By every safe, logical metric, Amal should’ve stayed put. She had a steady salary as a real estate paralegal, a young son to raise, and a clear path inside law firms and a developer’s office. Leaving that safety net for full-time commission work felt risky, even reckless.

Her strategy now looks simple from the outside. She mixed a finance and marketing degree with nearly a decade of real estate law, added a blended family of four boys, and layered on raw, unpolished social media. The result is a client-first business that runs on referrals, trust, and a growing online audience that feels like it already knows her.

Amal grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, raised in a tight Palestinian family that planted deep roots in places like Orland Park and Bridgeview. Arabic was her first language. She went to Islamic school in a Muslim Arab community that has grown over the years, and she loves watching new businesses and families take shape there. Today she still lives in the area, now fluent in both English and Arabic, and serves buyers, sellers, investors, and commercial clients in the southwestern and western suburbs.

Before she ever held an open house, Amal spent almost 10 years as a real estate paralegal. She worked at small firms, big downtown firms, and later for a developer. She learned contracts, procedures, short sales, foreclosures, and how deals fall apart. The role paid well and felt safe, especially when she was a single mom. She studied for her license anyway, telling herself that one day she’d make the leap to being a full-time broker.

That leap came in 2018, pushed in part by her husband. By then they were married, and he kept repeating the same line: you’re good at this, you know more than most agents, you should just do it. He promised to cover the gap while she got off the salary treadmill. Amal admits she was scared. Her first full year in real estate, she closed only four or five deals. But she stayed in, leaned on her paralegal skill set, and let time and relationships do their work.

From the start, Amal refused to pretend she was for everyone. Some clients don’t match her style or values, and she’s learned not to chase them. She reminds herself that real estate is a service business, and that her client’s goals have to sit above her commission. That’s why she has told buyers to walk away from deals after bad inspections or red flags with associations. “They’re going to remember that you looked out for them,” she says, and they’ll tell their friends and family who actually did the protecting.

This client-first stance shapes how she grows. Instead of cold scripts and hard closes, Amal built around people who already trusted her: family, friends, her local community, and the network she gained from years inside law offices. Her legal background lets her explain the process at a different level, and her calm during the messy parts of a deal turns into five-star Google reviews and quiet referrals. Over time, that turned her business into a mostly referral-based practice and helped her earn top producer status and a Rising Star Award from the Chicago Association of Realtors in 2020.

Social media came later and did not come easy. Amal didn’t like being on camera. She hated the sound of her own voice and spent hours recording and deleting videos. Her husband pushed again, calling social media a free tool and “the new wave” where people search for everything. At first she did the standard “just closed” posts. They showed that she was busy, but felt boring even to her. The shift happened when she stopped chasing perfect lighting and started sharing real life.

One early reel tells the story. Her teenage son insisted she was a boomer. Amal, born in 1985, tried to explain that she’s an elder millennial, not part of her parents’ generation. He didn’t buy it. She ranted on Instagram about...

Zach didn’t begin in commercial real estate. He spent six or seven years in auto portfolio finance, making a living but not finding his calling. A move into commercial title insurance put him closer to the industry he’d later help shape. Then a series of conversations with the team at Biznow changed everything.

The people drew him in. “Every single person was super dynamic, super sharp, super ambitious,” he said. After a call with the late CEO Will Friend—“the greatest salesman I’ve ever met”—Zach knew he had to join. He wasn’t sure if he’d be on stage or in the audience. He chose the stage and never looked back.

Today, Zach serves as Vice President of Sales across the Midwest for Bisnow, one of the most prominent commercial real estate events and media companies. He credits the work to a team-first mindset. “Nothing happens without the people I work with,” he said. That lens powers everything from editorial to events. The editorial engine keeps nearly 2 million subscribers across about 50 cities engaged. The events side hosts roughly 400 gatherings worldwide, with about 25 in Chicago alone. The aim is simple and hard at once: keep people informed and help them meet the right people to do their next deal.

Then came the pandemic. In-person events vanished overnight. The company refused to frame the moment as “if.” It became “how.” “We did almost a thousand webinars during that year and a half,” Zach said. Production shipped a webinar every week. Sales reframed campaigns. Coordination delivered at speed. They didn’t just preserve the business. They came back stronger, and they still use digital when a national niche topic needs it.

Zach’s take on sales is refreshingly direct. Relationships matter, but they are not the reason to buy. “I don’t ever want somebody to do business with me because of our relationship,” he said. The reason must be clear value. Trust is built by doing what you say you’ll do, delivering what you promised, and being accessible. Relationships accelerate timing, open doors, and create introductions, but they should not carry the full weight of the transaction.

