Reading Reflection No. 1

The book I chose was Shoe Dog, about Phil Knight, the man who built Nike. What surprised me the most was his persevering attitude. When he first had the idea of selling Tiger shoes in America, no one stood behind him. His friends, teachers, and father did not think much of his idea. Despite the lack of support from people around him, he still took the chance to fly to Japan and pitch his idea to Onitsuka's CEO. His determination is what I most admire.  He is very driven, which is a quality I hope to develop and strengthen over time. I also admire how he made it a point to maintain NIKE's ethics and integrity throughout the years. He treats every athlete that is sponsored with NIKE as a friend. When NIKE was developing, he made to include his team in major decisions and hold team building activities. I admire that he wanted to build a good company based on its morals and values. I least admired the fact that he was not a very good sales person and he seemed shy. When he made his pitch to Onitsuka's CEO, he was able to persuade them to allow him to sell their shoes, so I was shocked to find out he was not a good salesperson. Knight encountered different adversities. One of them was Onitsuka suing Knight's previous company Blue Ribbon. They were suing for costs that were accrued through a break in the contract. During this time, Blue Ribbon had decided to start officially producing its own shoes, NIKE. Instead of being bullied by Onitsuka, Blue Ribbon decided to sue back. They had information that even though Blue Ribbon was the distributor of Onitsuka's Track and Field shoe line through a contract, Onitsuka was still looking for another distributor. Knight was able to win the lawsuit because the judge saw he was the more honest party.

Some competencies I noticed was his ability to not give up and his ability to fight injustice against him. Throughout the beginning process of building his company, the only thing keeping him going was his belief in himself. By believing in himself despite other people's lack of support, he was able to keep a positive outlook on the future and what his company would become. He also does not settle when he thinks he is being wronged. In addition to the Onitsuka lawsuit that he fought back against, NIKE was involved in another lawsuit with the U.S. government. He was being sued for $25 million, for allegedly violating a customs law. Keds and Converse worked together to report NIKE to the government. However, NIKE fought against that as well and was able to settle for $9 million. 

One part of the reading that confused me was how unreal the beginning of his story was. He had graduated from his business school and had an idea that Japanese shoes would sell well in the United States. He then decided to take his idea and fly to Japan to pitch it, and his offer was accepted.  This confuses me because it does not seem like taking such a risky opportunity would be so successful that easily. I also do not think it portrays the reality of a lot of risks that are taken.

One question I would ask is, "What gave you the motivation to pitch your idea to Onitsuka?" I would want to know that because it seems like such a big risk and opportunity. I would want to know what made him think that his idea would be that valuable. Another question I would have is, "Was there ever a point where you felt like quitting altogether?". Being an entrepreneur is very stressful and unpredictable. Knight also faced various obstacles that wanted to ruin his company. I am curious if these obstacles ever got the best of him and made him lose hope. 

I think Knight's opinion of hard work is never giving up. Throughout his journey, Knight is very persistent with building his company and making it better. He also includes people in his team who share the same dedication and drive. By never giving up he is taking advantage of any and all opportunites that cross his path, which in itself is hard work. I share this opinion because I believe that someone can work on accomplishing a goal, but if they give up right when something goes wrong, they have wasted their time. Never giving up means you push past any boundaries and obstacles and that is the main component of hard work.