[No. 61] Encountering Business Books: Business is not a 'battle.' It is not even a 'game.' It is... 'SHOE DOG'
In this [Encountering Business Books] series, I will review one business book at a time that I have encountered and that has served as a catalyst for changing my perspective on life and business.
Book and Author
The book I am introducing today is the autobiographical non-fiction SHOE DOG (original title: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike) by Phil Knight, the founder of the global sports brand NIKE.
Introduction: If you read this expecting a success story, you will be disappointed
In the previous installment [No. 60], we learned the beautiful theory of startups from Peter Thiel's "Zero to One." However, reality does not go according to theory.
If you picked up this book wanting to know "how a large company like Nike grew so smartly," you should stop. There is not a single millimeter of a glamorous success story written here.
What is written is living hand-to-mouth having loans called in by banks lawsuits betrayal and "a complex love-hate drama with Onitsuka Tiger (now ASICS)."
This is an adventure story of blood and sweat, depicting how the "Swoosh" (Nike's logo) that is loved around the world today ran on thin ice and miraculously survived.
The Core of the Book: Lovable Misfits
The charm of this book lies in the characters of the founding members. They were by no means "smart elites."
1. The Ultimate Underdog Group: 'Buttfaces'
The early members Phil Knight gathered, including himself, were all "misfits" who somehow didn't fit into society.
Johnson: A fanatical running geek who sent an abnormal amount of letters (the first employee).
Hayes: A giant, heavy-drinking accountant.
Strasser: An argumentative and aggressive lawyer.
They called each other "Buttfaces," shouted at each other in meetings, and yet were connected only by an abnormal passion for "shoes" and "running." They shared the "truth that no one agrees with (running will change the world)" that we learned about in [No. 60].
2. Bonds with Japanese Trading Company Men
For Japanese readers, this book is special. It was the manpower and financial support of the Japanese general trading company "Nissho Iwai" (now Sojitz) that saved Nike in its founding period. The scene where Nissho Iwai's representatives (Mr. Sumeragi and Mr. Ito) decide to provide financing at the risk of being fired, telling the desperate Phil Knight, "We are betting on Nike," cannot be read without tears.
Lesson: Become a Shoe Dog
The title "Shoe Dog" is slang meaning someone who devotes their entire life to the manufacturing, sales, and design of shoes.
Business books often say 'have passion,' but Phil Knight's passion is on a different level. He didn't think of selling shoes as just a 'business.'
'It wasn't business. It was something else entirely. Like sports, for me, business was a way to turn the dreams people see every day into something magnificent.'
Whether he was being chased by debt collectors or on the verge of being crushed by rivals, there was only one reason he never stopped. 'Because I loved to run.'. In the end, the ones who win are not the 'clever strategists,' but the 'mad enthusiasts (geeks).'
Summary: Just don't stop
At the end of this book, there is a message from the successful, elderly Phil Knight to his younger self and to anyone about to take on a challenge.
'Don't stop.'
It's okay if it's clumsy. Even if you have no funds, or if someone laughs at you, you must not stop running. If [No. 58] 'THE HARD THING ABOUT HARD THINGS' is a 'textbook for management,' then 'SHOE DOG' is the 'soul of an entrepreneur.'
When you are tired of logic, please open this book. 'Come on, tie your shoelaces and start running again.' That burning impulse should well up from the depths of your body.
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