Black Belt

Joseph Healy and David Hornery | Paperback | February 2023 

A masterclass for start-ups and entrepreneurs

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.

PRAISE FOR BLACK BELT

'I can’t think of a tougher challenge to be taken from start up to a successful enterprise than what the Judo team has done in one of the most competitive banking environments in the world. This is a great read.'
Mark Bouris AM

'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 this book your go-to guide.'
John Mullins, Associate Professor of Management Practice, London Business School and author of Break the Rules! The Six Counter-Conventional Mindsets That Can Help Anyone Change the World