Author: Stephen Demon
Phil. Knight is the founder of Nike and one of the world's most influential entrepreneurs. Today, Nike has become a corporate empire with annual revenues of more than $30 billion. The book "Shoe Dog" is Phil. Knight's autobiography chronicles his entrepreneurial history of building Nike's business empire "from 0 to 1" alone.
Phil personally wrote this autobiography at the age of 78, he did not focus on rendering Nike's success, but vividly depicted the efforts and efforts of the start-up team, as well as the difficulties in the entrepreneurial process, let us know the unknown story behind Nike's success. To write this book well, Phil. Knight took a writing class in his 70s, so "Shoe Dog" is not Nike's brand promotion, but Phil Knight's writing effort to inspire everyone with wonderful dreams.
The book "Shoe Dog" also makes us feel a real entrepreneur Phil. Knight exudes a charisma of character. Next I'll be from Phil. The four characteristics of Knight's personality tell the story of his legendary entrepreneurial history.
1, focus on investment.
Phil loves long-distance running, but at the same time focuses on running, and has almost entered the ranks of world-class athletes. During his graduation thesis, Phil found that Japanese running shoes may dominate the running shoe market, and the United States did not have its own running shoe brand at that time. So came the crazy idea: to introduce Japanese running shoes to the United States!
Thoughts determine actions, and Phil develops the courage to fight for his dreams. His father gave him $500 in start-up capital, and after Phil graduated, he saved up enough money while working part-time, and immediately went to Japan's Onizuka Tiger Running Shoe Company. Onizuka Tiger's running shoes are comfortable, stylish, and inexpensive, and Phil believes that runners should have such a pair of shoes.
Onizuka Tiger took a fancy to Phil's enthusiastic attitude to the shoe industry and a deep understanding of the history, culture and future development of running shoes, and after several negotiations, Phil won the agency rights of Onizuka Tiger in the United States. After returning to the United States, Phil bought dozens of pairs of Onizuka Tiger running shoes at the purchase price and began to sell shoes.
Phil always kept a goal: He wanted Americans to have their own running shoes.
It is with the persistence and firmness of the goal that Phil can overcome many difficulties and go farther and farther on the road of "selling shoes"; only then has the hard requirements for the start-up team: love running, and at the same time, like him, can focus on the running shoe business. Such a person is the "shoe dog" he needs: someone who can devote himself to making, selling, buying and designing shoes.
2, the spirit of Bó Lè.
Many founders are very strong and like to fight alone; some founders are more stubborn and can't listen to the opinions of those around them; and some founders are more conceited, thinking that they give orders, and others can execute. Phil is very humble, he is such a person with the spirit of Bó Lè, knows how to put talents in the position that is really suitable for him, respects their choices, and makes everyone happy to work while maximizing their potential.
The first partner was Phil's athletics coach Bill during college. Bauerman. Bauerman is a coach who has an obsessive love for running shoes, he pursues the comfort and lightness of running shoes, so he constantly removes the shoes of the trainees and transforms them, and personally makes shoes for the team members. Phil decided that Ballman would not only be a genius designer, but would also be the soul of the company.
Le Cordon Bleu was formally founded in Oregon in 1964. Ballman is free, and the entrepreneurial pressure of the company is basically carried by Phil alone, but Phil does not care who pays more, giving Ballman enough time and freedom to focus on what he really loves: the study of sneakers. Ballman is passionate about the transformation of running shoes, he dismantled Onizuka Tiger's shoes countless times, and made a lot of notes, researched a design plan that is more suitable for the needs of American consumers, and provided Itizuka Tiger with reference production.
The Japanese side finally adopted some schemes, and the Cortez series, launched in 1967, became the best-selling running shoe in the United States, and its revenue increased steadily. Of course, Ballman did not stop designing, he played his talent to the extreme, and constantly launched various explosive models.
Phil is in charge of the operations, Ballman is in charge of the products, and a very important part of that is the sales. In the early days, it was all up to Phil to go door-to-door to sell running shoes, and later joined a co-founder and the first full-time employee of Le Cordon Bleu, Phil's classmate in the track and field team, Jeff. Johnson. Johnson regards running as a sacred sport, and he believes that all runners deserve such a good pair of running shoes.
