Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE
2016 . Biography, Business & Finance, Sports . Phil Knight
8.9
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)
Reviews
Caroline Lasorsa
3 days 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
2 Comments
Farouk Forster
3 months ago
9
Incredible story of a brave entrepreneur.
Bailey Heywood
3 months ago
10
Absolutely amazing! Thank you @MarkusMarañonStraarup and @MortenVSchroeder for this recommendation!
Andrea Karduss Napoletano
3 months ago
9
Must read!! Specially if you want to start a business
Zach Epstein
5 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 Comments
Shivali Goyal
6 months ago
10
If Phil Knight hadn’t built Nike, he sure could be a legendary storyteller. Gripping read!
Thomas Vogelsang
8 months ago
10
A great story about how Nike became Nike.
Markus Marañon Straarup 
1 year ago
9
A captivating, exciting, emotional, and funny story of Phil Knight and Nike. Highly recommend for anyone interesses in business, entrepeneurship or someone thats just a shoe dog.
Morten V Schroeder
1 year ago
10
Wow! Another great biography. Really enjoyed this book. It’s such a fascinating story and also includes a number of interesting life lessons from Phil Knight. I really liked the end where he reflects on his own life. As a recent entrepreneur I found this story immensely inspiring and captivating
Josephine Akinal
1 year ago
8
Very interesting about the founder of Nike. Also if you are a dreamy entrepreneur kind of puts reality into perspective about living in debt most of your life
Joen Møller
1 year ago
9
Great story which appears to be very honest and open. Would highly recommended as an easy summer read or as audio book
Carl Johan Skovsen
2 years ago
10
Great memoir! What a story. Hours Well spend
2 Comments
Divy Ranjan
1 day ago
9
Aditya Ghate
5 days ago
9
Nishant Yadav
5 days ago