Author: Zex PRwire

• Drawing on nearly 30 years in global business, former Volkswagen Group CMO and MTM Choice founder Alexei Orlov says today’s marketing leaders need to understand customers, commercial strategy, operations, and growth.

NEW YORK, USA, Sep 16, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — The chief marketing officer may have “marketing” in the title, but Alexei Orlov believes the job requires a much broader understanding of how a business actually works.

After nearly three decades working across global brands, agencies, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, Orlov has seen the marketing function from several sides. He spent eight years at Wunderman/WPP, eventually becoming Vice Chairman and helping lead a client portfolio worth approximately $300 million. He later served as Group CMO for Volkswagen across China and ASEAN, overseeing eight consumer brand portfolios during five consecutive years of record sales.

His career later took him into broader executive leadership, including serving as a Divisional CEO within Omnicom and founding MTM Choice.

Those experiences shaped Orlov’s view that marketing leaders cannot afford to understand only marketing.

“A CMO needs to understand what creates value for the customer, but also what creates value for the business,” Orlov said. “You cannot separate the brand from the commercial reality supporting it.”

Marketing Does Not Operate on Its Own

Marketing has traditionally been associated with advertising, communications, brand identity, and customer acquisition. Those responsibilities remain important, but Orlov believes the strongest marketing leaders understand what happens before and after a customer sees a campaign.

A promise made through marketing eventually has to be delivered by the business.

That means CMOs benefit from understanding pricing, distribution, customer experience, operations, product decisions, and the organization’s financial goals.

If marketing promises convenience while the customer encounters a complicated buying process, the campaign cannot solve the problem. If a company positions itself around premium service but consistently fails to deliver that service, stronger advertising may only make the gap more visible.

Orlov believes this is why marketing leadership increasingly requires a company-wide perspective.

“Customers do not experience an organization according to its departments,” Orlov said. “They experience the product, the service, the communication, the people, and whether the company ultimately does what it said it would do.”

For the CMO, understanding those connections can lead to better marketing decisions and better conversations with other executives.

Customer Behavior Belongs in the Boardroom

Orlov’s experience leading Volkswagen’s marketing activities across China and ASEAN reinforced the importance of understanding customers within their actual markets.

He was responsible for eight consumer brand portfolios across regions with different cultures, expectations, buying habits, and competitive environments.

The experience demonstrated that customer behavior cannot simply be reduced to a marketing metric.

What people buy, why they buy it, what they value, and what earns their trust can influence product strategy, pricing, investment, growth plans, and the broader direction of a business.

Orlov believes CMOs can bring that customer understanding into senior executive discussions.

“Marketing should be one of the places where the organization becomes more curious about the customer,” Orlov said. “But that knowledge becomes much more useful when it informs decisions beyond the marketing department.”

That requires marketers to look beyond clicks, impressions, reach, and campaign performance. They need to understand what customers are actually doing and how that behavior affects the business’s economics.

CMOs Need Commercial Fluency

Orlov also believes aspiring marketing leaders should become comfortable with the commercial side of business.

A creative idea can be excellent and still need to answer practical questions. What is the company trying to achieve? How does the work support growth? Which customers create the greatest opportunity? What resources will be required? How will success be measured?

The ability to participate in those conversations can change the role marketing plays within an organization.

Rather than operating as a department that receives a budget and produces campaigns, marketing can become part of how the company identifies opportunities and makes growth decisions.

Orlov saw the relationship between creativity and commercial performance differently when he moved further into executive leadership.

As a Divisional CEO within Omnicom, his responsibilities included integrating and transforming multiple businesses, improving commercial performance, and creating a more unified operating model.

Later, as the founder of MTM Choice, commercial questions became even more immediate.

Orlov secured $35 million in growth funding and built MTM Choice into an approximately 200-person multidisciplinary creative and advisory group generating roughly $55 million in annual revenue. Growing the company required decisions about people, investment, international expansion, clients, and organizational structure.

For Orlov, experiences like these reinforced the importance of understanding the entire business, not just one function within it.

Operations Can Strengthen or Undermine the Brand

Operations may seem far removed from marketing, but Orlov sees a close relationship between the two.

A brand is partly built through what a company says. It is also built through what happens after the customer responds.

A brilliant campaign may attract attention, but inventory shortages, poor service, confusing processes, or inconsistent delivery can quickly reshape how customers see the company.

That means marketing leaders should care about operational reality.

They do not need to run every department. They do need enough understanding to recognize when a marketing challenge is actually a product, service, or operational challenge.

Orlov believes that distinction can prevent companies from trying to advertise their way out of problems that marketing did not create.

Sometimes the best thing a CMO can do for a brand is identify where the customer promise and the customer experience have stopped matching.

