Shoe Dog is a candid and riveting memoir of the CEO and founder of the multi-billion dollar company Nike, Phil Knight. This is a story of how he created this business borrowing 50 dollars from his father, going after something not many approved of and facing all the challenges, negotiating & leading his way, and solving business problems irrespective of being a shy person. In this memoir, Phir has been absolutely grounded accepting all the mistakes and the regrets he has over the years, humble when telling about his success, and funny while sharing his eccentricities.
My Review
What an amazing book. There are only a few non-fiction books that can keep you so engaged and thrilled like fiction and this is one of them. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it. There is no better way to learn about building a multi-billion business than reading a memoir of the one who built it. And if you are like me who get bored to death reading a business book but still want to learn about it then this book is for you. I highly highly recommend it.
Some key takeaways from the book
- Have the courage to believe in your idea when no one else does. If you feel in your gut that your idea is going be something someday, you should pursue it even if the world says otherwise
- There is no overnight success in business. It is a roller coaster ride and it comes with many sleepless nights.
- Being shy is not an excuse for giving up on your dream. Phil taught us how one can still negotiate and lead the way even being tongue-tied at times
- Having the stomach to take risks without a Plan B
- Multi-billion business is not built by the effort of one. Nike wouldn’t have been Nike without Bowerman, Woodell, Johnson, and many others
- Even though you are good and leading in the market, you still need to innovate
Favorite Quotes
When you run around an oval track or down an empty road, you have no real destination. At least, none that can fully justify the effort. The act itself becomes the destination. It’s not just that there is no finish line; it’s that you define the finish line. Whatever pleasures or gain you derive from the act of running, you must find them within
You must forget your limits, you must forget your doubts, your pain, your past. You must forget the internal voice screaming, “Not one more step”. And when it’s not possible to forget it, you must negotiate with it
There were many ways down Mount Fuji, according to my guidebook, but only one way up. Life lesson in that, I thought. Signs
Life is growth. You grow or you die.
Ques: Let me know if you have read this book and how do you like it? What other memoirs have you read?
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