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

Steven Pinker