27A--Reading Reflection #3

Shoe Dog

1.  What surprised me the most is that Blue Ribbon Shoes was actually his first company and it failed, I believe due to Knight not yet knowing the business.  I admire how good Knight was at using his resources and taking risks--for example he took out loans from his parents and traveled to Japan to begin exploring the shoe market.  Similarly, I do not admire how he hired a spy at the Tiger company and stole papers from a tiger company employee's briefcase.  He faced plenty of adversity--Nike was sued, his first company failed, and their breakout athlete passed away.  They responded by coming together around these events and continuing to push through or "just doing it."

2. I noticed that Knight is very driven, whether it was fighting to make ends meat in the early days of Nike or trying to learn the shoe market, Knight was always very proactive.  He also fostered a healthy environment at Nike.  He and his employees were very close and on the same page with other most of the time

3.  One part of the reading that confused me was the lawsuit from Kitami.  I do not really understand legal terminology so I was slightly confused why Nike breached their contract and why the appropriate action was a lawsuit.

4. I would ask if he thinks another upstart shoe company can be as successful as Nike in today's market? I would ask him this because he did this when he started Nike, and I would love to know if he thinks its possible today given Nike and all the other big shoe companies that exist internationally.  I would also ask him who the most valuable brand ambassador to Nike is.  I would love to hear his response because Nike has had so many athletes in almost every sport.

5.  To me, Knight's definition of hard work is pretty simple: Just Do It.  This motto makes Nike stand out and it makes Knight stand out as an entrepreneur.  He was not afraid to take chances and risks that could have made or broken his company.  Being able to take chances is crucial in any business.  I agree with this definition and believe it to be why so many people fail--because they are afraid of failure.