ETHOS
We too embraced entrepreneurial ventures. We embody the steps in your journey.
We have taken them too.
Maizonn is built on the unshakeable foundations of our own successes – and failures.
We are unique individuals brought together by an overriding passion for enabling people and their businesses.
We believe in genuine teamwork. Our people have excellent credentials. And exceptional business contacts and networks. We are straightforward and honest - and we apply these principles to the way we work.
WE DREAM BIG AND AIM HIGH.
We are unapologetically passionate about we do. We’ll be as enthusiastic about your business as you are. For us, partnership comes standard. It is our passion that drives us.
OUR TEAM
Made up of a team of successful entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals in their own right, Maizonn is a specialised consultancy that manages client business as seriously as it manages its own. The partners share vast intellectual capital and expertise, gained in establishing and managing their own profitable entities, to deliver a 360 degree consultancy that places equal emphasis on due diligence and profit maximisation. The focus is on integrity and passion, and the company exudes a strong sense of collaboration built on trust and the willingness of individuals to invest a great deal of themselves.
Having interacted with each other during a 4 year journey the Maizonn team has developed solid mutual trust, respect and friendship – which is transferred to clients. Every individual is passionate about finding the best opportunities through networks of contacts with similar values and high levels of commitment to a win-win ethos. They all own profitable entities and their confidence in their joint ability to de-risk means that they will even invest their own financial resources where they believe this to be in the best interests of all parties.
Very importantly, there is a stage at which the team members also know when to walk away.
"Founders get fired. It’s a way of life, and knowing when to go is an art and rare skill.” Susan Slovic
SAMANTHA RAMKISSOON
CEO
Where professional and personal values align.
With over a decade of Commercial Law experience, specifically in the field of compliance with various statutes, regulatory and supervisory requirements within the financial services sector under her belt, Samantha delivers legal expertise and an ability to approach problems from different angles.
Addressing issues of governance and opposing any form of corruption have gained Sam recognition in the workplace, and “no breaking the rules” is an ethos she lives by.
Sam is a problem-finder as well as a problem-solver. Her focus on uncovering issues before they become problematic is a challenge which she tenaciously pursues.
I am driven to … give structure and stability to visions and dreams … at the end of the day, it is important to me that clients do not make deals that are not beneficial to them.
As a parent I understand … the defensiveness and fear that business owners and entrepreneurs experience when considering ‘letting go’ of projects they have conceived and then nurtured over time.
I am unlikely to convinced by anything but reasoning based on solid facts.
One of my strongest childhood memories is … supporting my soccer team, which team I have supported from 9 years old. Loyalty is core to my being. In business, nothing is achievable without a team of specialised individuals each playing a specific role in reaching the end goal. Mutual trust will determine how soon and how hard you score.
Good business is … that feeling you have when you walk away and know you have achieved something for yourself and others.
I live by … karma. In the business world one cannot be complacent about the systemic impacts of one’s decisions and actions.
DAVID STOLTZ
CFO
An accountant who knows when to walk away.
Chartered Accountant – ‘big 4’ articles
BCom: Cum laude
Memberships: ICAEW and SAICA
+10 years Board level interaction
UK / SA GAAP and IFRS
What do you do when you are a highly qualified chartered accountant at the top of a 3000-strong UK-based accounting firm? If you are David Stoltz, you leave.
David’s belief in and commitment to the economic development of South Africa and the African continent fuels his passion for facilitating business deals that make a difference to lives and communities.
Valuable financial and leadership skills acquired both whilst at the helm of sizeable corporate entities, and in start-ups, translate into David’s solutions-focussed approach to financial creativity in business planning.
I remain fascinated by… the enquiring minds of children. They learn the small things in life that we miss as adults – and these are often the most important things we take for granted. In business, it is those small things that can make or break a relationship.
I wouldn’t be here today if … it wasn’t for the freedom that my parents gave me to venture out from a middle-class constrained environment and take responsibility for my own ambitions. Today, I have the tenacity to leave the ‘safe’ zone and find taking measured risks on behalf of my companies, and my clients, stimulating and, ultimately, rewarding.
The question I ask myself most often … why do I keep doing this? Changing career paths. Changing countries. Managing multiple businesses. Postponing yet another holiday.
My childhood dream was to be … a professional golfer, but after a period at an academy and caddying for a British professional I accepted that I truly didn’t have the talent. It is important for entrepreneurs to acknowledge their weaknesses and allow an expert to give them support where needed.
Companies are crazy if … they don’t see the value in embracing technological change .
The first risk I remember … was certainly not the first, but went wrong and I lost R58,000… and to top it off, it was the day before I started my articles at Deloitte earning R3,000 per month. Recovery meant remaining calm and thinking straight … traits that I am acknowledged for today. My ability to remain controlled and measured when under pressure has been a deal saver on more than the odd occasion.
I am different from the stereotypical accountant because … I look forward when they are looking backwards.
Entrepreneurs should understand that … it is first and foremost about the business … we need to focus on doing what is in the best interests of growing the business, and that might mean the entrepreneur having to let go of the reigns. We acknowledge that it is difficult … but necessary.