1) -It was surprising to me that Nike began as a western expansion of an already existing Japanese shoe company.
-I most admired Phil Knight's willingness to take risks.
-There wasn't anything I didn't admire about Phil Knight, but if I had to pick something, he might have taken too many risks without a lot of thought. However, that is also what brought him so much success.
-Phil Knight encountered several instances of adversity during his time at Nike, especially in the early years. For example, he had to wait a year to even receive his first shipment of shoes from Japan to sell. But, he always continued to work extremely hard every single day and keep pushing his product until he found success.
2) Phil Knight possesses a skill set and mindset that set him apart from most others. Most importantly, he is extremely hardworking and determined. No matter what obstacles he faces, he always continues to push until he breaks through. On top of that, he is ambitious and not afraid to go after opportunities that he sees. This gives him a confidence that allows him to take risks that have made him extremely successful.
3) One aspect of the reading that was confusing to me was the entire way that Phil Knight was able to start his business. I always thought about entrepreneurs starting their own businesses from the ground up, but Phil Knight actually built off of an already existing Japanese brand. I was slightly confused about the legality of the whole situation and how business rights were given to Knight.
4) My two questions would be:
- "Do you have any advice about when you think it is appropriate to take risks?"
- "Why do you think having a mentor can help an entrepreneur so much?"
I would ask the first question because of the incredible risks Phil Knight has taken throughout his years with Nike. I would ask the second question, because Phil Knight had a mentor in his business partner that helped give him a lot of confidence in his business.
5) I think Phil Knight's opinion of hard work is that it is essential to being a successful entrepreneur. I think this, because he faced adversity several time and had to continue to work hard to get past those road blocks and obtain success. I share the same mindset as Knight, because I have seen countless examples of very successful people who have all put in a lot of hard work to get where they are.
Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI also read and reviewed Shoe Dog for this assignment and it was definitely one of the most amazing life stories I've ever read. I also found it to be surprising and confusing how Phil Knight managed to start his business by building off of an existing Japanese shoe company. I think this is something a lot of people don't know about Nike. I also found it amazing how often he took risks without a lot of planning, and you're right that this is probably the reason why he ended up becoming so successful.
Brandon, I also chose to read the same book about Phil Knight. I too would agree that it was hard to find something that I did not like or admire about him because his story was amazing. To have the mindset and determination to be successful despite all of the potential risks was very inspirational. Good post and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHey Brandon, awesome post, it seems like I have to read Shoe Dog next! Sounds like a very inspiring and interesting story. I see a lot of similarities between his sort perception of the world and Elon Musk's (I read the Elon Musk book for this assignment). The greatest entrepreneurs in the world seem to have a relentless drive for what they chose to do and stop at nothing to reach their goals.
ReplyDelete