The CMO Is Becoming a Broader Business Leader

For marketing professionals hoping to reach the C-suite, Orlov recommends developing experience beyond the discipline’s traditional boundaries.

That might mean becoming more comfortable with financial statements, participating in product discussions, spending time with sales and operations teams, learning how investment decisions are made, or better understanding how the company earns and retains customers.

It also means learning to communicate with executives who may approach problems very differently from marketers.

A CFO may begin with economics. An operations leader may begin with capacity and execution. A CEO may be balancing investors, employees, customers, and long-term strategy at the same time.

The CMO needs to participate in all of those conversations while continuing to represent the customer and protect the brand’s strength.

“You should understand your discipline deeply, but you should never allow your discipline to become the boundary of your curiosity,” Orlov said. “The more you understand about how the whole business works, the more useful you can become.”

For Orlov, that principle reflects his own progression from marketing and brand leadership into CEO, founder, and advisory roles.

The title may change, but the underlying lesson remains useful: understanding the customer is powerful. Understanding how the entire organization creates value for that customer is even more so.

About Alexei Orlov

Alexei Orlov is a global CEO, CMO, entrepreneur, and strategic adviser with nearly 30 years of experience building, transforming, and scaling businesses and consumer brands across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia.

His career includes senior leadership roles at Volkswagen, Omnicom, and Wunderman/WPP. He is also the founder and former CEO of MTM Choice, which grew into an approximately 200-person multidisciplinary creative and advisory group with an international presence. Orlov secured $35 million in growth funding and helped build the company to approximately $55 million in annual revenue before transitioning it to new leadership. He remains an adviser to the chairman.

Today, Orlov works with founders, boards, investors, and leadership teams on business transformation, brand strategy, growth, and organizational change.

• Dave Ferrera, a founder at RC Medical, is recommending that other medical device leaders adopt a written mentorship standard before any new company gets built.

A rule he applies before the first product sketch

California, USA, Sep 16, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Dave Ferrera has helped start several medical device companies over the past three decades, including Blockade Medical, Single Pass, and Infinity Neuro. Before any of those companies wrote a single line of design specification, Ferrera says he sat down with the physician-founder and asked one question: what problem do you see every week that nobody has solved?

That question, he says, should be a written standard for anyone who mentors physician-entrepreneurs, not an occasional practice. Ferrera is now recommending it as a fixed first step for other leaders in the field who work with physicians to build new companies.

What the standard requires

The standard he recommends has three parts.

First, no new company should get funded or staffed until a physician has described the clinical problem in plain language, without reference to any device or technology. Ferrera says this keeps the team from designing a solution before anyone has agreed on what is actually broken.

Second, the physician-founder should sit with the engineering team through early concept review. Ferrera has held engineering and clinical research roles at companies including Microvention and MindFrame, and he says the biggest gap he has seen in medtech is engineers designing in isolation from the people who will use the product in a procedure room.

Third, every new company should name a single point of accountability, one person who owns the decision when the physician’s clinical instinct and the engineer’s technical constraint disagree. Ferrera says without that person, the “no” from either side gets ignored, and the wrong choice gets made by default.

Why he is recommending it now

“I’ve watched good ideas die because nobody wrote down how we were supposed to work together,” Ferrera says. “A standard on paper doesn’t fix everything, but it stops the same argument from repeating at every company we start.”

Ferrera points to his own path through the field as the reason he trusts a written standard over instinct alone. He co-founded Micrus Endovascular and later Blockade Medical, which Balt Extrusion of France acquired in 2016. He was also part of the team at MindFrame, acquired by Covidien/ev3 Neurovascular in 2012. Each company had a different founding team and a different clinical problem, but Ferrera says the companies that moved fastest were the ones where the physician and the engineer sat in the same room from day one.

The benefit he sees for other leaders

Ferrera says leaders who put a standard like this in writing before a term sheet or staffing plan is discussed save time later, when a company is trying to raise money or hire its first engineers.

“I’d rather spend three extra weeks agreeing on the problem than three extra years fixing a product built around the wrong one,” Ferrera says.

He recommends the standard to any leader working with physician-founders, whether the company is already in motion or just starting to take shape.

A personal habit behind the recommendation

Ferrera says the recommendation grew out of his own habit of writing down what worked and what didn’t after each company he helped start. He wrote about the broader idea, that big ideas need a disciplined path from concept to product, in his book Innovation in Translation, published by Advantage-Forbes in 2021. The mentorship standard he recommends is a narrower, more specific version of that same argument: physicians and engineers need a shared structure before they need a shared product.

He says other leaders should revisit the standard with each new company at the six-month mark, to check whether the accountability structure is actually being used or has quietly fallen away.

