An artful and realistic biography by Nike's founder.
Blue Ribbon. Phil Knight, a young introvert runner just out of school, decides to start a business by selling Japanese "Tiger" shoes in the U.S. He's doing it so great that sales are doubled every year.
Waffle. His former trainer becomes his partner, and among other things, invents some very nice shoe designs ("waffle" designs)
Nike. Japanese aren't happy, and eventually, they break up. Phil sets up their own fabrics and starts selling them as Nike.
Problems. There are several crises along the way. The main problem is that they don't have free cache, sending all their money to manufacturing. Once, he was very close to going to jail.
IPO. The story ends in 1980 with Nike's IPO. Phil Knight's net worth became ~$178M.
Writing. It's staggering how good he is as a writer. It's just wonderful nice prose. I would read it even if it were fiction—something you don't expect from a big company CEO.
Communication in the 1960s sucked. He started by selling shoes called Tiger from Japan in the US. No emails. Physical post to manage stuff. Letters go weeks and are often left unanswered. So tricky to figure out your business state. You get to appreciate how far we get now with emails and even FAX machines.
Phil Knight is just an ordinary guy like you and me. You'd expect a go-getter, a business shark, but he's real with his own doubts and insecurities. However, as you read the book, you see how he slowly builds wit and character and how his acting saves the company at critical times.
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