This book is filled with so many realities of building a company. The near bankruptcy, the competition from Adidas and Puma, the legal battles with the US government, the challenges of manufacturing and supply chain management, the struggles of building a brand, all of these are very well written in a sort of thriller style. Obviously, you know Nike survives and becomes the empire it is today, but you’ll be surprised to know how many times it almost failed.
Believe in what you sell
I’m writing this after a few years of reading this book. One thing that stuck with me is somewhere in the book, Phil mentions that you can never sell what you do not believe in. He started off selling encyclopedias and he hated it, he had thought he was a bad salesman. But, with selling shoes, he believed in running. He truly believed that the world was better off if everyone ran a few miles everyday. This belief was reflected in every decision Phil took from Blue Ribbon days to Nike. Even, when choosing athletes for sponsorships, the company always went for athletes who they really believed in.
I finished reading this while I was actively desgining like 2-3 logos a month. Personally, it reflected in how I designed logos for clients. I’ve never sent over a logo design to a client without believing that the logo would actually help their brand, no matter what the client’s thoughts on the design were. I’ve had instances where the client has a clear design in mind, and just wants me to implement it. I’ve had to decline the project, as I felt that the logo the client wants would not help their brand in the long run. I even refunded few clients, as I felt the logo they wanted would not help their brand in the long run.
Fun fact: The Nike swoosh was designed by a graphic design student named Carolyn Davidson in 1971. She was paid $35 for her work, which is equivalent to about $260 today. However, she was later given a bonus of 500 shares of Nike stock (worth around $85) and a diamond ring in 1983. The 500 shares have since split into 32,000 shares, worth approximately $3 million as of 2024.