Bank of Dave: Dave Fishwick the Human Bulldozer

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The Bank of Dave

How do you achieve the impossible? How do you crash your way into one of the most exclusive and powerful clubs on the planet? How do you as a tiny player unleash a disruptive strategy in an industry controlled by giants?

The answers all lie in the Channel 4 documentary Bank of Dave. For context, Dave Fishwick is a successful minibus dealer from a small town in northern England. When the banks stop lending to small business, Dave comes up with the crazy idea of opening his own community bank to lend to local businesses. This is when he is confronted with a seemingly impenetrable wall regulations designed to keep outsiders out.

Dave is a joy and an inspiration to watch in action. He is relentless. Nothing stops him. Every regulation, obstacle, is just something to be swept away, overcome, or dismissed with contempt.

A long time ago, one of my profs told me that it’s far better to do something and ask for forgiveness afterwards then to wait for permission. It’s one of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given. Study tycoons and you will see that all follow this principle.

Dave reminds me of an Al Pacino quote:

There’s no such thing as too far. You understand? You push everything as far as you can. You push and you push and you push until it starts pushing back. And then you push some goddamn more. – Al Pacino

Go watch this extraordinary story and then do a search on his results.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Where is the American David Fishwick to fire up the populace about community banks?