To read more, visit the website here.

About Dave Ferrera

Dave Ferrera is a founder at RC Medical, a medical device venture studio based in Lake Forest, California, that builds companies with physician-entrepreneurs in the interventional radiology field. He co-founded Blockade Medical, Single Pass, and Infinity Neuro, and formerly served as Chief Technology Officer of Balt Global. He is the author of Innovation in Translation: How Big Ideas Really Happen, published by Advantage-Forbes in 2021. He lives in Lake Forest, California.

• Steve Valdiserri, SVP of Operations at Tally, finished his second Hyrox event on September 5 and is now based in Ashburn, Virginia.

A second Hyrox, and the year isn’t over

Michigan, USA, Sep 16, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Steve Valdiserri crossed the finish line at his second Hyrox competition on September 5. His first was in May 2025, and the plan from the start was to compete twice a year, not once.

Hyrox pairs running with functional work stations: sled pushes, wall balls, rowing, farmer’s carries. There is no shortcut through it. You either did the training or you feel it by the second station.

“The gap between my first and second race is the part I care about,” Valdiserri said. “Anyone can show up once. Showing up again, trained better, with the same discipline, is the actual test.”

He is expecting additional photos from the event within the coming week and plans to share them as they come in.

The move to Northern Virginia

Valdiserri is now based in Ashburn, Virginia, in Northern Virginia. The move puts him closer to not only the pace of the healthcare and technology work he does day to day, but also to the founding team of Tally who are all located just outside of D.C. 

“Location changes. The work doesn’t,” he said. “I still train early, I still run operations the same way, and I still expect the same things from myself no matter which city I’m waking up in.”

What stays constant

Valdiserri runs company operations at Tally, the AI and automation layer, and its sister company Accurio Health, the human-led revenue cycle services business Tally is built on. He owns client success and delivery, operational readiness, client launches, and growth. The arrangement is simple in principle: the CEO focuses on strategy and market, and Valdiserri runs the engine underneath it, team, systems, and execution against the plan.

That kind of operating discipline is the same muscle he uses in Hyrox training. Both come down to a plan, a daily commitment to it, and enough honesty with yourself to know when you’re cutting corners.

“Training and operations both punish shortcuts eventually,” he said. “You can hide a weak spot for a while. Race day or launch day, it shows up.”

Why the update matters now

A location change and a second Hyrox finish are small facts on their own. Together they mark a stretch where Valdiserri has kept two commitments moving at the same time: building out operations at Tally and Accurio Health, and staying on his training plan without letting one slip because of the other.

“I don’t separate the two anymore,” he said. “How I show up physically is tied to how I show up at work. If one goes soft, the other usually does too.”

He is already thinking about his next Hyrox date, though he has not set one publicly yet. For now, the focus is steady recovery and getting back into a training cycle.

To read more, visit the website here.

About Steve Valdiserri

Steve Valdiserri is SVP of Operations at Tally and its sister company Accurio Health, based in Ashburn, Virginia. He runs client success, delivery, and growth across both companies, following a career that includes nearly a decade at VillageMD and founding Avanti Strategy Group, a healthcare strategy and advisory practice. He is a competitive Hyrox athlete who trains daily and completed his second event on September 5.

Florida, USA, Sep 16, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Florida real estate professional Robert Flores is launching the 7-Day Real Estate Confidence Challenge, a free public initiative designed to encourage people to become more informed about residential and commercial real estate before making major decisions.

The challenge is built around a simple idea that has guided Flores throughout his career: better information leads to better decisions.

“I’ve always believed that informed clients make better decisions,” Flores said. “Taking the time to educate someone is never wasted.”

Rather than focusing on buying or selling property, the seven-day challenge encourages participants to build everyday habits that improve their understanding of local markets, community growth, and the questions they should ask before making important real estate decisions.

“Real estate is rarely just about the property,” Flores said. “There is usually a bigger goal behind every decision. When people understand their options, they can move forward with confidence.”

The challenge comes at a time when housing education has become increasingly important.

According to the National Association of Realtors, first-time buyers represented just 21% of home purchases in 2025, the lowest share since the organization began tracking the data in 1981.

Florida also continues to experience strong demand, with the state’s homeownership rate reaching 66.2% in 2025, reflecting continued interest in owning property across the state.

National housing affordability challenges have also grown. The median price of an existing U.S. home reached more than $408,000 in 2025, making education and preparation increasingly valuable for future buyers.

At the same time, research continues to show that housing remains one of the largest drivers of long-term household wealth and financial stability for many American families.

Flores believes these trends make learning about real estate more valuable than ever.

“People often come into real estate with questions they don’t know how to ask,” Flores said. “My goal has always been to make the process easier to understand.”

