our mission: reduce the startup mortality rate
250 Startups in 24 months
We spent the last few years working and counseling with the leaders of VC-backed startups as they prepare to launch their products. Over time we identified a common
trend with how they approached this process:
Design a “Minimum Viable Product”
Take the product to market
Fail
Go back to the drawing board
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
That’s an expensive way to test products
Shorten The Time It Takes to Get An Answer
We realized that to fulfill our mission to “reduce the startup mortality rate”, we needed to help them reduce the cost of failure while designing their products.
We built a process that looks something like this:
Identify the top value props/features of your next product version
Decide who you think is most likely to be interested
Build an ad campaign promoting those features to those you believe will be interested
Use audience interactions with the ads to gauge which product features are most interesting and to whom
Build that product
Don’t waste a ton of money
The Sidekicks Sprint
launch
Grant Access,
Team Intros/Kickoff Meeting
Deep Data Dive
Identify The Following:
Key Value Props
Target Audiences
Creative
Unit Economics
Begin Initial A/B Tests
metrics & testing
Analyze Initial Ad Results
Who Is Engaging With Which Value Prop?
How Do Costs Align With Goals?
How Do Metrics Affect Unit Economics?
Reverse-lookup engaged user information
Refine Targeting/Messaging
Build New Set of A/B Tests
Rinse, Repeat
scale & training
Analyze Round 2 Ad Results
Discuss How To Frame Results In VC Pitch (if applicable)
Continuity Planning
What Roles Need To Be Filled?
What Automation Should Be Put In Place?
Who Will Be Responsible For Efforts Going Forward
Team Trainings
Deliver Final Deck Including All Findings During Our Engagement.
Our Story
Logan Herzog and Whitney Erikson started Sidekicks with the goal to “Reduce The Startup Mortality Rate” After 2 years of working together in other agency settings they realized that early stage companies have needs the typical digital agency cannot provide. Thus Sidekicks was born.
Logan Herzog
Logan grew up in the Southern US, but his roots run through the Bay Area. Whether it was with Steve Job’s Apple or Bill Walsh’s west coast offense, he has always been obsessed with west coast innovation. He attended LDSBC’s Social Media Program, and immediately began working on the side with young startups in the up-and-coming Utah startup scene. After a year working on BambooHR’s content marketing team, Logan decided to make the jump full time into working with startups.
Logan works with startups because he thrives in situations where the game is “innovate or die.” The stakes, challenges, and pace of play are what keep him engaged every single day. He also believes that a healthy startup culture is critical to improving the economic climate in any market, hence he believes the more he helps startups, he is helping the community where they operate.
In his spare time, Logan is a wannabe blues guitarist, Bay Area Sports fan, and family man. He will never admit that he actually enjoys when his daughter makes him watch My Little Pony with her. Him and his wife Ashlee love trying new restaurants and watching fail videos on YouTube.
Whitney Erikson
Whitney grew up in a small town in Idaho where the high school mascot was literally a russet potato. She’s come a long way since then. She attended LDS Business College and studied Social Media Marketing, the only program of it’s kind at the time. Whitney went on to study Sociology and Business at BYU, where she was recruited to help manage deals with University Impact, an impact investing fund based in Provo UT.
Whitney is drawn to work with startups because she loves "the stress, wins, and doing things nobody has ever done." Her life goal is "to never have a regular day job". She loves how starting Sidekicks has allowed her to work with the brightest minds to solve interesting problems.
In her spare time, Whitney spends her time snowmobiling, cooking, and watching Seahawks football with her family.
Our Goals
Focus On Quality Over Quantity
We don’t rush tests. We don’t force the issue. Facebook Advertising can be a delicate art, and we have the patience to make sure we do things for long term success, not for hollow short-term victories.
Mobile, Agile, Hostile
We are constantly adjusting in the ever-developing digital world. No method or tool will last long. We look on the horizon to find new ways to help our clients and improve ourselves.
Be The Best People To Work With On Earth
We know that the pressure of startup life can be overwhelming at times. We alleviate that by taking things off of your plate, not adding to them. We strive to exhibit humility and flexibility as much as confidence and competence.
Perform, Don’t Promote
If you have to tell people how good you are, you probably aren't that good to begin with. We let our clients speak to our work. You won't see gimmicks or tons of branded content. Any content we do produce is to help the community, not build ourselves up.