Black Belt: A masterclass for start-ups and entrepreneurs

(Paperback)

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Finance industry veterans Joseph Healy and David Hornery reveal how they successfully started Judo Bank and disrupted the Australian banking market against all odds in this business masterclass for leaders, startups and entrepreneurs.

Disillusioned with the four big Australian banks culture and strategy, Joseph Healy and David Hornery started thinking about a startup that would improve and disrupt the immovable banking sector.

Although they were self-professed no spring chickens who fell outside of the usual millennial startup entrepreneur demographic, they forged a plan to start a new bank that would service small and medium-sized businesses (a sector the big banks were neglecting) in a highly regulated industry monopolised by four of Australia s biggest companies.

Inspired by the Netflix mantra that will never work , Joseph and David founded Judo Bank in 2016. The name is a nod to the fact that in judo, the smaller, weaker person can overpower a stronger opponent through the efficient use of energy.

In Black Belt the authors share keys lessons from the Judo journey and their decades in business prior to the startup, including how to:

Find and stick to your niche

Act like a David and succeed as the underdog against Goliaths

Be 100% clear on your purpose

Continuously work on your culture.

This is true masterclass in planning, launching and scaling a successful business against all odds. Follow their advice and you too could be a Black Belt leader and entrepreneur.

Reviews

'Enjoy the ride and the read, through euphoria and despair, joy and heartbreak. There's no more important task for the world's future than to groom more entrepreneurs. If you're going to be one of them, consider Black Belt your go-to guide.'

John Mullins

Associate Professor of Management Practice, London Business School; author, Break the Rules! The six counter-conventional mindsets that can help anyone change the world

'A must-read for all aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to develop start-ups or restructure their existing businesses.'

Paul Constantinou AM

Founder, Quest Apartment Hotels

'The founders of Judo Bank have over 70 years of combined international banking experience, but they had to completely rethink their approach to banking to turn an idea into a remarkable story. While banking is the backdrop, the problems they faced will resonate with all entrepreneurs and the lessons in the way they wrestled with the challenges of creating, launching and spectacularly growing a start-up make this an absolute gem of a book for any aspiring entrepreneur.'

Colin McLeod

Author Bio

Joseph Healy and David Horney are well-known financial industry veterans, co-founders of Judo Bank and regular media commentators sought after for their expert business insights.

Joseph is a 35-plus-year career banker with a broad background across most aspects of banking. He started his career at Lloyds Bank in London, followed by a long stint at Citibank (mainly in London) and then Canadian bank CIBC World Markets. He joined ANZ Bank in 1998 and National Australia Bank (NAB) in late 2006, leaving in late 2014. He then took a year sabbatical at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, during which time he started working with David on what today is Judo Bank. He is the author of three books: Corporate Governance and Shareholder Wealth Creation (2003), Chinese Firms Going Global: Can They Succeed (2018) and Breaking the Banks (2019).

David is also a 35-year veteran of the banking sector, beginning in the financial markets and investment banking before moving into commercial banking. He started out in 1986 at two broking houses GB Nathan and Potter Partners before moving to Macquarie Bank and spending 11 years in their Financial Markets division. Then he moved across to ANZ, spending seven years as Global Head of Capital Markets and four years in Singapore as CEO of ANZ Asia. He moved to NAB in 2008, stepping out in 2015 to work with Joseph on Judo Bank. Outside banking, David is Non Executive Chair of Studio THI (formerly The Hornery Institute), a not-for-profit that contributes to the global dialogue on community formation and place making.