The 7-Day Real Estate Confidence Challenge

Day 1 – Learn Your Local Market
Spend 15 minutes reading about recent activity in your local community.

Day 2 – Know Your Goals
Write down why you might buy, sell, invest, or simply learn more about real estate in the future.

Day 3 – Explore Your Community
Visit a neighborhood, business district, or community you have not explored before.

Day 4 – Ask Better Questions
Create a list of five questions you would want answered before making a real estate decision.

Day 5 – Learn One New Real Estate Term
Choose one unfamiliar real estate or commercial property term and learn what it means.

Day 6 – Think Long Term
Write down three things that make a community attractive beyond property prices, such as schools, local businesses, parks, or future development.

Day 7 – Reflect and Share
Review what you learned during the week and identify one habit you want to continue.

“You build credibility one conversation at a time,” Flores said. “The more people understand, the more confident they become.”

Share Your Progress

Participants who want to share their experience are encouraged to post updates using prompts such as:

• Today I learned…

• One thing I never knew about my local real estate market…

• The best question I asked this week was…

• One habit I’ll continue after the challenge is…

For those who prefer to keep their progress private, Flores suggests keeping a simple notebook or journal to record daily observations, questions, and lessons learned throughout the week.

“There is no right or wrong way to participate,” Flores said. “The goal is simply to become a little more informed every day.”

Join the Challenge

Robert Flores invites individuals, families, aspiring homeowners, investors, business owners, and lifelong learners to begin the 7-Day Real Estate Confidence Challenge by completing Day 1 today. No special tools, experience, or real estate background are required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn.

“Business is ultimately about people,” Flores said. “When you help people understand their options, you give them the confidence to make decisions that fit their goals.”

To read more, visit the website here.

About Robert Flores

Robert Flores is a Florida real estate professional based in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast. He works with Palmcoasting.com and serves as Managing Partner at Vellum Capital Partners, where he specializes in residential and commercial real estate, investment strategy, and long-term relationship building. His work is guided by transparency, education, and helping clients make informed decisions while supporting responsible community growth.

• Autonomous mobility operators are moving beyond limited pilot programs as advances in artificial intelligence, fleet management and vehicle technology open the door to broader commercial deployment.
  

Bishopsgate, London, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — The competition to build America’s driverless ride-hailing market is intensifying as autonomous mobility companies expand into more cities and deploy increasingly intelligent vehicles.

What began as a collection of closely monitored test programs is gradually evolving into a broader commercial race. Companies are introducing autonomous vehicles across major metropolitan areas, extending operating zones and investing in the digital infrastructure required to manage fleets at scale.

The opportunity is substantial. Ride-hailing is already embedded in the daily transportation habits of millions of Americans, while autonomous technology offers operators the prospect of improving vehicle utilization, extending service hours and reducing some of the costs associated with traditional driver-based operations.

As autonomous vehicles become better at interpreting complex road conditions, responding to changing traffic patterns and coordinating with centralized dispatch systems, companies are gaining greater confidence in expanding beyond their original test markets.

Cities including Phoenix, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Houston and Atlanta have emerged as important locations in the development of autonomous mobility. Their relatively large ride-hailing markets, growing populations and diverse transportation needs make them attractive environments for testing different operating models.

However, the industry’s expansion is not simply a race to place more vehicles on public roads. Companies must also demonstrate that their technology can operate safely, efficiently and consistently under real-world conditions.

Intelligence Becomes a Competitive Advantage

The next phase of autonomous ride-hailing will be shaped by more than the vehicle’s ability to drive without human intervention.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to forecast passenger demand, assign vehicles, optimize routes, monitor battery levels and reposition fleets before demand peaks. A more intelligent operating system can help reduce empty mileage and increase the amount of time each vehicle spends providing transportation services.

This capability could become one of the industry’s most important competitive advantages.

Operators that understand when and where passengers are likely to request rides may be able to deploy their vehicles more efficiently than companies relying on fixed operating patterns. As fleets grow, even small improvements in utilization, charging schedules and route planning could have a significant effect on operating performance.

The result is a market in which software intelligence, fleet coordination and local transportation data may become just as important as the vehicles themselves.

Carziqo Positions for Broader Mobility Growth

Carziqo, an autonomous mobility technology company founded in 2024, is among the companies seeking to build an integrated model around autonomous ride-hailing, intelligent fleet operations and connected mobility services.

Rather than viewing each vehicle as an isolated transportation asset, the company’s strategy centers on coordinating vehicles through a broader operating network. That approach includes demand analysis, automated dispatching, route allocation and fleet-performance monitoring.

Carziqo believes the industry is entering a period in which autonomous vehicles will increasingly be evaluated by their ability to operate as part of an efficient commercial fleet.

