Blog

Sidebar is officially here

Lexy Franklin

Sidebar Founder & CEO

Today we officially launched Sidebar, a leadership program that accelerates your career with expertly facilitated peer groups, a virtual platform, and a curriculum designed to help you reach your most audacious goals. 

Sidebar grew from my personal mission to make a positive difference in a billion people’s lives in my career. 

I had an epiphany when I was working at Facebook. I was surrounded by some of the smartest people in the world and my goal was to learn as much as possible from them. There was plenty of room to collaborate, but there was no easy forum to consistently learn from my peers. I thought, ‘If this is challenging at Facebook, a company known for being the best at execution, it is probably a problem everywhere’. And this was before COVID. When everyone started working remotely, everything became harder by orders of magnitude. I just knew there had to be a huge opportunity to connect professional peers.

We started Sidebar because leadership can be lonely, especially in a virtual world. Remote working has only deepened the divide between meaningful connections.

We believe nothing will get you further in your career than learning from your peers. Peers encourage. Peers challenge. Peers hold us accountable. Peers accelerate us. 

Small group coaching unlocks career growth in a way nothing else can. It’s truly an untapped competitive advantage. We find your people. Using a vetting process and tech-powered matching capabilities, we’re bringing together the top minds in leadership.

Sidebar is not a network to find business contacts, it’s a program to get results in your career. 

It’s the difference between a gym membership and an elite fitness program led by a best-in-class trainer. Social accountability, expert guidance, and clear results make all the difference. 

Sidebar works. 93% of members say Sidebar helped them achieve a significant positive change in their career. 

I’ve been inspired by our members’ lives, their stories, and their careers. They come from all walks of life, and all sorts of backgrounds — they are startup founders, senior leaders, CEOs, Oscar winners, and Olympians – but all share important attributes: an incredible growth mindset, a demonstrated track record of success, and an ability to embrace the constant change that comes with rapid progress success. 

No one reaches a milestone like this alone and I have so many people to thank. There are my incredible colleagues at Sidebar who are small in number but amazing in talent, energy, and commitment to our members. And most importantly, I want to thank our members. A peer-based program is only as good as the people who are sharing, advising, and supporting each other. You’re all amazing. As of today, there are more than 5,000 people on our waitlist, and we can’t wait to grow our community.