Doug Camplejohn
(00:00)
I’ll kick it off. Hello everyone. This is Doug Camplejohn, and welcome to this week’s episode of Revenue Renegades. This week I am very pleased to welcome Jared Robin to the show, the CEO and founder of RevGenius. Jared, welcome.
Jared Robin
(00:07)
Thank you. I’m so grateful to be here, Doug. Congratulations on what you’re building. I’m really impressed with what you’re doing and excited for the future.
Doug Camplejohn
(00:30)
Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. As two founders sitting on a call, I always like to hear the founding story. What’s the founding story of RevGenius?
Jared Robin
(00:41)
I was on the borderline of being unemployed, and the founding story of RevGenius is a bit personal as well as what I saw in the space. During COVID, I had no job and wanted to go above and beyond to find one. I created a LinkedIn DM chat and started meeting people in the comments section of LinkedIn. They say you should comment—turns out they were right. I literally built a community from that.
At first, I added about 26 people, but soon the LinkedIn group kept breaking. That made me wonder—did I have a real community here? Did the world need one that was broader and more inclusive? At the time, there were a few options: one paid group for senior leadership, one unpaid group for senior leadership, and another focused on content. But nothing truly inclusive.
I noticed something interesting: senior leaders weren’t even on LinkedIn yet. They thought social selling wasn’t useful—when in fact, it would become one of the top GTM channels for teams by 2025. So I thought putting people at all levels in the same community could benefit both sides.
Back then, departments were still siloed. Fast forward to now, AI has blurred the lines so much that it’s possible to think of just one holistic “revenue creator” role instead of strictly separate sales, ops, or marketing roles. Early-stage founders know this better than anyone—they do it all themselves.
Doug Camplejohn
(04:06)
Yeah, we do.
Jared Robin
(04:17)
Exactly. And that was what I was leaning into. For me, starting RevGenius was about finding connection and building opportunity. I actually canceled a job interview because I decided to go all-in on the community. Even a recruiter told me, “Don’t interview—this is your thing.” It was both scary and a blessing.
Doug Camplejohn
(05:21)
That’s awesome. So, let’s talk growth. You’re now at about 55,000 members in less than five years. What do you think drove that?
Jared Robin
(05:52)
We’re just hitting our fifth year. Honestly, it’s because I built something different. Even though there were other communities, ours was inclusive, free, and positioned for everyone. At the time, many people—especially women and underrepresented folks—couldn’t get into certain leadership spaces.
Giving them access was big.
I curated the first 500 members myself. I approved them one by one. So while we were inclusive, it was still a connected, curated group at the start. That built trust. I also manually reached out to hundreds of people a day, and about 10% would say yes.
Doug Camplejohn
(07:10)
Nice.
Jared Robin
(07:35)
Exactly. They connected with it. And from a tactical standpoint, I learned marketing quickly. I thought of it like being an SDR with a $0 product—how many can I sell in a day?
Doug Camplejohn
(08:12)
What was the pitch? You were sending hundreds of invites—what was the hook?
Jared Robin
(08:23)
It was simple. “Hey Doug, I’ve created an inclusive sales, marketing, and RevOps Slack community called RevGenius. What’s the best email to send you an invite to?” That was it. Direct and inclusive.
I could get 1 or 2 out of 10 to join. And then when people came in, I’d personally check in twice—both in Slack and LinkedIn. It was intense but it worked.
Doug Camplejohn
(09:57)
So what’s the ideal RevGenius member today?
Jared Robin
(10:02)
Directors and above, plus early-stage founders. The most active folks are usually Series C or younger companies. Builders and people who want to be builders are really engaged, especially in this AI-driven era. We’re starting to call GTM professionals “revenue creators” because the job requires creativity and a first-principles mindset.
Doug Camplejohn
(16:17)
Got it. RevGenius is known for challenging the status quo. What’s one sacred cow in SaaS or sales leadership you think needs to be questioned?
Jared Robin
(16:28)
A few things: Following playbooks too rigidly. Treating GTM as separate from the rest of the org. And even the idea of “going to market” is too limited—instead, you should be creating markets. Think of Salesforce with “no software” or the rise of oat milk creating a new category. Creating markets is where differentiation lies.
Doug Camplejohn
(20:00)
I think simplification and breaking down silos is a big deal. What are your thoughts?
Jared Robin
(20:28)
I agree. I love that some startups now operate so lean—three people covering the whole stack. It forces creativity. Revenue per employee becomes the key metric. That constraint sparks innovation.
Doug Camplejohn
(22:40)
Are there GTM best practices in use today that you think will be obsolete soon?
Jared Robin
(22:53)
Some tactics will fade. For example, sending outbound emails directly from your main domain may phase out. But rather than tactics going obsolete, I think it’s about strategy—developing a unique point of view that frames an enemy or a problem. That’s differentiation.
Doug Camplejohn
(25:11)
I’ve also seen the rise of small, in-person gatherings—dinners and meetups—that still deliver the highest ROI. Is RevGenius facilitating in-person meetups?
Jared Robin
(26:00)
Yes, we’re creating space for members to connect both online and face-to-face, though we don’t heavily run our own in-person events operationally. That said, members meet all the time.
Doug Camplejohn
(26:27)
So how do you stand out in a world of copycats?
Jared Robin
(26:44)
It comes down to being different—category creation, strong storytelling, and framing the problem in a unique way. Some companies do this really well. Others just slap “AI agents” onto their messaging because it’s trendy, which leads to sameness.
Doug Camplejohn
(36:19)
Let’s shift gears. What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Jared Robin
(36:33)
I wear all my nieces’ bracelets on my arm—they’re 5 and 3. And I actually won Best International Fashion Film awards in Copenhagen and screened in 10 cities worldwide. If I weren’t in SaaS, I’d probably make films.
Doug Camplejohn
(37:17)
Very cool. And what do you do for fun outside of work?
Jared Robin
(37:24)
I watch tons of horror movies. A24 and Neon are my favorite studios. I also walk 10,000 steps daily, hit the gym 5 days a week, and spend time with my dog and partner.
Doug Camplejohn
(38:10)
What’s your dog’s name?
Jared Robin
(38:14)
Stevie Nicks.
Doug Camplejohn
(38:16)
Great name.
Jared Robin
(38:29)
Thanks! If we get another, I’ll name it Johnny Cash—Cash for short.
Doug Camplejohn
(38:46)
Let’s shift to personal products. What’s a product you love using?
Jared Robin
(39:11)
Spotify and Audible. Spotify especially, because I’m always discovering indie music, podcasts, and comedy. It’s been a key source of continuous learning.
Doug Camplejohn
(44:12)
Finally, how can listeners connect with you and RevGenius?
Jared Robin
(44:19)
Connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jaredrobin. And join RevGenius—just go to revgenius.com and click sign up. It’s free.
Doug Camplejohn
(44:33)
Awesome. Jared, always a pleasure. Thanks for joining.
Jared Robin
(44:38)
Thanks so much, Doug. I really appreciate what you’re building.