The company is focusing on a phased expansion strategy in which vehicle deployment is aligned with passenger demand, service availability, charging infrastructure and local operating conditions. Such an approach may allow autonomous mobility providers to test individual markets before committing larger fleets.

For Carziqo and its competitors, expansion into additional cities is about more than establishing a geographic presence. Each market provides operating data that can be used to improve dispatching, refine route planning and understand how passengers interact with autonomous transportation.

A Large Market — and a Difficult One to Capture

The potential scale of driverless ride-hailing has attracted automakers, technology companies, fleet operators and mobility startups. Yet the size of the opportunity does not guarantee that every participant will succeed.

Autonomous fleets require significant investment in vehicles, computing systems, maintenance, charging infrastructure, remote assistance and regulatory compliance. Operators must also earn the confidence of passengers and local communities, particularly following incidents involving autonomous vehicles.

Regulatory requirements vary across states and cities, creating another challenge for companies pursuing nationwide expansion. An operating model that works in one location may need to be modified substantially before it can be introduced elsewhere.

Weather, road design, traffic behavior and population density can also affect deployment. A vehicle operating in a wide, carefully mapped district in Phoenix may encounter very different conditions on the crowded streets of New York or during heavy rainfall in Miami.

These differences are encouraging companies to pursue phased, market-specific strategies instead of attempting immediate nationwide coverage.

The Race Is Moving From Technology to Operations

For much of the past decade, the autonomous-vehicle industry was primarily focused on proving that driverless technology could work.

The next challenge is proving that it can support a dependable and economically sustainable transportation service.

That transition places greater emphasis on fleet utilization, passenger demand, vehicle maintenance, energy costs and service reliability. Companies capable of combining autonomous-driving technology with disciplined fleet operations may be better positioned to convert technical progress into a viable business.

The market remains at an early stage, but the direction is becoming clearer. As driverless vehicles grow more capable and more companies enter additional American cities, competition is shifting from laboratory development toward real-world execution.

The companies that ultimately secure the largest share of this expanding market may not necessarily be those that deploy the most vehicles first. Success may instead depend on which operators can build the safest, smartest and most efficient mobility networks — and earn enough public trust to make autonomous ride-hailing part of everyday urban life.

• General surgeon Ian Reight on what healthcare leaders need to know about trust, teamwork, and staying calm under pressure.

How did you learn that communication matters in medicine?

Maine, USA, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — “I learned very early that people remember how calm you are when things get difficult. In emergency situations, panic spreads fast. Leadership matters most when everyone else is uncertain,” Reight says.

He grew up in Maryland as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. Those experiences exposed him to high-pressure situations where clear communication and calm decision-making made the difference. That foundation shaped how he leads surgical teams and talks with patients.

“Medicine is not only technical. You are dealing with people who are scared, stressed, and vulnerable. Communication matters just as much as skill.”

What do patients need most when they are under stress?

Patients want to understand what is happening. When someone is facing surgery or a serious diagnosis, they need more than technical expertise. They need trust.

“Medicine is about more than procedures and diagnoses. People need trust and communication, especially during stressful situations. Patients want to understand what is happening, and healthcare teams need to be able to work together effectively,” Reight explains.

He reviews patient information before the day starts. That routine gives him time to prepare not just for the procedure, but for the conversation. When patients feel heard, they have more confidence in the care they receive.

How do you bring different teams together in a hospital?

Reight has served as chief of surgery, medical staff president, and medical director of a breast center and wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Each role required coordinating different departments with different priorities.

“Every department has its own challenges. The key is learning how to bring people together around one goal, which is patient care,” he says.

He studied psychology at the University of Maryland College Park before earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from Medical University of the Americas. That background helped him understand how people respond under pressure and what motivates teams to collaborate.

“You cannot lead effectively if you only understand your own role. You have to understand how every team works together. Healthcare is a team effort.”

What did you learn from adopting robotic surgery?

When robotic surgery started gaining attention, many people questioned whether it would become the standard. Reight was one of the early adopters and became a lead surgeon in the field.

“When robotic surgery first started gaining attention, there was a learning curve for everyone. You had to stay open-minded and willing to adapt,” he says.

The technology offered new possibilities, but it also required surgeons to rethink how they worked. Reight emphasizes that technology alone does not solve problems. Judgment still matters.

“The technology is important, but technology alone does not solve problems. Judgment matters.”

How do you stay focused when decisions need to be made quickly?

In emergency situations, there is not always time for perfect decisions. Leaders have to stay focused and move forward.

“I learned early that people look for leadership when situations become chaotic. You do not always have time for perfect decisions. You have to stay focused and move forward,” Reight says.

