Welcome to Litsy!

This was a surprisingly entertaining memoir covering the early days of Blue Ribbon, a tiny shoe distribution company that almost went belly up several times. It would survive, somehow, and would eventually evolve become the behemoth that is Nike. It‘s hard to think of Nike as the “little guy” facing astronomical odds, but it truly was a very long time ago. Regardless I‘m still more of a Converse and Adidas guy!

#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When I see my retired aunt and uncle I ask what their book club is reading to get ideas, and this was one of those books. ☺️ I enjoyed this one—I find stories of people building something from nothing and hearing what went well and what was a struggle to be really interesting. Everyone wants to present themselves in the best light, but I felt like this had a decent amount of humility and didn‘t sugar coat the struggle.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A well written memoir on the fight for success.

#nonfiction #business

I loved this book, which traces the start of Nike, from a “wild idea” to the company‘s initial public offering. It‘s so well written I found myself hoping things would turn out well whenever they hit a challenging point. Which is quite a feat considering we all know how things turned out for Nike. I read this for two reasons: @Cinfhen told me to, and the co-writer also wrote Andre Agassi‘s book, which is my all time favorite memoir.

I have been trying to get to this memoir ever since @Cinfhen put it in her #AuldLangSpines list. March Madness seems like the right time! Especially since all the teams from my ACC are out already so nothing needs my full attention.

Wasn‘t expecting to shed some tears but I did! I found this story of Nike‘s creation to be full of humor, humanity, humility, chutzpah, drive, innovation and tenacity. Narration was fantastic. I loved the backstory of how the company got both its name & iconic symbol - the swoosh, as well as learning about the grit & guts it took to build a multi billion dollar empire. Now I want to read the Adidas/Puma origin story. #ShoeWars

#Riveting Fantastic narration 🙌🏻 The origin story of Nike. Phil Knight seems like such a humble & genuine guy. A true innovator and the epitome of perseverance.

I usually don‘t have three books going at once, but…here I am…
Enjoying all three 😁
Of course NONE were in my #WeeklyForecast 😆

Wonderful book written nicely.

When you recognise the voice of the narrator...

Very inspiration. I‘m not a huge autobiography reader but this one was very well done. I highly recommend.

Starts off slow..but gradually picks up pace (like a race!). Offers a fresh perspective on what goes behind creating a billion-dollar brand, that too a shoe brand! Motivating, nonetheless.

Bailing. The narrator put me to sleep from the beginning and I knew there was no way I could for 13 more hrs!! I plan picking up the print copy later.

Book 14

I only started to really enjoy this book after the first two chapters and I loved the ending & the reflection moments (& every single page thereafter). This is an extraordinary story that will inspire entrepreneurs & individuals to keep going. I also enjoyed the honesty about how some success stories are born from...luck vs coincidence vs intuition vs destiny and having the right team (playing to their strengths -from employee no.1) 👟loved it ❤️

The first few chapters were a little too pretentious for me. White male who‘s parents paid for college and grad school then decides to go on a trip around the world, courtesy of his dad again. I am sure he worked extremely hard to get Nike to what it is today, but I couldn‘t get past the privilege that exuded from the pages.

#dnf

A recurring thème is the thème of victory. Victory is mentioned in the beginning by Phil as a quote by Winston Churchill. Later he visits the temple of Nike, goddess of victory during his tour of the world. Eventually, he names his brand Nike. Also this is present by his brand being popular and working out well. It‘s victorious.
**SUMMARY in comments**

A recurring thème is the thème of victory. Victory is mentioned in the beginning by Phil as a quote by Winston Churchill. Later he visits the temple of Nike, goddess of victory during his tour of the world. Eventually, he names his brand Nike. Also this is present by his brand being popular and working out well. It‘s victorious.
**SUMMARY in comments**

#Reading

A good read. Obviously I took exception to him embellishing his memory of Kenya in the 60's and not mentioning the runners who have broken World records in his shoes - Kenyans. But its his story and its a beautiful story of courage and resilience. And living a purposeful life!

Loved the story and it makes you motivated to follow your dreams

This story about the creator of Nike and the ideas, visions, trials, difficulties, people, and places that brought about the corporation was fascinating and fun to read.

I am utterly fascinated with the way giant corporations are built. Most of the time it‘s some combination of hard work, good luck, and people magically saying yes when they could have or should have said no. This one was fantastic.

12 hours into #24B4Monday and this is my first book finished. Going strong.

