Shoe Dog
2016 • 384 pages
Ratings116
Average rating4.4
15
Ratings116
Average rating4.4
"In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO 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. In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of startups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all startups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable symbols in the world today. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, in a memoir that is candid, humble, gutsy, and wry, he tells his story, beginning with his crossroads moment. At 24, after backpacking around the world, he decided to take the unconventional path, to start his own business--a business that would be dynamic, different. Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream--along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls the formative relationships with his first partners and employees, a ragtag group of misfits and seekers who became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything"--
Reviews with the most likes.
“I thought of that phrase, “It's just business.” It's never just business. It never will be. If it ever does become just business, that will mean that business is very bad.”
This was a very engrossing memoir, made all the more say by the very likeable personality that is Philip Knight.
He takes you on the rollercoaster ride of Nike and himself, his ambitions, his fights with the government, with his former creditors, with Adidas and Puma, and much, much more.
You can absolutely taste the depths of Phil's despair and the heights of his joy, leaping at you from the pages, which is a marvellous quality for a writer to have, but even more so when you're writing your own autobiography.
TL;DR - must read if you're into memoirs. One of the best such pieces ever written, as is apt for such an unconventional life.
A phenomenal business read. Not sure I would want to work for Knight during this period, plus he comes across as a little reductionist in his approach to men vs. women (even if it's subtle).
But this book is great because it shares excellent tidbits for people at key junctures in their careers, but in a narrative format. I finished this book with some useful takeaways, along with the reminder that every big company was a startup once upon a time.
The first part was excellent: Phil's story is that of a wandering soul turned entrepreneur, and hearing how Nike got its start is interesting and gripping.
The second part drags on, and the ending is kinda bad. By 1975, Nike is established and doing well enough, so the stories are just braggadocio about getting drunk with business partners or dodging taxes – not exactly inspiring stuff.
The final chapter drips with self-importance and contrived writing, glossing over huge and important events in Phil's life, like his son's death (the last regular chapter ends in 1980). He devotes only a few paragraphs to the sweatshop investigations of the 90s, only to say that the journalists were wrong but oh by the way Nike's factories are the best in the world now.
Nike's legacy as one of the greatest American companies is undeniable, and the origin story is worth hearing about, but the rest of the book isn't worth the time.
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1,558 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