He focuses on one task at a time instead of thinking about everything at once. That habit helps him stay clear-headed when the pressure is high. At the end of the day, he decompresses by cooking or spending time with his dogs.

“Technical skill is essential, but medicine is also about trust. Patients want to feel heard, and teams want leaders who stay calm under pressure.”

What advice do you have for healthcare professionals today?

Reight believes the future of healthcare depends on leaders who understand that medicine is about people as much as science.

“Healthcare is about people. Technical skill matters, but communication and trust matter just as much,” he says.

He encourages healthcare professionals to think beyond their own responsibilities and understand how every part of the hospital works together.

“You cannot only think like a surgeon. You also have to think about how every part of the hospital works together.”

If you do nothing else

Here are seven actions you can take today:

1. Review patient information before your day starts so you are prepared for conversations, not just procedures.

2. Practice staying calm when situations become chaotic, because people look for leadership in those moments.

3. Ask patients what they understand about their care and make sure they feel heard.

4. Learn how different teams in your organization work together and what their challenges are.

5. Focus on one task at a time instead of trying to think about everything at once.

6. Stay open-minded when new technologies or methods are introduced, even if they require a learning curve.

7. Build trust by communicating clearly, not just by demonstrating technical skill.

Share this Q&A with a healthcare leader or team member who would benefit from rethinking how communication and trust shape patient care.

About Ian Reight

Ian Reight is a general surgeon based in Maryland City, Maryland. He has served as chief of surgery, medical staff president, medical director of a breast center, medical director of wound care and hyperbaric medicine, and lead surgeon in robotic surgery. A former volunteer firefighter and paramedic in Maryland, Reight studied psychology at the University of Maryland College Park before earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from Medical University of the Americas. His career focuses on surgical leadership, patient-centered care, and helping healthcare teams work effectively together.

• Michelle Kam is formalizing a pledge to expand her practice beyond pre-construction condos into homes and commercial sales, with a set of concrete client-facing commitments starting this year and building toward what growth in the 2027 market will take.

A pledge, not just a plan

Ontario, Canada, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Michelle Kam has spent most of her career known for pre-construction condos, lofts, and townhomes in Toronto. That work is not going away. But Kam is now putting a formal pledge behind something she has been building toward for a while: a wider practice that includes homes and commercial properties.

This is a commitment with specifics attached, not a vague plan to “grow the business.”

The three commitments

Kam is naming three things she will do differently starting now.

First, every buyer meeting will include a homes and commercial conversation, not just a condo one. Kam says too many buyers assume she only handles condos because that has been her public focus for years. Going forward, her intake process will ask about business space and freehold homes as a matter of course, not as an afterthought.

Second, she is committing to publish market commentary that covers homes and commercial sales alongside condos. For years, her public writing leaned almost entirely on the pre-construction and urban condo market. Kam is pledging to keep a running commentary on what is happening in Toronto’s broader housing market, including how policy shifts and cross-border economic pressure show up in local pricing and demand as the market moves toward 2027.

Third, Kam is committing to bring her high-volume sales background to bear on commercial transactions. She built her reputation working with Concord Alex and Baker Real Estate on high-volume, pre-sale deals. She is pledging to apply that same discipline (tight timelines, careful paperwork, clear buyer communication) to commercial clients who are used to slower, less structured service.

Why now

Kam points to conditions that make this the right moment rather than a random pivot.

“Buyers who came to me for a condo five years ago are now looking at homes, or they’re running a business and need commercial space,” Kam says. “It would be strange for me to only be able to help with one part of that.”

She also points to broader market conditions heading into 2027. Changes coming out of the new US administration have added uncertainty to interest rates, cross-border investment, and material costs, all of which touch commercial real estate directly. Kam says growth in that kind of market takes patience, since financing and permitting timelines are slower to react than a condo presale cycle. She wants to be someone her clients can call about any of it, not just condos.

“I don’t think buyers should have to find a different agent every time their needs change,” Kam says. “I’d rather be the person who can walk them through a condo purchase this year and a commercial lease a few years later.”

What growth in 2027 will take

Kam says real growth in a market like this will not come from a single announcement. It will come from small, practical steps taken consistently over the next couple of years.

That means clients start seeing homes and commercial listings included in the same market updates that used to focus only on condos. It means buyer consultations run slightly longer, since they now cover more ground. And it means Kam is personally taking on a small number of commercial files herself this year, rather than routing them elsewhere, so she understands the deal structures before she claims expertise in them.

“I want to actually do the work before I claim to be an expert at it,” Kam says. “That’s always been how I approach anything new.”

Kam adds that the 2027 market will likely reward agents who can move between property types without losing their footing, since buyers themselves are moving between them. “People aren’t staying in one lane anymore,” she says. “Their agent shouldn’t either.”

