Phil Knight

Biography

Co-founded Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, importing Japanese running shoes and selling them at track meets. The company became Nike in 1971. He told the story in his memoir Shoe Dog (2016).

Starting point: Started Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 selling imported shoes from his car.

The lesson

Summary: start as a distributor, sell directly where your customers gather, and manage cash flow carefully as you grow.

How it helps you

You can test demand with someone else's product before making your own.

Practical steps

1. Find where your customers gather in person.
2. Sell there directly first.
3. Track cash coming in and out weekly.
4. Grow only as fast as cash allows.

Sources

• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (2016)
• Britannica: Phil Knight