I read Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.
What surprised me the most was the before it was Nike, he called his company Blue Ribbon.
I think what I admired most was the fact that Knight was willing to go broke for his idea. He was so passionate about sports and his ideas, that he put everything on the line and had the “nothing to lose” attitude.
What I admired the least was that I felt, at times, Knight relied a lot on faith in himself. While having faith is a great thing, it only gets you so far.
Knight of course encountered failure and adversity. He had several lawsuits, didn’t have that much capital to begin with, and had to change suppliers, just to name a few. Knight always kept his cool and dealt with every situation well. He was never overcome by failure.
Phil Knight exhibited many competencies. He was passionate about sports, and turned that passion into an extremely successful brand. He was not afraid of failure, but did what he could to avoid it and create an empire. He was willing to do anything to make Nike a success, even selling shoes out of his car.
I think the only part that confused me was the name change. If Blue Ribbon had a good name and reputation, why would Knight want to change the name to Nike?
I would ask Knight where he got the courage to cold call Mr. Onitsuka. I would also ask him how, after the shortcomings and the lawsuits, he was able to persevere and find success.
I would say that Knight believed hard work was everything. It is clear that he always put in the work to make sure Nike was a success.