A pledge tied to a track record

Kam built her practice from a smaller footing into a full-service business over more than a decade. That history, growing by adding capability rather than replacing what came before, is the model Kam says she is following again.

“I didn’t stop doing resale when I moved into pre-construction,” Kam says. “I added to what I already knew. This is the same idea, just applied to homes and commercial space.”

Kam says she expects the commercial side of her business to take longer to build than condos did, since the buyer relationships and deal structures are different. She is not promising a fast turnaround. She is promising to show up for it consistently, year over year, through 2027 and beyond.

About Michelle Kam

Michelle Kam is a real estate broker based in Toronto, Ontario, and broker/owner at Re/Max City Accord Realty Inc. She graduated with honours from York University and built her career in Toronto’s condo, loft, and pre-construction market before opening her own brokerage, City Accord Realty Inc., which she ran for over a decade prior to joining the Re/Max brand in 2016.

• Self-employed businessman Alaa Jaber discusses why preparation, flexibility, and sound judgment matter when business conditions don’t unfold as planned.

MISSOURI, USA, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Independence is one of the biggest attractions of self-employment, but the ability to make your own decisions also means accepting greater responsibility when circumstances change. Self-employed businessman Alaa Jaber believes preparing for uncertainty is an important part of working independently, particularly when no larger organization is available to absorb every unexpected expense, solve every problem, or determine the next move.

For Alaa Jaber Missouri, preparation does not mean attempting to predict every possible challenge. Instead, it means understanding that plans will sometimes need to change and putting yourself in a position to respond thoughtfully when they do.

“Working for yourself gives you a lot of control, but control is not the same thing as certainty,” Jaber said. “You can make a good plan based on everything you know today and still have something change tomorrow. The important part is being able to respond without feeling like every unexpected situation is a crisis.”

Uncertainty Is Part of Working Independently

Self-employed professionals frequently operate without some of the support systems that exist inside larger organizations. When an unexpected expense arises, a potential opportunity falls through, or priorities suddenly shift, another department may not be responsible for finding the solution.

Jaber believes accepting that reality can help independent professionals approach uncertainty more practically. Instead of assuming a successful plan should account for everything that could possibly happen, he recommends leaving room for circumstances to change.

“There is a difference between being prepared and believing you can predict the future,” Jaber said. “I think you should think ahead and consider what could go wrong, but eventually you have to make decisions with the information you have. You are never going to know everything.”

That distinction can be particularly important when making financial decisions. Unexpected costs are difficult to eliminate entirely, which means maintaining some flexibility can be more useful than building plans that only work if every assumption turns out to be correct.

The same principle applies to time. A self-employed professional can begin a week with a clear set of priorities only to have an unexpected problem consume several hours. Jaber believes the ability to adjust without losing sight of the larger objective is an important part of working independently.

Planning Should Create Options

Jaber views planning as a way to improve decision-making rather than eliminate uncertainty. A useful plan provides direction, but it should also leave enough room to adapt when new information becomes available.

That can mean being cautious about committing every available resource to one opportunity. It can also mean considering the downside of a decision before focusing exclusively on what might go right.

“When something looks like a good opportunity, it is easy to think mostly about the upside,” Jaber said. “I also want to know what happens if it does not work the way I expect. How much time am I committing? What is it going to cost? What else am I giving up by doing this? Those questions do not mean you are being negative. They help you understand the decision.”

Jaber also believes planning can become counterproductive when people become so focused on eliminating risk that they struggle to act. There will almost always be another question to ask or another scenario to consider.

At some point, independent professionals have to determine whether they have enough information to move forward.

“You can prepare forever if your goal is to feel completely certain,” Jaber said. “I do not think complete certainty exists very often in business. You want to be thoughtful, but you also have to know when you have done enough homework to make the decision.”

Flexibility Does Not Mean Constantly Changing Direction

Being adaptable can sometimes be confused with changing plans whenever something becomes difficult. Jaber sees an important difference between the two.

Some plans need time to produce results, and an early setback does not automatically mean the original idea was wrong. At the same time, continuing with a plan simply because time or money has already been invested can create additional problems.

The challenge is determining whether the underlying situation has actually changed.

“I try to look at why I made the decision in the first place,” Jaber said. “If those reasons still make sense, maybe it needs more time. If the facts have changed, then I think you have to be willing to reconsider what you are doing.”

For Jaber, changing direction when new information warrants it is not an admission of failure. It is part of responding to circumstances as they actually exist rather than remaining committed to assumptions that may no longer be accurate.

