BookWorm: Shoe Dog

Phil Knight’s candid and riveting memoir of how he built Nike from scratch. Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as a fearless start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.

It was 2005 when I bought my first pair of Nike. I wore them to work, for running, for outings and almost everywhere. I waited five years for those pairs to get torn so that I could buy new ones. They never did. Sturdy brats! I eventually donated them to make way for the new ones – another Nike – and since then I have never used any other brand.

I am sure millions trust Nike for its comfort, sturdiness, innovative designs, and cutting edge technology. Nike’s reputation is simply unparalleled. Its trademark – the swoosh – is more than a logo. It’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.

However, I never knew that Nike was the brainchild of one man, himself an athlete. He borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan.

The man was Phil Knight. And  Shoe Dog is Knight’s candid and riveting memoir. He shares the inside story of Nike’s early days as a fearless start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands. Shoe Dog is nothing less than a business thriller and perhaps the best business book that I have ever read.

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