dog shoes

“The best book I read last year was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. Phil is a wise, smart, and highly competitive man, and he's also a gifted storyteller.” Warren Buffett

In 1962, immediately after graduating from business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and started a company with a simple mission: to import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Knight sold the shoes out of the trunk of his Plymouth, making $8,000 in his first year. Today, Nike's annual sales exceed $30 billion. In the age of startups, Nike is the pioneer, and its "Swoosh" logo has become a revolutionary global symbol and one of the most widely recognized and recognizable in the world today.

But Knight, the man behind the logo, has remained a perplexing enigma. Now, for the first time, he tells his story. Candid, humble, wry, and courageous, he begins with the moment when, at 24, he decided to start his own business. He details the grueling risks and setbacks that kept him from achieving his dream, as well as his early triumphs. Most importantly, he recalls how his first group of partners and employees quickly transformed into a close-knit brotherhood. Combining the superpower of a shared mission with a deep belief in the spirit of sports, this book is packed with lessons—about building something from scratch, overcoming adversity, and ultimately leaving your mark on the world.