I chose to read "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight the founder of Nike.
- What surprised you the most?
- What surprised me the most was the fact that Phil Knight did this all on his own in the beginning and the first name given to Nike was Blue Ribbon.
- What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
- I admire his determination, he was only in college when he went to Japan alone to pitch his idea for shoes to different businessmen and women.
- Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
- Oh absolutely. Everyone back in America was telling him that he was crazy and that there was no opportunity in shoes. That's all Phil did however, and in a sense that's all he knew, which meant he knew how to make it better than anyone.
It was interesting to me how quickly Phil was trying to get this to all happen, because as we know starting a huge company is not an overnight occurrence. He had no idea how he was going to pay for the first batch of 1000 shoes and he said he didn't fret because he had faith. Out of this first experience, he said if he failed it would have brought along great knowledge, and he was okay with that because wisdom is an irreplaceable asset.
Hey Nicole, great read! This appears to be a great example of how determination and perseverance can result in success. It is beautiful to see Phil's attitude towards failure, ultimately viewing it is a learning experience rather than a setback. Finding motivation and inspiration within yourself after failing can be the ultimate setback but finding it can mean the difference between succeeding and not.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole, I'm so glad you chose Shoe Dog as I have never read the book but always been interested in his story. From the answers of your questions I have learnt 3 new things. He would've gone through so many ups and downs at the beginning of the companies life especially with financial issues as mentioned he didn't know how he would pay for the shoes.
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole! I did not know the first name of Nike was blue ribbon. That is so cool. I find it fascinating how so many people always tell people they cannot do it. Every entrepreneur has been told that. I wonder why people even say that. Like if it is not uplifting why do they tell someone they cannot do it. I think people tell people they cannot do something because they are very insecure with themselves and do not want to see someone succeed. As an entrepreneur, when someone tells you that you cannot succeed, you just need to look at them and laugh. They have no clue what you can and cannot do. They are just very insecure.
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