Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight, 2016
For Knight, his passion was running. And, not losing.
Knight's autobiography starts off with an around-the-world trip after graduating from Stanford Business School, contemplating what he wants to be and to do next.
A high school track athlete, Knight was passionate about running and kept returning to a concept that germinated when he was in Business School.
The Japanese made a great running shoe called the Tiger and Knight wanted to sell the shoes in America.
In the 60s, running was not as prevalent as it is now. Track was popular in the Olympics, but not considered a 'true' sport beyond the Olympic level. Casual runners or people running for exercise did not exist.
Knight was able to build NIKE into the powerhouse that he is by partnering with his former high school running coach from Oregon, Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was obsessed with running and would even prototype his own running shoes, knowing what runners needed.
Jeff Johnson, Knight's first hire for the initially named Blue Ribbon shoe company, also had a great passion for shoes and runners. He maintained close contact with customers and built relationships to grow a loyal following.
Knight struggled for many years, working a full-time job to support himself and his company. He faced challenges with banks, which were risk-adverse in the 60s and 70s.
Even with millions in sales each year, the company struggled to repay loans at month-end. Because of this, Knight almost lost his company because banks did not want to do business with him.
The story focuses on the early years of building NIKE instead of the height of its popularity, when it dominated the sporting good market and had sponsorships with famous athletes including Michael Jordon and Tiger Woods.
The details and somewhat random events leading up to what is NIKE today is fascinating. The ubiquitous swoosh logo was developed by an art freelancer from Portland State, where Knight taught as one of his jobs while working on growing Blue Ribbon. Knight paid the freelancer $35 for the logo.
The name of the company came from Johnson, and Knight was not sure of the name but chose it at the last minute. Starting a new company to manufacture its own shoes was forced when Onitsuka Corp, maker of Tiger, decided to pursue other American distributors to sell their shoes.
Surrounding himself with a passionate team, Knight called his leadership team Buttface. The circle of men never took themselves too seriously. They despised the 'corporate' culture, building a strong culture rooted in Oregon.
Knight sacrificed many hours growing his show company. When he was younger, his apartment was essentially a warehouse for shoes. He had to make last minute trips to Japan to resolve issues, deal with bankers threatening to no longer lend him money, thus forcing him to shutter his business.
He managed the challenges while working full-time jobs initially teaching at Portland State (where he met his wife Penny, one of his students) and an accountant at firms including Price Waterhouse. Even when he quit his full time job to dedicate his time to his company, he was not present a present father.
What Knight did though, would not have been likely if it were not for the connections his father had, who pointed Knight to Onitsuka Corp. Not to take anything away from the hard work and risks, but Knight's success would have been unlikely if he was not a white male.
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