Problem-Solving Becomes Part of the Job

One reality of self-employment is that responsibilities do not always fit neatly into a job description. An independent professional may encounter unfamiliar problems and have to determine whether to solve them personally, seek advice, or find someone with more expertise.

Jaber believes becoming comfortable with that process is more realistic than expecting to have an immediate answer for every situation.

“Working independently does not mean you have to know everything,” Jaber said. “Sometimes the right move is figuring out who knows more about the problem than you do and listening to them. You are still responsible for the decision, but that does not mean you have to make it without good information.”

Over time, those experiences can make future uncertainty easier to handle. A problem that once felt completely unfamiliar may resemble something encountered before, allowing decisions to be made with greater perspective.

Preparing for What Cannot Be Predicted

Jaber does not believe uncertainty is something self-employed professionals can completely remove from their working lives. New opportunities will appear, expenses will change, plans will encounter obstacles, and some decisions will produce unexpected results.

The goal, in his view, is not to create a business environment where nothing surprising ever happens. It is to become better prepared for the reality that surprises will happen.

“You are going to have things that do not go according to plan,” Jaber said. “I think the question is whether you have left yourself enough room to deal with them. If the only way your plan works is if everything goes perfectly, that is probably something worth thinking about.”

For independent professionals, that approach can mean balancing preparation with action, confidence with caution, and consistency with a willingness to change course. Uncertainty remains part of the equation, but it does not have to prevent thoughtful decision-making.

About Alaa Jaber

Alaa Jaber is a self-employed businessman interested in entrepreneurship, independent decision-making, and the practical realities of working for yourself. Originally from New Jersey, Jaber attended Hudson County Community College and has built his professional path around self-employment. His perspective emphasizes personal responsibility, adaptability, preparation, and learning through experience. 

A checklist built from repeat questions

Florida, USA, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Robert Flores works with buyers, sellers, and investors across Flagler Beach and Palm Coast. Over time, the same questions come up before a client ever puts in an offer: what to check on a property, what to ask a lender, and what steps to take before touring homes at all.

The new checklist gathers those questions into one document. It is meant for buyers who are early in the process, before they have picked an agent or started house hunting in earnest.

“Most buyers start by looking at listings,” Flores said. “The better move is to get ready first: know your budget, know your must-haves, and know what to look for once you’re standing in a house. A checklist does that work up front instead of in the middle of an offer.”

What the checklist covers

The document is organized around four stages of buyer preparation:

Financial readiness. Confirming a realistic budget, understanding what financing options are available, and knowing what costs come up beyond the purchase price.

Property research. Looking past the listing photos to check on lot condition, flood zone status, and any nearby development that could affect long-term value.

Neighborhood fit. Considering commute, school zones, and how a location holds up over years, not just at closing.

Offer preparation. Understanding what terms matter beyond price, and what a buyer should ask an agent before submitting an offer.

Flores said the goal was to keep it short enough that someone would actually use it.

“A twenty-page guide doesn’t get read,” Flores said. “A one-page checklist gets pulled out before an open house. That’s the difference we were going for.”

Why Flagler Beach and Palm Coast specifically

Flagler Beach and Palm Coast have their own local factors that buyers from other markets may not think to check, including flood zones, coastal property considerations, and pockets of new development that change a neighborhood’s character quickly.

Flores built the checklist around those local conditions rather than as a generic buyer’s guide. Someone moving from out of state, in particular, may not know to ask about flood insurance requirements or how close a lot sits to a evacuation zone.

“A lot of our buyers are relocating from somewhere else in Florida or from out of state,” Flores said. “They know how to buy a house. They don’t necessarily know what’s different about buying one here. That’s the gap this checklist is meant to close.”

Access and distribution

The checklist will be available at no cost through Robert Flores’s website and shared directly with clients during initial consultations. Flores said the office plans to update it periodically as local conditions change, including shifts in flood zone mapping or new development activity in the area.

“This isn’t a one-time document,” Flores said. “If something changes in the market that buyers need to know about, it goes into the checklist. That’s the point of keeping it current instead of putting it out once and leaving it alone.”

A resource, not a pitch

Flores was clear that the checklist is meant to help buyers regardless of who they end up working with.

“Someone can use this checklist and decide to call a different agent,” Flores said. “That’s fine. The goal is that they walk into the process better prepared. If that happens, we’ve done what we set out to do.”

That approach reflects how Flores has described the broader philosophy behind the residential side of the business: give clients clear information first, and let the relationship follow from there.

To read more, visit the website here.

About Robert Flores

Robert Flores is a Florida real estate agent based in Flagler Beach, working with residential buyers, sellers, and investors across Flagler Beach and Palm Coast. He is also Managing Partner at Vellum Capital Partners, a commercial real estate brokerage focused on investment and commercial transactions throughout Florida.