(9/10) Shoe Dog is the autobiography/memoir of Phil Knight the creator and founder of Nike. The book details the most important events in Phil’s life as they relate to Nike. It begins with young Phil fresh out of undergraduate at Oregon and graduate MBA program at Stanford. Phil begins his adult life with a trip around the world. Soon after arriving back home, he gets a ‘real job’ doing accounting work and starts selling shoes on the side. From the first pair of shoes he ever sold to Nike becoming a publicly traded company takes place over 18 years. More than anything, this book will give you an appreciation for the passion and dedication of Phil and everyone he worked with along the way.
The story itself is very interesting, although there are some slower parts earlier in the book. This book is worth the time simply due to the end, where Phil pontificates on all that he has learned and gives life advice to young people. This part of the book is very well done and his advice is pure gold. The advice includes:
- The best advice he can give is just keep going, don’t stop, don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.
- Life is growth. You grow or you die.
- Confidence, more than equity or liquidity, is what a man needs to succeed. Confidence is cash. You have to have some to get more.
- Free, international trade always benefits both nations. When goods don’t pass borders, soldiers will. Trade is the path of coexistence, of cooperation.
- Money will try to define your days whether you want it or not, like it or not, need it or not. Our task as human beings is not to let it.
- The two most important questions in life; How do you want to spend your time and with whom do you want to spend it?
- Most important advice to young people; Don’t settle for a job or career. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means yet.
- Have faith in yourself but also have faith in faith. Faith as you define it.
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