Kyle McDonald &
Shoe Dog by Philip H. Knight

Phil Knight, founder and chairman of Nike, Inc., started his company in 1964 with a $50 investment and a simple mission: to import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling shoes out of the trunk of his car, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. In Shoe Dog, Knight--one of the most singular and compelling figures in business today--reflects on the journey that took him from his midwestern childhood to running one of the world's most iconic brands. In this candid and riveting memoir, we see Knight stumble and learn as he starts his business. We watch him weather betrayal by his first partners, struggle with crippling doubt, and bounce back from failure again and again. Above all, we see how an unwavering commitment to a single vision drives an entrepreneur to do whatever it takes to succeed. The wisdom he has gained over the course of a lifetime of reinvention is distilled into this essential guidebook for anyone who wants to pursue their dreams and make their mark on history. Shoe Dog is an inspiring tale that will challenge conventional thinking about entrepreneurship—and succeed because it is so true.

3.5 actually. Loved the story, disliked the man.

En av de beste bøkene jeg har lest i år.

Jesus Christ Phil

One of the most important and well written memoirs I have ever read! The story of Nike as told by its founder in intimate detail, through trials and tribulations to each and every success it reads like a work of fiction when in reality every larger than life character, every plot twist has been real.

I implore everyone to give this a go, and I’m positive that you’ll come away with something when you finish.

Finally got around to reading this highly recommended book (in one day). It’s a riveting memoir that tells the story of Nike from idea to IPO. Very much Phil’s personal story, struggles and all, it wasn’t an attempt to sell Nike until the last chapter, which was something of an epilogue. It felt like an honest accounting of the stress and drive to build that are the hallmarks of entrepreneurship (money matters, but it’s not about the money). I think it’s also a useful example to those who assume that businesses that handle large amounts of money actually have it. Also interesting was that he built this company before the days of VC money or even startup-friendly banks. It’s easy forget that the programs and incubators available now are still fairly new.

Phil is a good storyteller. I enjoyed every bit of this memoir. (I also admire that he remembers many things when he started building Nike). An accountant by training, Phil created his first startup when starting up wasn't popular back in the late 60s. His story begins when his mom forced him to take up running. Then, he had a number of odd jobs, traveled the world, met his wife, got married, and found himself in Japan, seeking a company that manufactured shoes called Tigers—his goal: to sell those shoes in the US.

A man of words, Phil also loves to read. He quotes General McArthur and other known greats and philosophers. Some of my favorite quotes: 

“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”

“The single easiest way to find out how you feel about someone. Say goodbye.”

“You are remembered, he said, prophetically, for the rules you break.”

Now in his mid-80s, Phil's wisdom and choices (some he regretted later) made what Nike is today. One nugget is about choosing a career for youngsters. He said, "I’d tell men and women in their mid-twenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. 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.”

So what is a shoe dog? Well, read his memoir and find out. Hint: it's all about obsessing about an idea, and doing something about it.

loved the personal voice of phil, but found out that this was ghostwritten and still contemplating the ethics and personal opinion on such.

It's the second biography/memoir written or related to the founders of a first tier multinational company, the first one was Steve Jobs by Walter. It's a book that I found myself could not literally stop reading once started. There's so much uncovered about how tiring and challenging starting up a company could be back to 60, 70s, when sport shoe market was dominated by Adidas and Puma. When we talk about Nike these day, we are looking at basketball, football, but it all started as a simple-yet-not-that-simple distributer of Onitsuka Tiger in US, so it had a very historical relationship with runners, which jogging was not considered as a popular sports at all during that time. I just can't resist to put down the book and go for some jogging, if I have done reading of the day. It's because that historical relation with running, and deep connection with runners in mind when designing shoes, that passion, that motivation and urge to get better at each run - somehow it proves that American dream, or to be more generic, the dream of having a crazy idea and make it real, still lives among us. It all starts with the first step.

Amazing story of Nike and all the people involved in its journey.

