Great for salaried professionals, not for entrepreneurs

If you're a doctor, accountant or other salaried professional, Investec is probably a great fit. If you're an entrepreneur, I'd look elsewhere.

I started my business while still in school and have built it over more than a decade. I'm younger than most of the business owners Investec deals with, but my company is established, profitable and growing. None of that seemed to count.

Investec says it wants business clients, but in practice it doesn't seem to understand how business owners actually operate. Most of us deliberately draw only what we need from our companies and reinvest the rest, so our personal income on paper doesn't reflect the real strength of the business. Judging owners the same way you'd judge a salaried employee misses the full picture.

The whole experience left me feeling like I wasn't the "right kind" of client for them, and after being treated that way, I can't see myself moving to Investec in future.

Investec, competition for business owners is only going to grow, and the banks that understand entrepreneurs are the ones that will win them.