I can’t tell if the book was ghostwritten, but if not, Phil Knight easily could have been a prominent author in a different life. In the book, Knight describes the journey of his crazy idea. He started importing shoes from Japan and eventually started his own gig out of a run-down warehouse in Portland, Oregon. Most of these senior research papers are thrown into a drawer (worse, the trash), never to be picked up again.īut Knight actually decided to do something with his paper. In his final year at Stanford business school, he wrote a paper arguing that Japanese shoes could make deep cuts into the shoe market, which was dominated by Germans at the time. But once I started, I couldn’t put it down. So, Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s book, Shoe Dog, had a tough hill to climb to sustain my attention. I’m also not a runner (unless I’m chasing a soccer ball). When it comes to sportswear, it’s three stripes or nothing for me. That company grew into Nike, one of the most famous global brands, with current annual sales in excess of $30 billion.I wasn’t supposed to like this book.

Phil Knight was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1938, and decided to set up his own business at the age of 24, helped by a $50 loan from his father. 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.Ī memoir rich with insight, humour and hard-won wisdom, this book is also studded with lessons - about building something from scratch, overcoming adversity, and ultimately leaving your mark on the world. Above all, he recalls how his first band of partners and employees soon became a tight-knit band of brothers. He details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream - along with his early triumphs. Candid, humble, wry and gutsy, he begins with his crossroads moment when at 24 he decided to start his own business. Now, for the first time, he tells his story. In an age of start-ups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today.īut Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. 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.

Nike founder book