Shoe Dog

Phil Knight wrote the memoir every entrepreneur wishes they could write. Shoe Dog is the story of Nike from its founding as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 to its IPO in 1980 — told with the raw honesty of a founder who nearly went bankrupt dozens of times, fought with banks, suppliers, and partners, and somehow built one of the most iconic brands in human history.

What makes Shoe Dog exceptional is that Knight does not pretend he had a master plan. He was a shy accountant from Oregon who loved running and had a crazy idea about importing Japanese running shoes. Every chapter involves a near-death experience for the company — running out of cash, getting sued by Onitsuka Tiger, fighting with the US Customs Service. Knight's honesty about his fear, his mistakes, and his luck is refreshing in a genre dominated by self-congratulatory CEO memoirs.

The book reads like a novel. Knight is a gifted storyteller, and his cast of characters — the eccentric early employees he calls 'the Buttfaces,' his complicated relationship with legendary track coach Bill Bowerman, his battles with banks that refused to lend — make this the most compelling business origin story ever written.