Revisiting 2023's Best: RV70 - MUST LISTEN! Building a New Kind of Business | Sam Jacobs
Dec 27, 2023
auto_awesome
In this episode, Sam Jacobs, CEO of Pavilion, discusses key lessons as a CEO: focus on the long term, love your customer, don't do too many things, trust your intuition. They also talk about embracing instability, empowering employees, and putting things into perspective. They emphasize the importance of building relationships, accepting uncertainty, and maintaining culture during difficult economic times.
Focus on the long term and building sustainable, durable businesses
Put customers first, focus on their needs, and provide value
Deep dives
Building a Different Kind of Business
In this podcast episode, the CEO and founder of Pavilion (formerly Revenue Collective), Sam Jacobs, discusses the journey of building Pavilion and the lessons he learned along the way. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on the long-term and building sustainable, durable businesses. He highlights the need to have a longer time horizon, beyond just the next quarter or year, and to zoom out and think about the long-term growth of the company. Jacobs also emphasizes the importance of putting customers first, focusing on their needs and providing value, rather than solely focusing on financial outcomes. He shares insights on how to differentiate in the market by building relationships, helping others, and believing in karma and kindness.
Lessons Learned as a CEO
Sam Jacobs reflects on his journey as a CEO and shares key lessons he has learned along the way. He highlights the importance of embracing uncertainty and persisting through difficult times. He emphasizes the need to focus on the long-term and not get caught up in short-term outcomes. Jacobs stresses the importance of loving and respecting customers, empathizing with their needs, and authentically helping them. He also discusses the value of staying focused on the core offering of a business and not getting distracted by new products or geographies too early in the growth trajectory. Additionally, he talks about the need to slow down decision-making as a company scales and rely on data and processes for informed judgments.
Navigating Instability and Job Insecurity
Amidst the challenging economic climate, Sam Jacobs addresses the issue of job instability and insecurity. He acknowledges the pressures and uncertainties faced by employees, especially in a market where companies that have raised substantial funds may still struggle. Jacobs advises employees to focus on the long game, understanding that market cycles exist and that tough times will pass. He encourages employees to embrace the current reality and recognize the need for hard work and perseverance. He also emphasizes the importance of building networks, continuously learning new skills, and developing alternative income streams to navigate these uncertain times.
Maintaining Culture in Difficult Times
Sam Jacobs discusses the challenges of maintaining culture during economically challenging times. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the current reality while balancing it with compassion and positivity. Jacobs suggests providing the right benchmarks and framing to help employees understand and contextualize their performance. He highlights the need for authenticity and open communication, acknowledging that success in a downturn may look different and that survival becomes a key aspect. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a compassionate and supportive environment and providing the right resources for professional development and growth.
With new listeners coming in every day, we wanted to highlight a couple of the most important episodes of 2023!
***
With SaaStock and its incredible lineup of speakers in town, Chris was lucky to be able to do some in-person interviews for Revenue Vitals! First up was a chat surrounding leadership, mindset, and culture with Sam Jacobs, CEO of Pavilion.
They chatted about:
Key lessons and takeaways Sam has learned in his time as a CEO:
Focus on the long term
Love your customer
Don’t try to do too many things
Trust your intuition and slow down
A reminder to put things into perspective, especially in times of economic uncertainty
How to empower employees to feel valued and secure in their own path to success
The idea of embracing instability instead of trying to correct it
And more!
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
