouth is successful because creators are in tight-knit communities and often share information with each other.
• Product Range: Fourthwall offers a variety of products including physical goods, digital products, and subscription memberships. They are also continuously expanding their product range to include custom coffees, jewellery, books, comic books, and keyboard caps. The platform aims to offer 1,000 to 2,000 product blanks by the end of the year. Baumann advises creators to start with basic merchandise like t-shirts and hats and then scale up to more custom products.
• Competitive Mindset: Baumann believes that the best product wins over time and that Fourthwall is meaningfully a step above other competitors. He distinguishes Fourthwall from Shopify by saying it is for creators who want to do professional e-commerce experiences but don’t want to make it their full-time job, while Shopify is for those who want e-commerce to be their main focus.
• Future Goals: Baumann wants Fourthwall to be the platform where creators start and scale their online businesses. He envisions Fourthwall as a business partner that supports creators at every step of their journey. He hopes to help creators make more money, so they can invest in their content, build teams and grow their businesses.
• Name Origin: The name Fourthwall is derived from the theatrical term “breaking the fourth wall,” which represents the platform’s goal to allow creators to directly connect with their audience.

Baumann’s journey reflects his passion for supporting creators and providing them with the tools they need to succeed. His focus on a creator-centric approach, speed, and continuous improvement positions Fourthwall as a platform that aims to empower creators at all levels.