Culture is not a poster on a wall in Zach’s world. It’s who gets hired, promoted, and retained. “We don’t hire jerks,” he said. Fun and winning sit at the core. He looks for people who care about outcomes, often former college athletes or others with a visible competitive edge. Hunger beats polish. Effort beats résumé. Everyone in the “dojo,” as they call their offices, must be an A player because every seat directly affects results.

The Midwest focus is no accident. Zach sees real momentum in Chicago and neighboring markets like Detroit, the Twin Cities, Kansas City, and Columbus. Talent density is rising. Clients are investing. The city’s fundamentals—from fresh water to a diverse industry base—support long-term growth. That thesis shapes where the team expands next and which asset classes they spotlight.

Work and life became sharper when his family grew. Early on, Zach was out four or five nights a week and logging 90-hour stretches. That wasn’t sustainable. Now he guards time with Alicia, their son Cam, and even Amy the cat. The shift worked because he trusts a strong Midwest team to execute at the same level—or better. Systems support the boundary. So does clear ownership.

If you lead sales or community, here are moves you can copy this week. First, audit your offer so value stands on its own. Your relationships should speed a yes, not create it. Second, build a simple introduction flywheel. Track who needs to meet whom and facilitate two quality intros per week. Third, adopt Zach’s “how, not if” stance on constraints. Write the obstacle at the top of a document, then list three workable paths around it within 30 minutes. Ship one.

Zach’s most durable lesson came young. After his parents divorced when...

Michael Fassnacht has built a career on taking risks, thinking ahead, and, above all, showing up. As the Chief Growth Officer and President of Chicagoland at Clayco, one of the largest design-build firms in the country, he has a front-row seat to the future of real estate and economic development. But his path to this leadership role was not a straight shot. It was shaped by international experiences, deep civic involvement, and a willingness to step into the unknown.

Growing up in Germany, Michael’s early years were defined by curiosity and ambition. After spending time in Africa as a missionary, he returned to Europe to begin his professional career with Lufthansa. The corporate world introduced him to high-stakes decision-making, but it also reinforced a critical lesson. Success is not just about talent. It is about showing up and putting yourself in the right rooms.

His move to the United States was driven by something deeply personal, his wife. With their future together in mind, he left Frankfurt and started fresh in San Francisco. There, he launched one of the first SaaS companies in the marketing tech space, an endeavor that proved both challenging and rewarding. Five years later, after successfully selling the company, another opportunity knocked. This time in Chicago.

Stepping into a leadership role at one of the world's most renowned advertising firms, Foote, Cone & Belding, Michael quickly became a key figure in Chicago’s business landscape. His civic engagement grew as well, leading him to serve on various boards, including the Chicago Public Library Board and the Civic Consulting Alliance. These roles eventually led to a pivotal call. Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked him to help pitch Chicago for Amazon’s HQ2.

That bid, while unsuccessful, ignited something in him. The process of selling Chicago to the world opened his eyes to the broader impact of economic development. It was not just about business. It was about shaping a city, creating opportunities, and building a legacy that outlived a single project. That realization led to his time as Chief Marketing Officer for the City of Chicago and later as CEO of World Business Chicago, where he played a crucial role in driving investment and innovation.

Now at Clayco, Michael is bringing his global perspective to real estate development. With projects that span manufacturing, data centers, and life sciences, the firm is quite literally building the future. But beyond the numbers and high-profile deals, his approach remains deeply personal. Mentorship, leadership, and the philosophy of showing up.

“The most important advice I give young people nowadays is show up,” he says. “Leave your bedroom, leave your house, leave your apartment. You have to go to meetings, you have to go to events. You have to meet people face to face. You have to show up with your work, with your writing, with your thinking, with your voice.”

This mindset is not just advice. It is how Michael has built his career. Whether in boardrooms, on construction sites, or in civic leadership meetings, he understands that no amount of preparation can replace the value of being present. It is a lesson that applies across industries, from aspiring entrepreneurs to corporate executives looking to make an impact.

For those looking to follow in his footsteps, Michael emphasizes one more thing. Maintaining emotional independence from work. “You cannot give power over your emotional well-being to the corporation you're working for,” he says. Dedication is important, but so is the ability to step back, reflect, and ensure that success does not come at the cost of personal fulfillment.

Through all his ventures, from pitching billion-dollar investments to shaping the next generation of leaders, Michael Fassnacht remains a student of life. Always learning, always building, and always showing up.