We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Naim Hamdar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Naim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea behind Payzli didn’t strike overnight—it was born from years of observing a clear gap in how businesses navigate payment processing. Early in my entrepreneurial journey, running my own retail operations, I was repeatedly frustrated by outdated, cumbersome payment technologies and processes. I witnessed firsthand how merchants struggled daily with rigid systems that stifled growth and agility. The emotional toll on entrepreneurs, who were already juggling numerous business challenges, was evident and personal to me.

To address these frustrations, I launched a payment sales office aimed at directly solving these merchant issues. By partnering with a growing payments company as a retail ISO, I was able to make an immediate, positive impact on my customers’ experiences. However, as the company expanded, their focus gradually shifted from customer impact to profitability, ultimately leading to a profitable exit. This shift reignited my determination to create a truly customer-centric solution.

This renewed frustration evolved into deeper inspiration. I vividly recall late nights brainstorming with my partners, determined to break the cycle. The vision crystallized into creating a streamlined, intuitive platform that empowered businesses, rather than burdened them. We weren’t merely tweaking existing solutions—we set out to fundamentally redefine the entire payments landscape.

The logic was straightforward: businesses desperately needed an integrated, efficient, and user-friendly payment solutions. We recognized an opportunity to leverage cutting-edge technology, automated onboarding, and intelligent risk management to transform the experience for merchants, sales partners, and ISVs alike. Our excitement peaked with the realization that our solution could significantly reduce operational friction and enhance profitability for businesses, making their daily operations smoother and more efficient.

Payzli was more than an idea—it became a mission fueled by passion and empathy, driven by a deep understanding of entrepreneurial pain points. It was the clarity of solving a real-world, widespread challenge with a fresh, innovative approach that affirmed our belief in Payzli’s potential. The market needed it, merchants deserved it, and we were uniquely positioned to deliver it. That’s when we knew, with certainty, that Payzli was not just worthwhile—it was essential.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Naim Hamdar, and I’m an entrepreneur deeply passionate about revolutionizing the payments industry. My journey into this field was shaped by early personal experiences—seeing my family navigate significant challenges while running their own businesses in a complex environment. These formative experiences instilled in me resilience, empathy, and a relentless pursuit of solutions that genuinely empower businesses.

My career began in my first year of college when I founded a marketing and promotions company to finance my education without having to juggle multiple jobs. This venture successfully funded my college tuition, provided meaningful financial support to my family, and allowed me to save enough capital to launch my next enterprise post-college in the wireless retail industry, where I owned and operated several wireless retail stores. During this period, I personally encountered the pain points many businesses face with outdated and inefficient payment systems. Recognizing the profound impact these limitations had on business growth and owner morale, I moved into payment solutions by establishing a payment sales office. I partnered as a retail ISO with a promising payment provider, quickly making a meaningful impact for my clients. However, as the company scaled, priorities shifted towards maximizing profits, eventually culminating in an exit that emphasized financial success over client satisfaction.

These experiences laid the groundwork for co-founding Payzli—a fintech company dedicated to providing intuitive, integrated payment solutions that remove friction and drive efficiency. At Payzli, we offer advanced solutions like Payzli Connect, Payzli POS, and AiReviews, which leverage state-of-the-art technologies such as automated onboarding, intelligent risk management, and artificial intelligence. Our products empower merchants, independent software vendors (ISVs), and sales partners by dramatically streamlining their operations and improving their overall financial outcomes.

What distinctly sets Payzli apart is our deep, empathetic understanding of entrepreneurial challenges combined with our innovative technological approach. Rather than merely refining existing products, we’ve reimagined them from the ground up to create intuitive, reliable, and comprehensive tools tailored specifically for businesses and entrepreneurs.

I’m most proud of our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and integrity. We’ve created an ecosystem that genuinely listens to and solves our clients’ most pressing needs, significantly enhancing their capabilities and outcomes.

To our potential clients and partners, Payzli represents more than just advanced technology—it embodies a trustworthy partnership built on understanding, innovation, and mutual growth. Our primary mission is empowering businesses to succeed in an ever-evolving digital landscape. This dedication is at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to continually pushing boundaries to help businesses thrive.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When we founded Payzli, we initially raised a round of friendly capital to develop our innovative payment technology solutions. However, shortly after our launch, COVID-19 struck, dramatically impacting our market and bringing the global economy to an abrupt halt. Almost overnight, our carefully laid plans were disrupted as we burned through our capital much quicker than anticipated.

As funds dwindled and uncertainty loomed, our vision reached a critical crossroads between potential success and imminent failure. Facing this daunting reality, I made a bold and deeply personal decision—I chose to merge Payzli into my independently successful retail ISO, United Payment Systems, LLC, which generated over a million dollars annually in net income for me personally and had a valuation exceeding six million dollars, to continue funding the Payzli mission. This decision wasn’t just significant—it was life-altering. It meant risking the substantial financial security and independence I’d meticulously built over years.

Yet, what drove me forward was an unwavering belief in Payzli’s collective vision and its transformative potential for countless entrepreneurs. My commitment to creating real and meaningful impact through Payzli outweighed my concerns about immediate personal financial stability. Ultimately, this decisive act of resilience and conviction not only preserved our company but reinforced our commitment to our mission, demonstrating clearly that true resilience involves profound faith and courage, especially when confronted with substantial adversity.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned on my entrepreneurial journey is that genuine growth rarely happens in comfort. Growth emerges when we confront and break through significant challenges. There’s a particular depth of struggle when you’re navigating uncertainty, fear, and discomfort—feelings that can feel overwhelmingly heavy in the moment.

The backstory here relates directly to my experience with Payzli. When we faced severe financial challenges at the onset of COVID-19, I experienced firsthand how intense discomfort and uncertainty could be. At the moment, the pressure was immense, and the prospect of failure was daunting. However, by facing these challenges head-on and making the difficult yet necessary decision to merge my successful retail ISO with Payzli, I learned a critical truth: resilience is a muscle.

Each time we push through fear and uncertainty, we build strength. This “muscle” of resilience, once developed, fundamentally changes our capacity to handle future challenges. It becomes an integral part of who we are, propelling us into a heightened state of confidence, clarity, and capability. Ultimately, I’ve realized that enduring and overcoming discomfort doesn’t just help us grow—it transforms us permanently, empowering us to handle future adversity with greater courage and insight.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://payzli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/payzlicorp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/payzli/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhamdar/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@payzlipayments