In America, we tell ourselves a story about success. It’s a narrative that often skips over the hardest parts – the humble origins, the unexpected teachers, the moments when giving up seemed like the only option.
But Andrew Samuel’s story hides nothing. It begins with a young boy on a dirt floor in India, collecting cow dung to sell as fuel. It travels through Africa, arrives in America with just $200, and climbs to the pinnacle of financial leadership with multiple billion-dollar banks bearing his vision.
On this episode of Locality’s Making Bank Podcast, host Keith Costello uncovers the raw, unfiltered journey of a man who embodies the true American Dream – not the sanitized version we often sell ourselves, but the gritty, authentic one that reminds us what’s possible with unwavering determination.
From Cow Dung Entrepreneur to Banking Visionary
“We didn’t have running water,” Andrew recalls of his childhood home in India, where 16 family members shared a single room with dirt floors. It was here, following cows through village streets to collect their droppings, that Andrew received his first lessons in entrepreneurship.
“My uncles would tell us to follow the cows, grab the cow dung, bring it home… we’ll sell it to our neighbors,” he shares. These weren’t just survival tactics – they were his Harvard Business School, teaching him resourcefulness, value creation, and market demand before he knew what those terms meant.
By his teenage years, a fortunate turn brought his family to Zambia, where his father helped organize the country’s defense force. Later, a scholarship would bring Andrew to American shores with nothing but a suitcase and two hundred dollars.
The Call That Changed Everything
In banking, as in life, timing is everything. Unable to land interviews through conventional channels, Andrew made a critical observation: “The executive assistants were screening these calls.”
His solution? Call after 5 PM when the gatekeepers had gone home. That strategic move connected him with a hiring manager who recognized something special in the young immigrant’s voice.
“Just give me half an hour,” Andrew pleaded. That half-hour turned into a two-hour conversation, which turned into his first banking job, which eventually led to building and leading multiple financial institutions across America.
Community Banking: The Heartbeat of American Entrepreneurship
Now at the helm of LINKBANK, where he serves as CEO, Andrew isn’t just building another financial institution – he’s on a mission to revitalize community banking itself.
“If we don’t have community banks, that entrepreneurial drive will dry up because people won’t have access to capital,” he explains with the conviction of someone who’s seen both sides – the entrepreneur desperately needing a chance, and the banker with the power to provide it.
His vision centers on a powerful combination: the personal touch that defined traditional banking, enhanced by cutting-edge technology that meets modern expectations. “The idea that ‘we’re strong relationship builders so we can outperform JP Morgan’ only goes so far. You’ve got to have the technology too.”
Beyond Profit: Building a Banking Legacy
For Andrew, success isn’t measured in dollars alone. His three-part mission at LINKBANK reveals a deeper purpose:
- Revitalizing community banking to ensure entrepreneurs always have access to capital
- Giving back through The LINK Foundation, which has donated nearly $1 million to causes including financial literacy and women’s empowerment
- Developing the next generation of banking leaders who understand both business and values
“When we started our company, even when we got to about a billion dollars in assets, the average age of our employees was like 40,” he notes proudly. “That’s very young in a bank.”
The Journey Continues
After briefly attempting retirement, Andrew discovered something important about himself: “I can’t do this,” he told his wife after just 15 hours of supposed retirement. “I don’t have any appointments. There’s no phone calls, there’s no emails.”
The man who once followed cows through village streets now follows a different calling – strengthening the financial institutions that give others a chance at their own American Dream.
“I feel good. We have a great group of employees. I enjoy what I’m doing. We’re impacting our community,” he reflects. “So I’d like to do it as long as we can.”
🎧 Experience Andrew Samuel’s full story on the latest episode of Locality’s Making Bank Podcast. Listen now to discover how a boy who once sold cow dung built billion-dollar banks and why he believes community banking is the heartbeat of American entrepreneurship.
