Vantage Voices · Episode 01
Rachael Barclay
Jesse flips the script. The GM who watched the room go dark, on why she is building the next one.
Hosted by Jesse Rhodes Jr. · Vantage Network
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Episode one, and Jesse Rhodes Jr. opens with a curveball. He came with his own questions and turns the mic around on Rachael, because before anyone hears from the members, the audience should hear from the person who built the room.
Rachael was general manager of Columbia Tower Club for almost two years, left in 2025, and came back as a member. She watched the club fight through COVID, and she never could shake the question: it is not the space, so what is the thing? When the news landed in April, the answer stopped being theoretical. Time to accelerate.
What Vantage actually is, in three parts. First, the public directory: free to list your business, your nonprofit, or your client's nonprofit, free forever, with every page built to be found by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI. That is the give-first economy, out loud. Second, the network: access to the other members, on your terms, protected on purpose. Third, proactive introductions: three people you did not know, inside your first 90 days, starting with the Vantage Type assessment.
Also in this one: who the room is for (people who do things, who create, build, and operate) and who it is not for. Why the filter is not your resume but "evidence that you show up for people when there is nothing in it for you." What the clubs taught her, from hostess at seventeen to Invited Clubs, and why hospitality is a discipline and not a vibe. And the real why: an entrepreneurial streak she calls highly unemployable, plus the family time she says she would not trade back for a million years.
Jesse's framing is worth the listen on its own: Vantage from the vantage point. The value is not only the new introductions, it is finally seeing the opportunity already sitting inside your own network.
There is nothing more important than starting with what can I do for you, instead of what can you do for me.
We are just looking for evidence that you show up for people when there is nothing in it for you.
It is not a vibe. You can have the best lighting, the best menu, the best chef. Hospitality is a discipline.
Sometimes you are so close that you do not see the opportunity in front of you.
It is not about the tech. It is about the people. It has always been about the people.
Find Rachael
Rachael Barclay
Fractional CMO + Multi-Founder at Vantage Network + The Savvy Digital Co
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rachael Barclay?
Rachael Barclay is the founder of Vantage Network. They help founders, operators, creators, and builders who want a room built on giving first.
What is Vantage Voices?
Vantage Voices is the podcast of Vantage, a members-first network in Seattle. Each episode is a short conversation with one member so the room can get to know them before they meet.
Every member gets a seat in this chair.
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