Shoe Dog

Phil Knight built Nike from a small import operation run out of a car into a global brand, and this memoir tells that story in his own voice. The account covers the founding years, the constant shortage of cash, the fraught supplier relationships and the people Knight recruited along the way. It works as business history and personal history at once, candid about the failures as well as the breakthroughs, and it keeps the focus on decisions as they were made rather than on polished hindsight. How it reads: • A first-hand founder's account of Nike's early years and expansion • Frank treatment of financial pressure and near-collapse moments • Portraits of the colleagues who shaped the company's culture • Reflections on risk, persistence and the cost of building something Readers interested in entrepreneurship, brand history or business memoir will find plenty here; this Simon & Schuster edition is available from Boipoka.