Through correspondence with Johnson, it was discovered that the partner turned out to be a marketing genius. Johnson reported to Phil every day on his sales efforts, creative solutions, and built a consumer database containing consumer personal information, shoe sizes, and footwear preferences; and even created new design sketches based on consumer feedback. Because of Johnson's enthusiasm, Le Cordon Bleu has a customer base and a very good user experience.
After Johnson completed his sales targets, Phil also kept his promise to realize Johnson's dream of opening a store, and in 1966, Le Cordon Bleu had its first retail store, which Johnson built. This marketing genius has created one sales miracle after another under the relaxed system.
Phil is also a talent lover, and on Ballman's recommendation, he hired another full-time employee, Bob, who was once the best in the track and field and can now only sit in a wheelchair for life. Woold. Through observation, Phil discovered that Woold was a brilliant manager who handled administrative affairs or communicated with people. Others feel that it is very tedious and boring chores, service matters, but Woold has done it with ease.
"Shoe Dogs" records many talents who later joined the company's core team, most of whom were personally selected by Phil, such as legal counsel Strathurer. Although young, but not willing to be mediocre, do not like to take boring cases, but appreciate an attitude of belief in the product, he likes Nike culture, willing to follow Phil. Knight.
3. Perseverance.
Fei'er's tenacious and hard-working spirit infected all the members of the team. Phil and the Japanese Onizuka Tiger love-hate entanglement for 13 years, almost every conflict is fatal, if Phil is a person who is afraid of setbacks, perhaps the later Nike will not exist.
Shortly after taking over the onizuka tiger agency, another competitor appeared, who also claimed to be the dealer of onizuka tiger. It was all information from one of Johnson's consumers, and with Johnson's assistance, Phil collated sales figures and future marketing plans and traveled to Japan alone to negotiate with Onizuka Tiger. In the end, Phil won the sole agency in the United States and renewed his contract for three years.
In 1970, the two sides signed another three-year contract, but Onizuka's attitude changed, and the quantity of goods sent was not correct, the model was wrong, and even the quality was also problematic. After repeated trials, Phil finally discovered that Onizuka Tiger had privately contacted a number of dealers in the United States and was not satisfied with having only one agent.
Phil decided to find a factory to replace Onizuka. In 1971, Le Cordon Bleu became independent and designed the logo, which is what we now see as the "hook", the brand name is the idea contributed by Johnson - "NIKE" Nike, in Athens, NIKE is the name of the goddess of victory, what is more important than victory?
In 1972, Onizuka discovered nike's search for other foundries, formally proposed to terminate the contract, and demanded sky-high liquidated damages. With the unanimous support of his partners, Phil appealed and began a lengthy lawsuit with Onizuka. In a moment when everyone was extremely disappointed, Phil did not fall, and the morale of the team was boosted over and over again. The entire team actively collects all-round sales data and evidence of Onizuka's breach of contract.
Finally, in 1974, Le Cordon Bleu won the case, and Onizuka proposed a $400,000 settlement. Finally, Phil's love-hate relationship with Onizuka ended. In order to make the Nike brand a household name, in 1976, Le Cordon Bleu was also changed to Nike Co., Ltd.
Starting his business in 1962, Phil's toughest thing was a lack of money! Due to the negative net worth, the bank has to review each loan for a long time, the capital chain has been very tight, Phil resisted all the pressure, on the one hand, constantly negotiating with the bank, on the other hand, trying to raise money in various ways.
In 1970, Onizuka sent a dunning slip, but the bank informed him that he would not grant any more loans to Le Cordon Bleu. Helping Phil relieve this stress are Woold and his parents, whose family is in poor condition, who give all their savings to Phil because they are grateful that Phil gave Woold hope. The camaraderie of the revolution began at that time.
