Sam Schneider and Simon Ziff sit down at Miami Beach's historic Bath Club to explore what it takes to build lasting success in commercial real estate finance. Simon, president of Ackman-Ziff, traces his path from a small Pennsylvania town to leading one of the industry's most respected debt and equity brokerage firms for over three decades. The conversation covers how he built a culture around execution over ego, why internal alignment matters more than star producers, and how cultivating deep client trust has kept the firm thriving through multiple market cycles.They discuss:- Why knowing more than your competition is the foundation of long-term success- How Ackman-Ziff structured teams to avoid internal conflicts and encourage collaboration- The value of staying at one firm versus pivoting early in a career- Why Simon advises his own son to work elsewhere for five years before considering the family business- How AI is being used to improve execution and capital sourcing without replacing human judgmentThis episode on Inside Deal offers a candid look at relationship-driven deal-making and the discipline required to sustain a competitive edge in institutional real estate finance.Topics:((((((((((((((((((((((((Links:Show Platforms:  Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-deal/id1896846542?uo=4  Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/033poSD8Wsy72Xnb2mKB4ZSpeaker Profiles:  Sam Schneider    LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-schneider-11234826/  Simon Ziff    LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonziff    Twitter / X — https://x.com/SimonZiff_AZCompanies:  Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group — https://www.ackmanziff.com/  Imperium Capital — https://www.imperiumcap.com