When Your Co-Founder Leaves: Navigating the Future of SuperDMs

A year ago, I had to shut down one of my side projects, even though I wanted it to succeed. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions and not prolong the struggle.

In 2021, I joined Build by STL and started working on a product called SuperDMs. As a designer without development skills, I partnered with a developer and marketer to create the product. We launched version 1 successfully and everything was going well until we faced issues with Twitter’s API.

My developer co-founder explained the problem and we decided to tackle it using design thinking. We redesigned our approach, launched version 2, gained over 200 users — many of whom were paying customers — and became Product of the Day again! Our project evolved into a professional SaaS rather than just a side gig.

Unfortunately, after six months my developer co-founder found another job he was passionate about and couldn’t continue working on SuperDMs. Despite my enthusiasm for this project as someone who loves creating products, my lack of coding knowledge limited me from keeping it alive.

We didn’t want our clients to feel misled so we refunded all yearly subscriptions before shutting down the project.

The experience taught me that if you don’t know how to code but are involved in tech projects like these, learning some basics or having reliable support is crucial for success.

“Are you facing a similar situation where you’ve lost a co-founder or are struggling to keep your project alive? Don’t give up! Seek out resources and support to help you navigate this challenge. And if you found this article helpful, be sure to share it with others who may be going through a similar experience.”