I recently completed reading Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight. Shoe Dog is a memoir that details Knight's life and the formation of Nike. I really enjoyed learning about all of the challenges and the process that Knight went through to create Nike. As someone with an MBA, the business side was really interesting to me, and I loved reading about how Knight communicated with everyone and built relationships with his employees, partners, and even athletes. Relationship Building is a huge key to any successful business, and it's clear that is something that Knight excelled at. It's hard to believe that the idea for the giant corporation that we know today came from a Graduate School assignment. His "Crazy Idea" was one that he believed in. He worked hard at making it successful, and he never gave up on it...no matter who didn't believe in him or what challenges got in his way.
This is going to be a bit of a different book review from what most of you are used to. You see, I began reading this book at the same time as a friend as we formed our own "book club". As I was reading the book, I would take quick shorthand notes on each year (basically chapters in Shoe Dog) that I wanted to make sure I mentioned when we had our book club discussions. You'll see some quick abbreviations, "haha"s, "lol"s, and even emojis...that's what happens when you keep your notes on your iPhone. When I finished reading the book, I decided why not just share all of my notes in a blog, so here we are!
I have my notes laid out year by year, so let's get started!
Part One
1962
- Crazy how different times were with being able to travel
- How was he able to schedule the meeting with the company that easily without even giving a business name?!
- Why would he not have gone home right after the meeting?
1963
- CPA & MBA? Feel like that’s rare
- Who was the Carter at end of chapter?
1964
- Coaches could practice differently back then haha
- He had a partner?!
- Why did he need $1k when Coach was a partner?
- $6.95-$3.33 = $3.62 profit
- On $3k order, why asking for more cash?! What about what they made & partner??
- Snuck on to military planes
- He stole Sarah from that guy!
- Why did it take so long for the next shipment to arrive?
- It seems like he’s doing a lot of work to have a partner. Getting no help.
1965
- Only making $3.62 a shoe & giving this guy $1.75-$2?!
- Complaining about shoe shipments being late - he should’ve had some kind of better contract or something with them
- Now he mentions Bowerman’s wife paying the initial $500
1966
- His management style of Johnson is wild lol
- Retail store & doesn’t even go?!
- Lying to Onitsuka about east coast locations. Never could happen today with the internet.
1967
- Just moved Johnson to East Coast!
- Hired Woodell. 4 employees now. 2nd retail in Eugene. Almost seems to be expanding too quickly.
1968
- Shouldn’t he have noticed from looking at the books that Parks & Woodell weren’t cashing their checks?
- Parks has rats, a monkey, & goose?!
- After engagement Penny’s mom says, “you SoB”
1969
- $2 a pair commission but earlier said only making $3.62 per shoe?
- I did not know that Puma & Adidas were run by German brothers
1970
- 3-year deal, doesn't get it vetted by a lawyer?
- New Japanese trading company
- Onitsuka planning to break!
1971
- Kitami blowing up bank loans.
- Stole Kitami document.
- Onitsuka wants to buy Blue Ribbon.
- Why is he worried about non-compete in the contract if Kitami doesn’t care about the contract?
- Can he sue the other companies if it’s a foreign contract?
- Johnson named Nike!!! This guy should be rich.
- Cale bought stock. Is he the guy from Hawaii?
- I did not think Sole was American, but PK says embarrassed Americans.
- Tennis shoe named Wimbledon, no trademark issue?
- Thought couldn’t do track shoes?
- Ladies just stepping over Penny in the bathroom floor?!
- Next to last page - “know chemical releasing agents” sentence does not make sense.
1972
- Onitsuka trying to bully Blue Ribbon into selling.
- Did they not inspect the Nikes before the show? Wonder if they were just sent directly there.
- Got Nike used by some Portland Trailblazers quickly.
- Page 204 “and not a drop to drink”? Talking about Neco drinks?
- Bork went to work for Kitami. What a bi-otch.
- Who was Iwano?
