My new take on Nike.

"History is one long processional of crazy ideas." This quote by Phil Knight perfectly captures the essence of his memoir, "Shoe Dog."

Back in May of 2023, we launched “Sira Reads”, Sira Community’s book club. Our goal is to create a space where we can cultivate the power of community and gain fresh perspectives through reading books.

Our first book selection was “Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike,” and here are some of my thoughts on it.

Before reading this book, I was already a Nike fan. For me, the $36-billion-dollar giant brand represents strength, resilience, achievement, and possibilities. Whenever I had my Nike workout gear on, I would feel like an athlete. However, this story gave me a whole new perspective on Nike and its founder, Phil Knight.

I couldn’t put this title down; it was a complete pleasure seeing Nike from its founder’s point of view. Parts of this book really surprised me, while others got me thinking about meaning and how to pursue it in our daily lives.

The book walks us through the life of Phil Knight since the beginning of his journey in 1962 until Nike went public in 1980. It portrays how Phil’s personal and professional life morphs into one big adventure full of glorious wins, enormous risks, and lots of challenges.

From what I read, I can describe Phil Knight as an intelligent introvert with big dreams that he is willing to pursue. The book depicts his life in a raw form away from the nowadays entrepreneurship glorification. He talks about both his strength and imperfections bluntly, and that might be one of the biggest reasons that make his story really gravitating.

Phil's idea all started when he did some research during his masters at Stanford. He thought that bringing Japanese shoes to the US market might be a huge opportunity, and he wanted to be the one to do just that.

The storyline shows us that almost everyone was thinking that this was simply a bad idea. Phil had a stable and successful future ahead of him if he simply stuck to his path and followed societal expectations that said he should start a good career in accounting and forget about this shoe thing.

But Phil stood his ground; he craved growth, as he said, “Life is growth. You grow or you die.” He showed us he had many insecurities and he wanted to prove to himself and his father that he was able to make his idea really come to life.

He travelled to Japan, and it all started with a $50 loan from his father and a company he called “Blue Ribbon,” where he started importing Japanese Tiger shoes and selling them in the United States. The rest is history, but in reality, it wasn’t really that simple.

Phil pivoted after a fallout with his Japanese counterparts and started manufacturing his own shoe designs under the brand Nike in 1972. Six years later, he renamed his company to become Nike, Inc., in 1978 and went public two years later.

What really surprised me was that Nike was on the verge of losing it all multiple times and miraculously recovered. Phil Knight didn’t come across as the business genius that always had answers, but he was the person with the tenacity and resilience to jump back on his feet after hitting the ground.

Here are some of my favorite takeaways:

- Choose your people carefully:

Nike’s story is built around the people in Phil’s life, and you can easily see that without them, there is no Nike. From his partner, the iconic Bill Bowerman, to his wife Penny Knight; who you surround yourself with might have the biggest impact on your life.

- Follow your heart, but be prepared to work:

Phil followed his love for running and his dream of growing his company, but he was prepared to do the work. He learned how to manoeuvre the foreign culture of Japan in post-WW2, he worked another job to support Nike financially in its starting days, and he bet all on the success of Nike.

- Be brave, take action:

Phil travelled to Japan for the first time in his life, requested a meeting with big Japanese executives, and put in his first shoe order on the same day. I feel nowadays so many of us feel we need to have everything figured out perfectly before we even send out an email. I personally want to make a conscious effort to be braver on a daily basis.

- Don’t judge a book by its cover:

When you think of the best people to run a shoe company, you might think of athletes passionate about health and running, and that might be mostly true. But many of the people who were monumental to Nike's success didn’t fit the picture; one of Phil’s most trusted employees had lost his ability to walk in an accident, another was an overweight smoker who never ran a mile in his life, but they were true believers. Always have an open mind!

- Have the faith to endure:

In the words of Phil Knight, “Have faith in yourself, but also have faith in faith. Not faith as others define it. Faith as you define it. Faith as faith defines itself in your heart.” 

- Money is important, but don’t let it control you:

If you are working to grow your career or start your business, money can seem like a great goal, but if you get fixated on it too much as an end result instead of a byproduct of success, it might end up controlling your days. I loved the way Phil talked about this in the book: “But that’s the nature of money. Whether you have it or not, whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not, it will try to define your days. Our task as human beings is not to let it.”  

- Widen your horizon:

Phil started his life after university with a trip around the world, where he saw and experienced different cultures and points of view, and that really contributed to his character and shaped him into the person capable of building the Nike empire. Traveling is a privilege; if you can travel, find a way to do it. If you are unable, seek different ways of gaining different perspectives, read books, watch movies, talk to new people. And keep learning!

Other than having a very gripping story, this book can really teach you a lot, and I think it is a must-read for anyone who is starting a business, passionate about career growth, or just wants to know about a great story.

About Sira Reads

Sira Reads is a book club founded within the Sira Community to help our members connect on a deeper level. Through the books we read and the perspectives of other members, it’s a space where creativity, collaboration, and authentic connections come to life. Staying true to Sira’s values, it’s about showing up as yourself, learning, connecting and building something meaningful together.

If you’re curious about exploring Sira Reads and the many other ways our community can help you grow and connect, join our discovery call. It’s the perfect chance to learn more about what Sira has to offer and how it could be the right fit for you. Here is the link to register.