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Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike Hardcover – April 26 2016
Phil Knight
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Product details
- Publisher : Scribner (April 26 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501135910
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501135910
- Item weight : 621 g
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 3.3 x 22.86 cm
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Best Sellers Rank:
#18,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7 in Fashion & Textile Business
- #8 in Olympic Games (Books)
- #18 in Basketball (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Product description
Review
“Shoe Dog is a great American story about luck, grit, know-how, and the magic alchemy of a handful of eccentric characters who came together to build Nike. That it happened at all is a miracle, because as I learned from this book, though we are a nation that extols free enterprise, we also excel at thwarting it. This is Phil Knight, one on one, no holds barred. The lessons he imparts about entrepreneurship and the obstacles one faces in trying to create something, are priceless. The pages I folded down are too many to mention.”—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone
“‘The best book I read last year. Phil is . . . a gifted storyteller.”—Warren Buffett
"I’ve known Phil Knight since I was a kid, but I didn’t really know him until I opened this beautiful, startling, intimate book. And the same goes for Nike. I’ve worn the gear, with pride, but I didn’t realize the remarkable saga of innovation and survival and triumph that stood behind every swoosh. Candid, funny, suspenseful, literary—this is a memoir for people who love sport, but above all it’s a memoir for people who love memoirs."—Andre Agassi, New York Times bestselling author of Open
"Shoe Dog is an extraordinary hero's journey, an epic tale of faith, unparalleled determination, excellence, failure, triumph, hard-earned wisdom, and love. It's nothing short of a miracle that Nike exists. I finished the last sentence in complete awe, inspired and grateful for the experience."—Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice and Inside the O'Briens
"A touching, highly entertaining adventure odyssey, with much to teach about innovation and creativity. Phil Knight takes us back to the Big Bang of the swoosh, recalls how he first begged and borrowed from reluctant banks, how he assembled a crew of eccentric but brilliant misfits, how they all worked together to build something unique and paradigm-changing. An inspiration for everyone with an unconventional dream."—Michael Spence, Nobel-prize winning economist
"A fresh historical perspective on one of the most profiled companies in the world...[Shoe Dog] builds characters of the people behind the brand."--ESPN.com
"Loaded with hard-earned wisdom...Want a simple recommendation? Go get a copy."—Portland Business Journal Review
"Shoe Dog is, at its heart, an origin story, of both a global brand and a footwear lifer...it reads like pure adventure story, boys facing steeper and steeper challenges and finding ways through, often by the skin of their teeth. As Knight collects the misfits and oddballs who become the core of his growing company, Shoe Dog is more like The Lord of the Rings than a typical mogul memoir."—Complex
“A rare and revealing look at the notoriously media-shy man behind the swoosh.”—Booklist STARRED review
About the Author
From the Publisher

Shoe dog-A Memoir by the Creator of Nike.
By Phil Knight
In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman 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.
Knight details the many terrifying risks he encountered along the way, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors, the countless doubters and haters and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs and narrow escapes. Above all, he recalls the foundational relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.
- Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the redemptive, transformative power of sports, they created a brand, and a culture, that changed everything.
Young, searching, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year, 1963. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is more than a logo. A symbol of grace and greatness, it’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.
But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. Now, in a memoir that’s surprising, humble, unfiltered, funny, and beautifully crafted, he tells his story at last. It all begins with a classic crossroads moment. Twenty-four years old, backpacking through Asia and Europe and Africa, wrestling with life’s Great Questions, Knight decides the unconventional path is the only one for him. Rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, something new, dynamic, different. Knight details the many terrifying risks he encountered along the way, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors, the countless doubters and haters and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs and narrow escapes. Above all, he recalls the foundational relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.

