Name: Vojtech's review of Shoe Dog by Philip H. Knight
Item: Shoe Dog
Rating: 5
Author: Vojtech

Philip H. Knight

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.

A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Shoe Dog

Kay so Queso

I told myself: Life is growth. You grow or you die.

By nature I was a loner, but since childhood I'd thrived in team sports.

The art of competing, I’d learned from track, was the art of forgetting, and I now reminded myself of that fact. 

Cassandra Tang

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

If my life was to be all work and no play, I wanted my work to be play. 

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

The act itself becomes the destination. It’s not just that there’s no finish line; it’s that you define the finish line. Whatever pleasures or gains you derive from the act of running, you must find them within.

What if there were a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel? To play all the time, instead of working? Or else to enjoy work so much that it becomes essentially the same thing.

There is a primal urge to compare everything—life, business, adventures of all sorts—to a race. But the metaphor is often inadequate. It can take you only so far.

Manasi Gajjalapurna

He always had some new design, some new scheme to make our shoes sleeker, softer, lighter. Especially lighter. One ounce sliced off a pair of shoes, he said, is equivalent to 55 pounds over one mile. He wasn’t kidding. His math was solid. You take the average man’s stride of six feet, spread it out over a mile (5,280 feet), you get 880 steps. Remove one ounce from each step—that’s 55 pounds on the button. Lightness, Bowerman believed, directly translated to less burden, which meant more energy, which meant more speed. And speed equaled winning.

Let everyone else call your idea crazy....just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where “there” is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.

Not until I left for Japan, not until I kissed my fiancée good-bye and promised to write as soon as I got there, did the full reality, with all its dimensions and contours, hit me. I had more than a fiancée, a lover, a friend. I had a partner. In the past I'd told myself Bowerman was my partner, and to some extent Johnson. But this thing with Penny was unique, unprecedented. This alliance was life-altering. It still didn't make me nervous, it just made me more mindful. Id never before said good-bye to a true partner, and it felt massively different. Imagine that, I thought. The single easiest way to find out how you feel about someone. Say goodbye.

Phil Knight

Als junger, abenteuerlustiger Business-School-Absolvent auf der Suche nach einer Herausforderung lieh Phil Knight sich von seinem Vater 50 Dollar und gründete eine Firma mit einer klaren Mission: qualitativ hochwertige, aber preiswerte Laufschuhe aus Japan importieren. In jenem ersten Jahr, 1963, verkaufte Knight Laufschuhe aus dem Kofferraum seines Plymouth Valiant heraus und erzielte einen Umsatz von 8000 Dollar. Heute liegen die Jahresumsätze von Nike bei über 30 Milliarden Dollar. In unserem Zeitalter der Start-ups hat sich Knights Firma Nike als Maßstab aller Dinge etabliert und sein "Swoosh" ist längst mehr als nur ein Logo. Es ist ein Symbol von Geschmeidigkeit und Größe, eines der wenigen Icons, die in jedem Winkel unseres Erdballs sofort wiedererkannt werden. Aber Knight selbst, der Mann hinter dem Swoosh, ist immer ein Geheimnis geblieben. Jetzt erzählt er endlich seine Geschichte. Seine Memoiren sind überraschend, bescheiden, ungeschönt, humorvoll und handwerklich meisterhaft. Den Anfang markiert eine klassische Situation am Scheideweg. Der 24-jährige Knight bereist als Rucksacktourist Asien, Europa und Afrika, ihn bewegen die ganz großen philosophischen Fragen des Lebens. Und er entscheidet sich für einen unkonventionellen Lebensweg. Anstatt für ein großes etabliertes Unternehmen zu arbeiten, beschließt er, etwas ganz Eigenes zu schaffen – etwas, das neu, dynamisch und anders ist. En détail beschreibt Knight die vielen unberechenbaren Risiken, mit denen er sich auf seinem Weg konfrontiert sah, die niederschmetternden Rückschläge, die skrupellosen Konkurrenten, die zahllosen Zweifler und Widersacher, die abweisenden Banker, die etlichen Male, wo er knapp einer Katastrophe entging, ebenso wie seine vielen triumphalen Erfolge.

Die offizielle Biografie des NIKE-Gründers

Piet Terheyden

Vojtech

A little slow at times and then a little rushed at the end, however the main story is quite a good read.

KellyParmenter

Engaging storytelling and characters around how Nike was born.

Suvrat Jain

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.

Aamna

3.5 actually. Loved the story, disliked the man.

En av de beste bøkene jeg har lest i år.

Eddie

Leland Foster

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.

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.

Sarah Schumacher

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.

Erwin Lemuel Oliva

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.

Xin Ma

Steve

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.

Tharun Reddy

In this instant and tenacious New York Times bestseller, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight “offers a rare and revealing look at the notoriously media-shy man behind the swoosh” (Booklist, starred review), illuminating his 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. Bill Gates named Shoe Dog one of his five favorite books of 2016 and called it “an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to do.” Fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his car in 1963, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. In Shoe Dog, he tells his story at last. At twenty-four, Knight decides that rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, new, dynamic, different. He details the many risks he encountered, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs. Above all, he recalls the relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers. Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the transformative power of sports, they created a brand—and a culture—that changed everything.

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

Vishwa

Bouke van der Bijl

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.

Daniel Toke Hansen

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.

Cristian Garcia

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.

Keven Wang

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

Martin

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! 

Mitul Shah

Simao Freitas

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

poprika

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

Mudita

** 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.

Alexandra Sklar

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.

Neil Murray

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.

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Shoe Dog by Philip H. Knight

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