Shoe Dog – Phil Knight

Takeaways

• Reality is nonlinear. No future, no past. All is now.
• The world is filled with risk-averse gatekeepers, with little imagination. Find ways to go around them.
• Lack of equity was Phil’s biggest threat, as with many aspiring businesses.
• No micromanaging. Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
• For people in their 20’s, don’t settle on a job or profession. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointment will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt.
• People sensing my belief, and wanting some of that for themselves. Belief is irresistible.
• If Blue Ribbon went bust, I’d have no money, I’d be crushed. But I’d also have some valuable wisdom I could apply to the next business. Wisdom seemed an intangible asset, but an asset all the same, that justified the risk. Starting my own business was the only thing that made life’s other risks seem like sure things.