Lesson 1. The Start of a Crazy Idea.
Phil Knight was a student at Stanford Business School. He was a shy guy and also a terrible salesperson with no experience whatsoever. In 1962, at 24 years old, he completed his education and was fresh out of the business school. Around that time, he had a vision in his mind. He discussed it with his father, classmates, and professors. But, everyone called it a crazy idea. They weren’t of much help. Phil knew his vision was crazy, but he had already made up his mind to pursue it.
His plan was to import Japanese running shoes to the United States. He already had his eye on the Tiger brand, which was manufactured by the Japanese company Onitsuka. After he completed his time at the business school, he flew across the Pacific, all the way to Japan. He sold his bold proposition of importing running shoes to the members of the Onitsuka Company. To Phil’s utter surprise, the pitch was a success. Almost everyone liked his proposition. The CEO of Onitsuka was very amused by the idea and asked Phil about the name of the company he would be working with.
Phil was completely unprepared for this and just blurted out the name ‘Blue Ribbon.’ The CEO agreed to the deal and sent him 300 pairs of Tiger brand shoes to start off with. Over the next couple of months, Phil sold the shoes to the Americans out of the trunk of his car. This was the beginning of a crazy idea.
Lesson 2. The Temple of Nike.
When Phil decided he would have to go to Japan, he thought of extending his trip to different places. He wanted to visit different countries and know about their cultures. As he didn’t have enough money back then, he acquired a loan from his father in Portland.
After his deal with the Onitsuka Company, he planned an itinerary with his friend from Stanford. Phil traveled on to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. During all his travels, he found a lot of inspiration from all the things he saw and experienced. Notably, his visit to Greece was special. He was so intrigued by the Temple of Nike in Athena. He found himself standing in front of the Temple of Nike, the goddess of victory, for hours on end.
Years later, Knight came across an ancient Greek playwright. The playwright was called ‘The Knights’ by Aristophanes. In the play, a warrior happens to gift the king a pair of shoes in the Temple of Nike. This inspired him to go
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