Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

"It all started with a $35 logo. The untold stories behind Nike's iconic Swoosh and the genius of Phil Knight." - Thierry, Co-Founder

In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and founded a company with a simple mission: to import high-quality, low-cost sports shoes from Japan. In his first year, he made $8,000 in sales.

Today?

Nike's annual revenue exceeds $51 billion.

Despite all these achievements, the creator of Nike has always remained a mystery. Or have you ever heard of him?

But such a success story, which has so many facets, found its way into the ink through a biography and recently to Hollywood through the movie "Air" starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It shows the incredible story of Nike and basketball star Michael Jordan as the personification and ambassador of the "Air Jordan" shoe line - a completely new and very risky business model at the time.

This movie is highly recommended! Very much so from a business perspective.

AIR | Official Trailer (2023)

But as book lovers, I absolutely must also share with you the memoir "Shoe Dog", which is packed with insight, humor and hard-won wisdom and lessons. Shoe dogs were people who devoted themselves wholly to the making, selling, buying, or designing of shoes. It shows how to build something from the ground up, overcome adversity and ultimately make your mark on the world.

After all, you are remembered for the rules you break.

A page-turner in a class of its own.

10 Powerful Lessons From the Book “Shoe Dog”

1. Start Before You’re Ready
   • The founder of Nike ‘faked it until he made it’. When successful people see opportunity, they don’t hesitate to seize it.
2. Sell Enthusiasm
   • It is easy to sell something you believe in. People, sensing your belief, wanted some of that belief for themselves.
3. Resist Conformity
   • Parents and society push us towards security. Parents want their kids to avoid risks, even if that also means avoiding the adventure that makes life interesting.
4. Seek a Calling, Not a Career
   • Never settle for a job. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointments will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt
5. Grow or Die
   • Phil believed growing as fast as he could was the right thing to do. In his mind, life is all about growth. You’re either growing or you’re dying. Get comfortable with life’s constant change
6. Fail Fast
   • If you’re going to fail, then you’d better fail as fast as you can. That way, you’ll have enough time to apply any wisdom that you’ve gained towards your next crazy idea.
7. Build a Brand
   • While it’s very valuable to have a brand, maybe the name itself doesn’t matter as much as we think. Nike by any other name would be a very similar company. Nike didn’t become successful because of a perfect name, but all the other parts of their business
8. Experiment Constantly
   • Keys to innovation is often developing products based on intuition, not market research. “The public does not know what is possible, but we do.” - Founder of Sony
9. Don’t Micromanage
   • Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with the results. True authority and true leadership come from knowing who you are and not pretending to be anything else.
10. Go Public: Seeking greater connection is what life is about
    • Have faith in yourself, but also have faith in faith.

arvy’s takeaway: "Shoe Dog" is packed with insight, humor and hard-won wisdom and lessons. It shows how to build something from the ground up, overcome adversity and ultimately make your mark on the world.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

English Version: Amazon.com

Deutsche Version: Amazon.com

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