UPDATE: Sidekicks has pivoted to a “different type of business model.” Please consider one of these alternatives.
Sidekicks enables entrepreneurs and business owners to quickly hire and build their own virtual teams. The company does this by connecting clients with hand-picked assistants that are skilled in handling the tasks required.
I think this is my favorite name for a VA company I’ve come across so far — every superhero needs a sidekick!
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About Sidekicks
The company went live in early 2015.
The company is based in Canada, and depending on time zone requirements they offer virtual assistants from the Philippines or Argentina. (Odd geography? Their community manager, James, explained they employ a bunch of US graduates living in Argentina.)
Sidekicks.co aims to connect clients with virtual assistants at a cost effective price, with their site stating ‘time is money, money is time’. They put a lot of emphasis on saving time and money by hiring one of their virtual assistants, known as ‘sidekicks’, affording business owners the time to work on other areas of their business.
Each sidekick is required to complete a 100+ step video training course. With only 3% of applicants passing their rigorous filtering process. This ensures that only the most qualified and competent applicants make it through to be matched up with their clients.
Their target customers are small teams, entrepreneurs, busy people, Amazon businesses, and any type of small business looking to increase their productivity through outsourcing tasks to a shared VA.
Sidekicks Founder Interview
VAA Exclusive: Get 25% off your first month of Sidekicks service through this link.
In chatting with their founder, I was surprised to hear him mention the clients that tend to get the most value from the service are those already doing $500,000 in revenue a year, because the service seems like a strong value for businesses of all sizes.
Services
The company provides clients with a versatile and vetted selection of virtual assistants. So depending on the client’s type of business, the VA will offer support as directed by the client.
Sidekicks have a comprehensive and rigorous process when vetting their remote workers. They put their applicants through their own academy training course and only match them with clients after they have passed to a high standard.
As a client, you can discuss your needs with Sidekicks and you will be matched with the best-suited assistant.
For example, as an e-commerce owner you can expect to receive support with email filtering, implementing systems, content creation, travel planning, social media marketing, blog management, customer support, WordPress support and much more.
Plans and Pricing
Sidekicks currently have three monthly membership packages. You can choose to either pay $449 for their Part-time VA, $859 for their Full-time VA, or $1699+ for their VA Team package.
With the Part-Time VA you receive 20 weekly hours or virtual assistant time. This will be a shared sidekick available between 9-5 (UTC+8 — approximately a 12 hour flip from US east coast time), along with a CEO training course and email support.
VAA Exclusive: Get 25% off your first month of Sidekicks service through this link.
The Full-Time VA package gives you access to a dedicated sidekick for 40 hours a week, along with the CEO training, email, and phone support. The current $859 price-point is quite competitive among virtual employee options and perhaps reflects the relative strength of the US dollar overseas lately.
The VA Team package provides a team of sidekicks with 80+ weekly hours, along with the same training and full priority support. It’s the go-to option for small businesses with a lot of work to delegate.
Sidekick Alternatives
The virtual assistant marketplace is a crowded one, but in addition to Sidekicks I’d take a look at companies like Uassist.ME, Task Bullet, or Carve as viable alternatives.
When I asked Sidekicks what sets them apart from the competition, they argued their CEO training course and putting their assistants through the 100+ step video training course gives them a competitive advantage.
Your Turn
If you have hired a Sidekick? Please leave a review below to help others with their VA hiring decision.