Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.
Young, searching, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year, 1963. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is more than a logo. A symbol of grace and greatness, it’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.
But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. Now, in a memoir that’s surprising, humble, unfiltered, funny, and beautifully crafted, he tells his story at last. It all begins with a classic crossroads moment. Twenty-four years old, backpacking through Asia and Europe and Africa, wrestling with life’s Great Questions, Knight decides the unconventional path is the only one for him. Rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, something new, dynamic, different. Knight details the many terrifying risks he encountered along the way, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors, the countless doubters and haters and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs and narrow escapes. Above all, he recalls the foundational relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.
Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the redemptive, transformative power of sports, they created a brand, and a culture, that changed everything.
In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.
Young, searching, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year, 1963. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is more than a logo. A symbol of grace and greatness, it’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.
But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. Now, in a memoir that’s surprising, humble, unfiltered, funny, and beautifully crafted, he tells his story at last. It all begins with a classic crossroads moment. Twenty-four years old, backpacking through Asia and Europe and Africa, wrestling with life’s Great Questions, Knight decides the unconventional path is the only one for him. Rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, something new, dynamic, different. Knight details the many terrifying risks he encountered along the way, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors, the countless doubters and haters and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs and narrow escapes. Above all, he recalls the foundational relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.
Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the redemptive, transformative power of sports, they created a brand, and a culture, that changed everything.
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Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
383 pages
What’s it about?
This is Phil Knight’s memoir about his life. He wrote the book himself (no ghostwriter involved) and most of the book focuses on his time developing NIKE into the company and brand it has become.
What did it make me think about?
This book reinforced that becoming a billionaire is not for the faint of heart. Phil Knight not only worked hard for years, but he lived on the precipice of bankruptcy for a very long time. The NIKE we know was a long time in the making. I also found it interesting how the idea for the company developed and morphed over time. I think I imagined Phil Knight sitting down at a cobbler’s bench and creating the first pair of NIKE shoes, and that is not quite how it happened.
Should I read it?
I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially those that have an interest in how a business is developed. Really interesting story- I do have to admit that Phil Knight does not seem like someone that I would look forward to spending a ton of time with…
Quote-
“Like it or not, life is a game. Whoever denies that truth, whoever simply refuses to play, gets left on the sidelines, and I didn’t wasn't that. More than anything, that was the ting I did not want.
Which led, as always, to my Crazy Idea. Maybe, I thought, just maybe, I need to take one more look at my Crazy Idea. Maybe my Crazy Idea just might….work?”
If you like this try-
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks
Fire Shut Up in My Bones by Charles Blow
All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
383 pages
What’s it about?
This is Phil Knight’s memoir about his life. He wrote the book himself (no ghostwriter involved) and most of the book focuses on his time developing NIKE into the company and brand it has become.
What did it make me think about?
This book reinforced that becoming a billionaire is not for the faint of heart. Phil Knight not only worked hard for years, but he lived on the precipice of bankruptcy for a very long time. The NIKE we know was a long time in the making. I also found it interesting how the idea for the company developed and morphed over time. I think I imagined Phil Knight sitting down at a cobbler’s bench and creating the first pair of NIKE shoes, and that is not quite how it happened.
Should I read it?
I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially those that have an interest in how a business is developed. Really interesting story- I do have to admit that Phil Knight does not seem like someone that I would look forward to spending a ton of time with…
Quote-
“Like it or not, life is a game. Whoever denies that truth, whoever simply refuses to play, gets left on the sidelines, and I didn’t wasn't that. More than anything, that was the ting I did not want.
Which led, as always, to my Crazy Idea. Maybe, I thought, just maybe, I need to take one more look at my Crazy Idea. Maybe my Crazy Idea just might….work?”
If you like this try-
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks
Fire Shut Up in My Bones by Charles Blow
All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
Gosh, I don’t even know what to say…I laughed, I cried, I reflected, cried and laughed some more…I think this is my favorite read of the year so far and I’ve had a few really good reads…I almost don’t even want to start another book, just want to reread this one…and sit in the glow a little bit longer. I will write a more proper review later (maybe), just needed to write out my initial reactions now. Maybe I loved it even more because I’m a runner…it’s making me love Nike (even though I’ve read Born to Run). End of dazed ramble.
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