Shoe Dog

A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

By: Phil Knight

Narrated by: Norbert Leo Butz

In this instant and 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 the year 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.

Epic book - absolutely loved it!!

As an entrepreneur, I identified with this book like no other that I've read - the well written narrative makes reading this book like living the experience moment to moment - wow.

I'm going to buy me some Cortez Nikes!!!

Love the story from beginning to end. It's currently on replay now. Mr. Knights highs and lows equal total motivation. Thank You.

Raw and Genuine Memoir

This is a well written book. It took a little bit of patience on my part as I felt it started off slowly but it then captivated me. I listened to the entire book in just a couple of days because I couldn’t get enough of his honest recount of his life, loves, career and feelings I could literally feel his frustrations, joy and pain. Thanks for sharing your inspiring passions with us Phil.

Awesome

I loved this book. It was soooooooo good. A must. It was funny and thought provoking. I didn't want it to end.

Mixed feelings

I'm left with mixed feeling about Phil Knight and his telling of Nike's history. There's SO MUCH that has been left out. But I'm not sure including it would have been interesting enough.

When it comes to Phil himself I give him kudos for being pretty open and honest about how he treated his early employees. It's not flattering. I also give him credit for being honest with us about his "only 10% better than his dad" parenting of his two sons.

He spends almost no time in the book on his children. Which he admits is reflective of the actual time he spent with them in real life. He worked a lot and travelled a lot. He also played a lot, drank and had fun a lot, and did it while his kids sat at home in Oregon.

Reading between the lines I think he may have been a worse dad then he even realizes. A not uncommon trait of hard driving entrepreneurs.

I got bored with his story and the lack of details about 2/3 through. By the end of the story I can say that based on this book along I consider Phil Knight to probably be a self centered arrogant jerk. He might se a sociopath. He's like that guy who you meet who seems interesting at first but after a while you dong care about the amazing stories any more and judg want to get away.