Why Sidework
I believe Simon Sinek when he says, “People don’t buy what you do: they buy why you do it.” As we sat down to discuss jumpstarting some content creation, I wanted to use the opportunity to answer the question “Why Sidework?” and tell the story of our early days.
1. The People
When my cofounder, Kevin, told his mom that he was quitting his job to start working on Sidework, she replied without a hint of shock. In the early days, whenever we told people we knew what we were working on, folks were interested, excited, and even doubtful but never surprised. Most of our cofounders have known each other for over a decade, meeting as early as middle school. We’ve been building things with each other ever since we met, and somehow our jokes and dreams about growing up and doing what we did in the back of the science classroom as a job came true. I get to go to work with my best friends every day, and because of that, it isn’t superficial when we say everyone who works here and everybody we work with is family. The relationships we’ve built are a big part of our why.
2. The Industry
First and foremost, we’re bartenders. Brian and I are actually professionally trained with a certificate to show for it and everything. Most of our first jobs were in restaurants. The hospitality industry plays a huge role in almost everyone’s life. It’s where we get married, celebrate graduations, or just go to grab a drink with new coworkers at happy hour. It’s hard to be in the hospitality business right now. There are never enough people to work and margins are worse than ever on top of a global pandemic. Over the past two years, we’ve met incredible people trying to keep their doors open, and we’re just trying to make things a little bit easier. At Sidework, the drinks are on us.
3. The Product
At Sidework, we’re big believers in the power of software/hardware combinations to solve difficult problems. Software has made it easier for restaurant patrons to order items, pay, track inventory, schedule shifts, etc. However, software alone can’t solve the big problems. If you’re short staffed, software can’t make a drink. If your bartenders are consistently over pouring, software can’t pour the right amount every single time. Good hardware in conjunction with powerful software can uniquely solve harder problems. The Sidework dispenser fits that mold. It is a first in its class automated beverage dispenser that can precisely make a wide variety of beverages
4. The Simplicity
We aren’t the first people to have the idea of making a beverage dispenser, and I’m sure we won’t be the last. Everyone from bartenders to college students have thought there must be a better way to do this. Everyone’s been to a bar and found it impossible to get a bartender’s attention and most of the time it’s because bartenders are stuck making drinks for people not sitting at the bar. Things that seem obvious are that way for a reason. A beverage dispenser that adapts to custom venues and makes a bartender’s job easier, not harder, should exist. We think we’re on the right track to making just that.