Knight built a lot of his business by lying to partners and employees.The way he meets his wife is presented as cutesy and romantic but would today be egregious sexual harassment.In fairness, almost all of the people in the book feel cartoonishly embellished.A lot of the Asian characters seemed more like caricatures who spoke in stereotypical broken English.Knight deliberately withheld praise and encouragement, even when employees outright begged him for approval.It seemed like they worked so much harder than Knight and sacrificed more for Nike, yet he kept most of the rewards.It was interesting to see how closely Steve Prefontaine was tied to Nike.As a casual runner, it was motivating to see someone describe running with such love and reverence.I related strongly to Knight’s experience as a founder new to manufacturing and importing.I laughed out loud several times while reading it, which is rare for me while reading.It was comforting to see that my frustrations working with overseas suppliers are similar to what Knight experienced fifty years ago.

There was a lot that I found relatable as a founder who never expected to be in the manufacturing business. Nike’s history is more interesting than I expected, and the book provides a lively story of the company’s early years. They positioned themselves as the sneaker company that served runners when everyone else was just making pretty shoes. Running wasn’t popular in the 70s, but Nike’s founders loved running. It would be like me getting a Google tattoo in 2003.Īfter reading Shoe Dog, my coach’s tattoo made sense. It was a Nike tattoo, and he proudly told us that he got it a few years after the company was founded. My high school cross-country coach was a fairly straight-laced guy, so it was a bit out of character that he had a small tattoo on his back. I didn’t find many business insights, but it was still an engaging and funny story. I bought this book hoping for lessons to apply to my business, manufacturing and selling physical products.

Shoe dog