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The People Behind Swift ACT

Built from
the inside out.

We grew up in small business. We know what it costs — in sleep, in certainty, in sacrifice — to build something worth owning. That's not a sales line. It's the reason Swift ACT exists.

Michiel Claassen — Founder, Swift ACT
Michiel Claassen
Founder · Outsourced CFO · Professional Accountant
SAIPA Tax Practitioner Business Advisor FISA Registered
The Origin

"I became an accountant because I grew up watching small business owners — including my own family — work harder than anyone I knew, and still struggle to build financial security."

They were talented operators. What they lacked was a CFO. Not advice after the year-end. Not a compliance filing. A senior financial voice in the room when the decisions were being made — someone who understood the stakes, knew the numbers, and had the courage to say what needed to be said.

That's the gap Swift ACT was built to close.

Today, Michiel and the Swift ACT team serve as the outsourced CFO for SME owners who are ready to stop making high-stakes financial decisions without a senior strategist in their corner. As a Registered Professional Accountant, Tax Practitioner, and Business Advisor — with specialised knowledge in estate and trust administration — the mandate goes far beyond compliance.

We help business owners think clearly about strategy, funding, risk, succession, and personal wealth. And because we believe your accountant, your estate planner, your broker, and your insurer should actually talk to each other — we've built a practice where they do, coordinated around you.

We take on a limited number of new advisory clients each quarter. Quality over volume. Every time.

The Problem We Saw
"Every major financial decision — pricing, expansion, borrowing, exit — was being made without a senior financial strategist at the table. Not because owners didn't want one. Because they thought they couldn't afford one."
The Mandate
The one you call before you make the decision — not after. That's not just a tagline. It's the standard every client engagement is held to.
Technology Forward
We stay ahead of the curve on financial technology and AI — so our clients always have the sharpest tools, without needing to think about them. Every tool is chosen for your benefit, guided by a real advisor who knows your business personally.
Why Swift ACT Exists

Most SMEs don't
lack ambition.
They lack a CFO.

The financial gap between a large corporate and an ambitious SME isn't talent. It isn't work ethic. It's access. A listed company has a CFO in the room for every major decision. An SME owner has a year-end accountant and a gut feeling.

Swift ACT changes that equation. CFO-level thinking, at a cost that makes sense for a business turning R2m to R20m. Not just compliance. Not just bookkeeping. A financial partnership that covers everything — from daily operations to the day you exit.

20+
Sectors servedFrom construction to wealth management — the practice serves SMEs across South Africa's full economic landscape.
R380k
Recovered in a single tax reviewOverpaid tax — identified and recovered. That money belongs in the business.
6 mo
From unbankable to investor-readyStructure, compliance, and financial credibility — built from scratch.
7 days
Funding approved from applicationWhen the financials are right, lenders say yes.
The Brand Behind the Practice
The Professional Entity
Swift ACT
Swift — speed of decision, agility of response. In financial services, being swift means you're called before the decision, not after. ACT — the mandate to move, not just advise. Most accountants report. Swift ACT acts. It also carries a deliberate meaning: Accounting · CFO · Taxation — the full scope of the practice, while reading as a verb and a call to action.
Swift ACT
Accounting · CFO · Taxation
The Human Engine
Doughgetters
Doughgetters is vernacular for people who get results. It's the name of a family-business minded practice built on the belief that small business owners deserve the same financial firepower as large corporates. It carries lived experience, community, and the kind of plain-spoken confidence that says: we don't just advise — we deliver. It is the emotional core of everything Swift ACT promises professionally.
The Full Expression
Swift ACT, powered by Doughgetters
Professional weight · Human proof
Qualifications & Registrations

The credentials
behind the confidence.

Professional Accountant (SA)

Registered with SAIPA — the South African Institute of Professional Accountants. This designation confirms technical competence, ethical standing, and ongoing professional development in accounting practice.

CIMA

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants — the world's leading body for management accounting professionals. CIMA membership confirms advanced competence in financial strategy, performance management, and business decision-making.

Tax Practitioner (SA)

Registered with SARS and a member of SAIT — the South African Institute of Tax Professionals. Authorised to represent clients before SARS, manage tax disputes, and provide formal tax opinions across all tax types.

Business Advisor (SA)

Qualified to advise on business structure, strategy, funding readiness, and value creation. Goes well beyond compliance into the strategic financial decisions that determine business outcomes.

FISA Registered · Estate & Trust

Registered with the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (FISA) — the professional body for estate planning, trust administration, and fiduciary services. Authorised to advise on estate structuring, wills, and business succession.

The Team

The people who
make it happen.

Small by design. Every client has a dedicated point of contact — not a call centre, not a rotating junior. People who know your business and your name.

Michiel Claassen
Michiel Claassen
Founder · Outsourced CFO

Professional Accountant and Tax Practitioner with specialised knowledge in estate planning and business advisory. The senior strategist in every client engagement — the CFO in your corner.

Chané Lamprecht
Chané Lamprecht
Senior Accountant

Brings rigour and strategic financial insight to every client account — responsible for financial statements, management accounts, and ensuring every number tells the right story.

Ronel Victor
Ronel Victor
Experienced Bookkeeper

The backbone of day-to-day financial accuracy. Ronel keeps the books current, the reconciliations clean, and the records ready — so nothing ever falls through the cracks.

Kobela Thobakgale
Kobela Thobakgale
Tax Administrator

Manages SARS submissions, compliance calendars, and tax correspondence — ensuring every deadline is met, every return is accurate, and every client is audit-ready.

How We Work

The way we show up.

01
Proactive, Not Reactive

We call you before the decision, not after the damage. Every client relationship is built around regular strategic check-ins — not annual surprises. You'll never be caught off guard by a tax bill, a compliance gap, or a missed opportunity if we're doing our job.

02
Frank, Not Comfortable

We say what the numbers mean, not what you want to hear. A good CFO is the person who tells you the pricing model doesn't work, the expansion is premature, or the deal is structured wrong. That kind of honesty is rare. It's also the most valuable thing we offer.

03
Coordinated, Not Fragmented

Your accountant, estate planner, broker, and insurer should see the same picture. We coordinate your financial ecosystem so nothing falls between the gaps and every advisor is working from the same version of the truth.

04
Technology-Forward, Human-Led

We use the best tools available — cloud accounting, AI-assisted analysis, real-time dashboards — so our clients always have the sharpest edge. But every tool is chosen for your benefit, guided by a real advisor who knows your business personally. Technology serves the relationship. Never the other way around.

Ready to Meet the Team?

The discovery call is
30 minutes. No obligation.

No jargon. No pitch. Just an honest conversation about where your business is, where you want it to go, and whether Swift ACT is the right fit. Most business owners say they wish they'd done it two years earlier.

Book a Discovery Call → Take the Health Check