Download
our app
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE
2016 . Biography, Business & Finance, Sports . Phil Knight
8.8
Everyone
About the book
4.5/5.0
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.
Featured on:
Year:
2016
Language:
English
Publisher:
Scribner
Pages:
400
ISBN:
1501135910 (ISBN13: 9781501135910)
Featured on:
Reviews
Henry Melzer
2 days ago
7
Phil is a great story teller and I love shoes but Nike comes off as a boys club. Part of Phil’s thoughts feel a little outdated
1 like 
Comment Andreas Boers
1 week ago
10
I sent an application to work for Nike the instant I turned the last page of this book. No joke. Turns out, they moved most of their business offices from Denmark to Sweden 😕 Amazingly captivating though!
Like Comment 
Priyanka Prabhudesai
2 weeks ago
8
A very good read about how nike started and the journey of it’s founder along with nike
Like Comment Michael Donlea
2 months ago
10
Such a brilliant read. Easy to pick this up and blast through it in a few days if you're determined enough!
Like Comment Jens Sudmeier
2 months ago
10
Great read if you are interested in the world of running. As a business major this was the perfect read for me as I live the sport of running and there are some great learning from the early beginnings of Phil Knight and Nike in there.
Like Comment Caroline Lasorsa
2 months ago
10
I have the attention span of a fly, so non-fiction and I usually don’t mesh well together. And to be honest I didn’t think I was going to like this. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I felt the human aspect of Phil Knight’s journey as he went on to tell the story of how he built Nike. It was a little unorthodox, but it worked. Super interesting read. I would recommend to anyone
1 like 2 comments Bailey Heywood
6 months ago
10
Absolutely amazing! Thank you @MarkusMarañonStraarup and @MortenVSchroeder for this recommendation!
3 likes Comment Andrea Karduss Napoletano
6 months ago
9
Must read!! Specially if you want to start a business
1 like Comment Zach Epstein
8 months ago
10
Inspired me to want to travel (see the world) and create something lasting (impact the world). He did it all with a relentless pursuit of those goals, and we can all learn from that outlook.
2 likes 2 comments Shivali Goyal
9 months ago
10
If Phil Knight hadn’t built Nike, he sure could be a legendary storyteller. Gripping read!
Like Comment 
