In this instantand tenacious New York Times
bestseller, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight “offers a rare
and revealing look at the notoriously media-shy man behind the swoosh” (Booklist,
starred review), illuminating his 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.
Bill Gates named Shoe Dog one of his five favorite books of
2016 and called it “an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of
what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy,
perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles,
and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to
do.”
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 car in 1963, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that
first year. 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 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. In Shoe Dog,
he tells his story at last. At twenty-four, Knight decides that rather
than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own,
new, dynamic, different. He details the many risks he encountered, the
crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors and hostile bankers—as well
as his many thrilling triumphs. Above all, he recalls the 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 transformative power of sports, they created a
brand—and a culture—that changed everything.