I have a giant stack of books that I‘m in the middle of and I need some motivation to finish them.

So I‘m jumping in on #24B4Monday with this audiobook.

Overall a great book about the highs and lows of Knight's life and the creation of Nike. There is a slight layer of pretentiousness. Knight reminds you throughout the book that he's travelled the world. That his "not-rich" father paid for (though not sure if anyone not well off would ever fund that... Or provide cash to start his son's company). Also I think Johnson was the main driving force behind how Blue Ribbon became Nike. #swoosh

Fantastic only good memoir out there

❤️

#MarchIntoThe70s Still on my TBR 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏾‍♂️👟A memoir by the creator of Nike #JustDoIt #BornToRun
Still loving this playlist 🤟🏼 Spotify playlist is https://spoti.fi/2U8oEiP 🌟I think you requested it @Chrissyreadit 🌟

Good book on the history and picks some of those news stories in a different perspective.

Caught two commuters reading on the bus early in the AM! Camouflaged in the center of the photo is Nike founder Phil Knight‘s memoir #ShoeDog; top right is #CatcherintheRye by J. D. Salinger—the classic subway read.

Inspiring Read

Terrific book! I love reading the success story of an American entrepreneur. Phil Knight injected a good bit of humor into the story about how Nike became Nike!

#NoFemmber #creator 👟 @Billypar @Cinfhen

Its worth reading. I took up this book to understand how successful people thinks. I thing I learn from this book is how easily and constructively he and his team fight all the obstacles.The cooperate culture he developed in Nike. And more than anything the brand Nike.
Worth listening ( I am a audible ) person.
5/5 rating

The author‘s sense of humor turned what I thought would be a dry portrayal of Nike into a heartwarming inspiring story.

"Leaning back in my recliner each night, staring at the ceiling, I tried to settle myself. I told myself: Life is growth. You grow or you die.”
I liked this quote .. it remind us to try every single day .the book is awesome. I will order another pair of Nike soon

Great

Not book related but I wanted to share cause this community has so been so supportive. 5 years of gratitude with the best brand in the world. Thank you for helping this soft spoken individual find my voice. If I‘ve been any amount of successful it is because of the people who have lead me, lead with me, and allowed me to lead them. Let‘s keep winning together.

Finally finished this. I work for Nike, currently as a footwear manager, so I wanted to spend a good amount of time with this. There seemed to be a lot honesty and reality with how difficult it is to build a culture from nothing while retaining good standards and mindset. And how it doesn‘t always happen. I‘ve said it before and I‘ll say it again, Nike saved me. This book reminded me why I choose to become a leader within the brand.

When you make something, when you improve something, when you deliver something, when you add some new thing or service to the lives of strangers, making them happier, or healthier, or safer, or better, and when you do it all crisply and efficiently, smartly, the way everything should be done but so seldom is - you‘re participating more fully in the whole grand human drama. More than simply alive, you‘re helping others to live more fully.

That leaves us.

Wearing my kicks while listening to Shoe Dog on #audiobook. Almost done and loving it. I‘m not usually drawn to #nonfiction, but this has kept me completely captivated. #swoosh

Shoe dog by Phil Knight. An awesome read!!!!

I‘ve waited entirely too long to start this one. If you haven‘t seen already, I‘m a manager for a Nike Factory Store. This company and the people in it pulled me through the darkest times of my life. The inclusive environment and the competitive beast they breed within and against yourself, rival brands, and fleeting obstacles has shaped me in ways I didn‘t think were possible. Say what you will, but Nike made me a leader. #mambamentality

She hadn't found herself in many negotiations, and she didn't know that the basic rule of negotiation is to know what you want, what you need to walk away with in order to be whole.

I had never known about this Adidas/ Puma rivalry! The companies were owned by two rival brothers who bitterly hated each other. It was mentioned in 'Shoe Dog' so I had to stop and read up on it.

http://fortune.com/2013/03/22/the-hatred-and-bitterness-behind-two-of-the-worlds...

4⭐️. Shoe Dog was a refreshingly honest memoir. Phil Knight doesn‘t make him out himself out to be perfect. He reveals his mistakes, his failures, his indecisions, and his imperfections. That‘s what makes me appreciate this book so much. Despite his shy and introverted personality he persevered. https://lharvey250.tumblr.com/post/159875911339/shoe-dog-a-memoir-by-the-creator...

Great audio book! I loved the narration and it's a very interesting story.