- F*** Kitami. I can’t believe he asked for Bowerman.
- What a speech by Knight to the team.
- Who is this Hollister guy now running the store?
- I have never heard of these athletes getting kidnapped at the Olympics in 1972. That is wild.
- Why did Bowerman get in trouble for calling marines?
- The whole Oregon team is wearing Nikes!
- Called OSU the Bucktooths
1973
- Pre went back to college. This was still when only amateurs were in Olympics, right?
- Switching Johnson. Treats him so poorly lol.
- Losing $57K doesn’t seem *that* terrible
- I like this Strasser guy.
- “Downplayed his intelligence, rather than risk alienating people” I feel like I do that.
- Dick Harter & Dick Enright
- Pigeon poop falling on Woodell in the office!
- $4.8M sales in 1973. Grew 50%.
- He left Penny in the hospital to go to a game
1974
- How did they find out about Fujimoto (spy)?
- Johnson almost blew it talking about the trial.
- They won!
- I wouldn’t have signed if Kitami didn’t have the check.
- Never thought about how fluctuating exchange rates could change that stuff.
- Moving Johnson back East
- Connors won in Nikes then backed out on the deal.
1975
- Drained all the money & paid workers in cash.
- Couldn’t pay the $1M & asked for another $1M!
- Fraud?!
- How is Bowerman not in on this fraud meeting.
- Ito paid off the debt & said F off to the bank.
Part Two
1975
- Thought the guy was Shorter? Who is Hayward?
1976
- I didn’t think about how people didn’t wear tennis shoes everywhere back then.
- Change from Blue Ribbon to Nike.
- Shoe cream in a Mao Tai?!
- Cool that he went back to Manila to stay in MacArthur’s Suite
- Bowerman senile?
- Get money back from Shorter since he switched shoes?
- Weight nickname for Woodell.
- Four Factor is a great nickname.
- Page 301 “get shut? of our...”
1977
- Air Soles
- The coach held out for money after saying it was up to the “team”.
- Frank McGuire & South Carolina w a Shoutout!
- Did Lute Olson want money too?
- Didn’t believe in advertising
*eye-roll*
- Page 317. Halfway down. That’s capitalized when shouldn’t be.
- Kept smashing the phone
1978
- Page 326 - we’re in 1978, but says tracking 1979 sales?
- Hired Nelson with no style & worst dresser to run apparel
1979
- Told senator Hatfield to "wait" when he asked how to help?!
- Half-ton of upper management
- How could Chang ask a guy when he's getting out of a wheelchair?
1980
- I don’t understand the American selling price reset. Wouldn’t that make his competitors have to pay?
- Knight goes against advisors & wants $22 per share.
- Went public same week at Apple for same price, $22 per share.
- I don’t understand why Kuhn, Loeb was making an offer.
- Which one was Cale again?
- Knight worth $178 million!!
Night
- Friends with Bill Gates & Warren Buffet.
- What a night for that movie theater with them & Knight.
- Big gap between when he wrote Night chapter & when it came out. Talks about LY sales as 2006 & the book came out in 2016.
- LeBron James giving him a watch is cool.
- Crazy that Phil was so close with the athletes.
- Didn’t know his son Matthew had died
- The basketball arena at the University of Oregon is named after him
- Tiger calling first is pretty cool.
- “It’s never just business”
- Gave their invention to competitors
- I want to go to Johnson’s book place.
- Tried to buy the Clippers but got into it with Sterling
- Knight ore sunglasses everywhere
- William Knight was his dad?
- Who was Iwano?
Obviously, there were things lift out of the book, and there were a few loopholes and holes in certain stories that were filled in, but overall, I thought Shoe Dog was a great memoir.
I want to get a big shoutout to my friend, Brett, who started the book club with me, but STILL HASN'T FINISHED THE BOOK!
Sidenote: I read the hardback version of the book, so notes with page numbers or references refer to that version.
Comment and let me know your thoughts on the book, other book recommendations, and what you are reading now!
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