maybeidk
The comeback,
built on community.
Two moves, one story: we show up for our people first, then we ask them to come alongside our fight — and we relaunch behind our best product ever, the new MaxProof.
How it all fits together
- Move 1 · lead with giving "Let's take care of each other" — the community email Before we ask for anything, we give. We turn our 35,000-person list into a place where people help each other through real financial hardship — one GoFundMe spotlight at a time. It re-warms a quiet list better than any promo, proves the community will show up, and makes this comeback about something bigger than us.
- Move 2 · the comeback launch "We might be closing our doors" — the new MaxProof launch Now, to a warmed and bonded audience, we tell the honest truth and relaunch behind the new MaxProof and #1 Redone. We ask the people who believe in us to come fight alongside us — and to share their story on video.
- The engine · every week Weekly founder update + weekly give-back spotlight A radically honest "here's where the fight stands" note (what we did, the wins, the struggles, how MaxProof is selling) plus one community member we rally behind. This is what keeps the list alive and turns customers into a community that stays.
Why give first? Leading with generosity earns the right to ask. A brand that shows up for its people while it's struggling reads as generous, not desperate — and it flips the whole energy of the comeback.
Email 1 — the community email (give first)
Hi, it's [Name].
I'll be honest — things are hard right now. They're hard for us, and I know for a lot of you they're hard too. Bills that don't fit the paycheck. Groceries costing what they shouldn't. A repair, a medical bill, a month that just won't add up.
I can't fix that. I wish I could. But there are 35,000 of us on this list — and a community that size, full of people who look out for each other, can do something no one person can.
So we're trying something we've never done. Nothing to do with underwear. Just us, showing up for each other.
Here's how it'll work. Each week, we'll shine a light on one person in our community who's up against it — a real need, a real story — through a GoFundMe they set up themselves. Then we rally around it together. Even $5 each, from a fraction of this list, can change someone's whole month.
And let me be crystal clear about one thing: we will never touch a dollar of it. Every donation goes straight to the person through GoFundMe — you'll see the goal, the progress, all of it, right there on a platform you can trust. We're just the front porch where the neighborhood meets.
So two questions:
If you're struggling right now and could use the community behind you — reply and tell me what's going on. If you already have a GoFundMe, send the link. If you don't, I'll help you set one up.
And if you're in a spot to give — even a little — just reply "I'm in," and I'll make sure you're the first to know when we spotlight someone this week.
I don't know exactly how this'll go. We've never done it. But I believe in the people on this list. Let's take care of each other.
— [Name]
Goodwill first. It re-warms the list, proves the community shows up, and it's true — which is why it works.
Email 2 — the comeback launch (new MaxProof)
Hi, it's [Name], founder of DesignComfort.
I'm going to be more honest with you than a company is probably supposed to be: we might be about to close our doors for good.
We're over $200,000 in debt. This year nearly took us out, and bankruptcy has been a real conversation at our kitchen table. If you looked at the numbers the way some people have, you'd tell me it's already over.
But before I tell you what we're doing about it, you have to know what's actually on the line — because this was never just a business.
For six years, this brand has changed real lives. Women sleeping through the night again. Walking out the door without fear. Keeping the money they used to hand over for pads every single month. My own family uses what we make. I use it. Thousands of you have written to tell us we gave you your freedom back. If we close, that disappears with us — and I'm not willing to let that happen without everything I've got.
So if the choice is quit or fight, I choose to fight. And I'm writing to ask the people who believe in us to fight alongside me — because the truth is, I can't do this part alone.
Here's what we've bet it all on. As first-time owners we made some wrong turns — I own that. But I'm done staring down into the hole. We stripped the whole company down to the two things that actually matter, and put every last dollar, and every ounce of belief we have left, into them.
The second is #1 Redone. Pads and underwear only cover the problem up — they don't touch why it's happening: the leaks, the urgency, the 2 and 3 a.m. wake-ups. We spent over a year building something that supports your body from the inside out. Your first order is a full 3-month supply, backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee. If it doesn't help you, you get every dollar back and our thanks. It only works for us if it works for you.
And this is where you come in — I mean that literally. Whether we make it through this might come down to the people who decide to show up right now. If DesignComfort has ever mattered to you, the biggest thing you can do is share your story on video. A few minutes of your time could be the thing that saves us. Add your story here → [LINK], and there's a thank-you [bonus] waiting for you.
If you can't, truly — no hard feelings. Hit reply and tell me anything at all; I read every one. And if this isn't for you, the unsubscribe link's at the bottom, and I'll be grateful for the years you gave us either way.
I don't know how this ends. I really don't. But I know I'm not done — and I know that if we come out the other side of this, it'll be because you chose to stand with us when it counted.
— [Name], Founder, DesignComfort
The arc: the stakes (debt/closing) → what's on the line (the lives) → the earned fight → what we're fighting with → your turn, and it genuinely matters.
What we're launching — the new MaxProof
~67% margins across the ladder. Premium enough to back up "genuinely better," healthy enough that a modest ad return turns a profit — and it widens as volume brings COGS down. Launch with a founding-customer perk (free shipping or a bonus), not a discount.
The give-back machine — how it runs (you touch no money)
- 1 · Intake. People reply with their situation (and a GoFundMe link if they have one). You quietly help someone start one if they don't. Sort replies into two buckets: needs help and can help.
- 2 · Light vetting. Start inside your own customer base — people you can somewhat verify. In every post, be clear you're amplifying a member's fundraiser, not vouching for it. You're the bulletin board, not the guarantor.
- 3 · Spotlight ONE at a time. Rally the whole community behind a single GoFundMe until the bar fills. One that fills because "we did that together" is a movement; ten half-empty ones are a downer.
- 4 · Close the loop. When it hits goal, tell everyone. That "we did it" moment is what turns a list into a community — and sets up the next one.
Your role, start to finish: pick who to feature and write the spotlight. That's it. Every dollar moves person-to-person on GoFundMe — never through DesignComfort. Once you're back on your feet, you become the first donor.