Phil continued to circulate among major banks, and finally reached a cooperation agreement in 1971 with the Nissho Iwai Trading Company, which could provide financial assistance for Le Cordon Bleu's future import business. The funding problem was finally solved and the company's operations returned to normal.
After nike was founded, it developed more rapidly, causing panic among competitors, who joined forces to lobby the customs department, believing that Nike's imported shoes had suppressed locally produced sneakers. Finally, the customs department said Nike owed them a total of $2,500 in import duties.
Everyone began to gather information and evidence, the young adviser Strathor also found a lawyer to specialize in various laws, and Phil also tried every means to meet politicians, lobbyists, customs officials, and anyone who could help, forcing himself to study politics and law, trying to plead with senators for help, and even filing antitrust lawsuits through the favorable evidence they gathered.
This perseverance eventually broke the nerves of customs officials, who in 1980 proposed reconciliation negotiations. The crisis has once again been defused. And in December of the same year, Nike was officially listed!
4, heavy love and righteousness.
In addition to these character traits that make him successful, Phil is also a man of great affection. Throughout the book, Phil shows his love for his wife. In 1968, in order to alleviate the pressure of entrepreneurship, he obtained a job as an assistant professor at Portland State University. During the teaching process, Phil recruited a female student, Penelope. Parks (whom Phil calls Penny) goes to the company to do some administrative work, and the schoolgirl does it carefully and efficiently.
Penelope had a great time communicating with anyone, Phil could not leave such a good administrator, and the girl became Phil's wife that year. The two started a business together.
At the end of the book, Phil emotionally writes: "Penny has waited for me for half a century since the beginning, and now I can hand her this painstakingly written book and tell her that this is Nike, this is all the story: "Penny, I can't do it without you." "
Phil has great respect for star athlete Pre Ark, and he believes that what attracts him most to Pre Ark is his love and passion for running. In 1973, pre-Ark went bankrupt because of special decrees that prevented Olympic athletes from receiving government funding and endorsement fees.
To help the athletes he admired, Phil invited Pre ark to become le Cordon Bleu's star spokesperson and serve as director of public affairs, providing a decent salary and shelter. Thankfully, The Ark of Prey also lived up to expectations, and Ark of Prey toured the country, including all athletics competitions, state fairs, high schools, and colleges. Pre Ark promotes Nike like a gospel, wearing Nike costumes and shoes everywhere he goes.
Unfortunately, After winning the race, Prey's Ark participated in the celebration party, but after the party, he had an accident and left this world forever, only living for 24 years, and this year was indeed the beginning of Phil's business. Phil was heartbroken and could not bear this tragedy for a long time. After discussing with Johnson and Woold, Phil decided that as long as Nike was still in business, he would squeeze out money to hold a commemorative event at the place where Pre Ark had happened.
Phil is also very righteous, and he regards his partners who have struggled together from the beginning as brothers.
Woold was disabled for life, and Phil treated him like a normal person. Outside of work, Phil and Penny would always invite Woold to a family dinner, where good wine and good meat were served and wood was heard. Woold regained his confidence in life because of Phil and Penny, and later found his lifelong partner and lived a happy life.
Bauerman's old heart was tired, and the death of Pre Ark hit him so hard that he decided to sell his shares at a low price and quit Le Cordon Bleu. Phil respects and thanks the soul figure, and he has voluntarily retained a part of Ballman's shares, and this love will not be forgotten.
Phil likes to talk to each other without scruples and like brothers to each other. "I trust them completely, I don't keep a close eye on them, I let them be their true selves, let them do it themselves, let them make their own mistakes, because I always want others to treat me like this." 」 "
These people also love Phil, which is a strong mutual trust, the company is facing crises again and again, even if they are lost and desperate, they all stand firmly by Phil's side. In 1980, after the company went public, the gang, including Ballman, was worth more than millions of dollars, which was Phil's return for them.
Looking back at Nike's entire entrepreneurial history, we really got to know a great founder, Phil. Knight. Perhaps his success may not be replicated, but many of his spirits are worth learning and understanding.
Phil, 80, said: "There is a lot to do and a lot to learn. ”
He's still struggling, what about you?
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