Phil Knight
One of the world’s most influential business executives, Phil Knight is the founder of Nike, Inc. He served as CEO of the company from 1964 to 2004, as board chairman through 2016, and he is currently Chairman Emertius. He lives in Oregon with his wife, Penny.
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Top reviews from Canada
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I love that his personal story is told in such a forthright, candid yet casual, voice that feels like an after-dinner story being told by a dear friend. I would highly recommend this book for new graduates and entrepreneurs of any age. It sounds trite and inadequate to simply call Shoe Dog and inspirational read – it feels like more than that.
I loved the accounting of his relationships with his track coach and his father – and his deep desire to make them both proud. He was surrounded by people who supported and believed in him early and steadfastly helped him achieve all he set out to achieve – his mother, his wife, his eccentric employees all played an important role. But even the untrustworthy businessmen that he encountered along the way, who also had an important role in creating a hostile environment that forced him to take greater risks and push harder to pursue his dreams.
At a time when world events and politics can leave a person feeling a bit emotionally bankrupt, a book like this comes along and reminds me of all the positivity and goodness in people and the excitement of building something astonishing from the gossamer threads of a crazy dream. Shoe Dog is an excellent book so I highly recommend it. I hope my review is useful to others.
This unlikely group of self depracating vagabonds are completely transparent about absolutely everything! They call their board members the butt faces. This will make you laugh, make you cry (at the end) and keep you absolutely riveted. They had no place to go but up and they did it with integrity, style and confidence in who they were and what they had to sell.
I only wish it was the same company now. If anyone knows where I can get the Legacy91 top swoosh ball cap (mine is worn out) I would be so appreciative!!! I called their help line which is overseas and all they do is quote whats on the web site. Please help Phil??? We need the old Nike company back.
Phil Knight exemplifies what hard work and true entrepreneurship is all about. He was able to surmount some huge challenges to build the ubiquitous Nike brand. Most importantly, he did it all well before the advent of the internet. He did it with an initial core team of fanatically dedicated people who shared his vision. They pounded the pavement to show off their products, again, all before the internet age.
Congratulations Phil on an outstanding book! - Five stars +++ all the way.
The book is interesting to me because it simultaneously feels authentic while also seeming like an exercise in PR. The book wasn't really an entrepreneurship guide- there's are no "10 lessons". I did walk away thinking about the passion of entrepreneurs and how important building great things is. All in all, I'd recommend this book as a pleasure read, not a business book.
This book encompasses all the real highs and lows of starting a business and making it wildly successful with all the very real human emotions that go with it.
Whatever you may think of large corporations today or or Nike, Phil Knights journey is an inspiring and very entertaining account of the building of the company from nothing.
It reads like an exciting fiction, had a few late nights where I couldn't put it down for the last two weeks.
Top reviews from other countries

I haven’t read the book, so I can’t really comment on the content that’s written in the book. I bought this just because I have read a lot of positive reviews. And I will definitely buy this again from some other seller who can provide good quality book. Can’t really stand pirated copies of the books.

Reviewed in India on May 4, 2019
I haven’t read the book, so I can’t really comment on the content that’s written in the book. I bought this just because I have read a lot of positive reviews. And I will definitely buy this again from some other seller who can provide good quality book. Can’t really stand pirated copies of the books.






The book ‘Shoe Dog’ is more like a conversation you have with your friend in a long weekend trip. How his life has shaped up from college, how people supported him, how challenges welcomed him with open arms (sometimes all at the same time) and how he survived after all. Nike began as an idea that Phil Knight presented in his post-grad days; importing shoes from Japan and selling it in America. His belief in the idea led to subsequent events, struggles and much-known success at the end.
In his memoir, he is not ashamed of how he remained impassive with his marketing team, his closest aides, and people who believed in him. He understood their encouraging presence and accepted that his dream is being supported by many others without any questions. Surprisingly, people gained strength from his behavior. The memoir won’t make you feel empathetic about his journey but like any other Nike’s advertisements, it will definitely make you feel motivated. Oh, it also made me believe that some quick decisions can be the best ones, Nike, the famous swoosh was among those.

As somebody who has recently started his business, finishing listening to this book left me quite inspired and there are many parts I would want to re-read to re-listen. That last final chapters I couldn't put it down.
For many years I had mixed feeling about the brand itself. I always thought was too expensive and too much overhyped with advertisement until a few years ago I bought their more minimalistic Nike flex and since then it has been my favourite shoe of all time. Phil knight himself is quite fascinating character and at times feel such an ordinary shy guy! that gives me some comfort, tying to make it in business as an introvert!

His tenacity shines through on every page and I also developed a greater appreciation of Nike and their ethos as a business. After the Sweatshop scandal in the 90's I was a little hesitant about buying their products, but he touches upon this aspect of the business and the subsequent deeper understanding of what drives this company has made me see them in a new light.
The writing is clear and engaging and he manages to tell a story in such a way that makes you want to keep turning the pages until the end and entertains whilst also imparting some business knowledge at the same time.
This is invaluable for those starting a business and a damn good read for those of us who just enjoy a good memoir/autobiography.
Highly recommended.

Shoe Dog is a person whose life is about shoes. Only one question bothers them all the time: How to make better shoes?
After reading this book, the next day when I went to my gym, I noticed that majority were wearing a Nike. But, I didn’t just see the shoes; I could see the sweat and blood that its founders had put into making Nike a universal brand. Obstacles at every turn, but an attitude to win, combined with camaraderie of the founders kept them going.
The main characters in this book (including the author) are shown not as superhuman beings with exceptional qualities who saw it all, but average people with an exceptional ability to preserver in the face of insurmountable obstacles. Therefore it’s a story you and I can identify with, and withdraw some courage from it when going gets tough. It will inspire you.
Phil drew inspiration from powerful quotes, and he has included a few of them in the book such as:
Consider the lilies of the field, they neither toil nor spin
Don’t go to sleep one night, what you most want will come to you then
You are remembered for the rules you break
And many more gems like these.
The chapters are based on every year from when the company was founded in 1962 to when it became an established company in 1980. I carried my book to bed in the night, and in train on my way to office. It’s so good; you would not want to stop before knowing how the story ends. In between you will laugh (mostly at the audacity of the team Nike) and there are places where you will be saddened. It engulfs you emotionally.
It’s one of the best biographies I have read, the others being Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. And that says something.