Great memoir, enjoyed particularly the parts about travelling to and from Japan and the relationships that made early Nike possible.

An incredible memoir about the founding and ride of NIKE written by its founder Phil Knight. It describes the struggle of Mr. Knight to work with suppliers, be there for his children, and to find meaning in his life. Definitely recommend this to anyone with aspirations.

Every projects starts small and evolves slowly in different directions over time. This startup story started as a, at the time, crazy idea but is still going strong. It's a fascinating adventure and while reading it I had to remind myself about the fact that it's from a time I know very little of. It feels like a silicon Valley startup adventure set in the new Millinium when it in fact starts in 1962. If you liked Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull i think you would like this book as well. If could get two people together to talk about their experiences it would these two ;-) Very inspiring and a testimony to always pursue your dream and what you belive in.

A veces me sucede que tomo un libro y no puedo dejarlo hasta que lo termine. Éste es el caso. Shoe Dog es un libro tremendo, es trepidate (como una buena novela), muy divertido y particularmente lleno de insights sobre los negocios. Phil "Buck" Knight es un tipo extremadamente instruido. No sólo es un MBA, sino que ha recorrido y explorado el mundo no sólo en términos empresariales sino que culturales. Esto le da al libro varios matices; en lo particular disfruté mucho las enseñanzas del Japón (desde cómo se llevan a cabo los negocios hasta los preceptos del budismo) y todo el aspecto legal y contable de cómo montar una empresa como Nike. Así mismo, empatice con la vuelta al mundo de Knight. No sabía que hemos estado en tantos lugares similares que nos marcaron profundamente (el acrópolis y Varanasi) y aún así seguimos con ganas de ver más. Me hubiese encantado que el libro fuese como" WASP vol 1" (lo entenderás cuando leas el libro), y ahora Knight -en el volumen 2- contase lo que ha sucedido con Nike desde 1980 a la actualidad. El libro deja de profundizar a fines de los 70 y me quedé con ganas de saber cómo firmaron a Jordan o cómo se enfrentaron a la Internet cuando apareció. Aún así, Shoe Dog es un libro para devorar en un par de días. El primer y único libro relatado en primera persona por el mítico creador de Nike.

I could not finish it. Too much detail Even though I am a fan of Nike

Simplemente INCREÍBLE

It was fun to hear the names of classic Nike shoes we know today, and the origin of them. The middle of the book kind of hit a lull, but it was also a defining point of Nike's history. Overall, good read!

Incredible. Such an inspirational book written in the most wonderful way. This is a real 5 star

Amazing story, really like Buck's mentality, i will enjoy my nikes even more from now on :)

** spoiler alert ** I wasn't really enjoying the first half of the book - again, Phil Knight just seemed so unrelatable (my issue with most biographies of successful people). He went to some incredibly prestigious colleges, received capital from his father for his Crazy Idea, collaborated with a legendary coach from the get-go, and was still always trying to paint himself as some sort of underdog or misfit. It made me roll my eyes (I especially did not like his management style, really felt for Jeff Johnson who was perhaps my favourite in the book). However, towards the end of the book, I did come to appreciate his tenacity, his ambition, the massive obstacles (loved the American Selling Price situation haha), and the spirit with which they built Nike. Cool stuff. Anyway, other than the actual story, I loved how it was written. Very engaging, and very honest.

One of my new favorite biographies and business books. It is incredible what he has built. Besides being a visionary, I had no idea he was such an intellectual, traveler, and writer. Can't help but think that much of the success of Nike can be traced back to his mom buying the first pair of his sneakers in the living room, which convinced his dad to give him an initial investment. It did gloss over some of the more strenuous times in the brand, I thought there could have been more detail or story there. Will read again.

The honesty, the details and the transparency make this the best business autobiographies and one of the best autobiographies full stop, that I’ve ever read. I can highly recommend the audible version.

A very comprehensive memoir of one of the most important figures in sporting goods. Phil is a incredible writer with witty humor and all around passion for what he does/did.

Loved the book!

8.9