Success Lessons for Entrepreneurs from the Founder of Nike, Phil Knight

Originally published on Cleopatra's Worldwide — June 3, 2018

At the moment the idea of following a traditional career path seems to be losing its appeal. The accelerated growth of companies like Uber, Bumble and AirBnB are turning the spotlight on a new career path: that of the entrepreneur. One man who knows exactly what success takes is Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. In 2018 he was ranked at 29 on the Forbes Rich List with an estimated net worth of $29.6 billion. In 2016, he published his memoir, 'Shoe Dog'.

The book was recommended publicly by Bill Gates. Knight's writing style has such charm and character. The memoir provides a charming insight into the inner workings of an ambitious mind. The mind of the ultimate entrepreneur, to whom failure is fine but the option not to try doesn't exist. <2026 insert.. I started working at Nike exactly one year after this was published. Take from that, what you will ;)>

On Ambition

"What if there were a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel? To play all the time, instead of working? Or else to enjoy work so much it becomes essentially the same thing?"

"A tiger hunts best when he's hungry."

"I wanted what everyone wants. To be me, full-time."

On Blocking Out the Haters

"I told myself: Let everyone else call your idea crazy… just keep going. Don't stop. Don't even think about stopping until you get there, and don't give much thought to where 'there' is… just don't stop… Half a century later, I believe it's the best advice — maybe the only advice — any of us should ever give."

On the Downsides

"Front runners always work the hardest, and risk the most."

On Perception vs. Reality

"Industry watchers pointed to our new factories, and our sales, and said we were unstoppable. Few imagined we were broke. Or that our head of marketing was wallowing in a depression."

On Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs

"I'd tell men and women in their mid-twenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling."

"Have faith in yourself, but also have faith in faith. Not faith as others define it. Faith as you define it. Faith as faith defines itself in your heart." – Phil Knight, Shoe Dog