Book Review & Summary: 'Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike' by Phil Knight.

Phil Knight is the co-founder and former CEO of Nike, a company he built up by selling running shoes out of the trunk of his car which became one of the world's most successful and iconic brands."Shoe Dog" is his memoir and tracks his journey from it's beginning as 'Blue Ribbon' in the 1960s when he formed a relationship with Onitsuka to sell their running shoes.  

Knight had seen that the Japanese had started building better cameras than the Germans and believed that the Japanese could also eventually dominate the trainer market. He went on a worldwide trip that ended in Japan and as a young man with nothing to lose, he persuaded Onitsuka to grant him the licence to sell their shoes in North America.

Over the years, Knight faces numerous challenges as he tries to build his company into a global powerhouse. He battles with his Japanese partner, struggles to secure financing, and deals with legal issues related to patents and trademarks.

Throughout the journey he builds a team around him that he trusts and lets them be themselves; he tells them what he wants but it is up to them to use their own talents to get there. From his former coach Bowerman who constantly tinkered with shoes to make them better to Jeff Johnson who was the first employee and moved constantly to wherever Knight needed him. His whole team were committed to him and the project.

Despite the obstacles that he faced, Knight perseveres and manages to turn Nike into a dominant force in the athletic shoe industry.  Along the way, he reflects on the lessons he learned about leadership, innovation, and risk-taking and he offers candid insights into his personal life, including his relationships with family members and his struggles with mental health issues. Towards the end of the book, it looks like everything conspiring against them but Knight shows that if you believe in the cause then you must fight with all you have and in the end, it will be worth it.

Final thoughts

I found "Shoe Dog" to be an interesting and quite thought-provoking read which would be good for people interested in sport, branding or building a multi-national business; or in my case an interest in all three.