When Sam Jacobs founded Pavilion, formerly Revenue Collective, he set out to build a private community for operators in a startup world that traditionally celebrated only founders and operators. But after the community grew rapidly, now totaling 10,000+ members, questions arose about whether the once-exclusive membership had become too open. In this special Topline Spotlight episode, Sam joins co-hosts AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman to discuss how rapid expansion diluted the community’s focus, what it took to course-correct, and why building something great takes time—and restraint.
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Key Moments:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:42) Business Challenge of the Last 24 Months
(01:29) What Is Pavilion?
(02:43) Launching Pavilion Gold
(04:01) Why the Community Scaled So Quickly
(06:51) LinkedIn and Slack as Growth Drivers
(07:02) Shifting Culture of Openness Among GTM Leaders
(08:04) The Consequences of Losing Focus
(10:54) The Biggest Mistake: Removing the Qualification Barrier
(11:32) The Challenge of Reversing Course
(13:46) Continued Opportunity for Operator Advocacy
(15:00) Solving the Challenge: Long-Term Vision
(15:54) Building a 3-Year Vision for Pavilion
(16:08) Importance of Patience in Building Exclusive Communities
