How Nike became a billion dollar symbol
How Nike became a billion dollar symbol
From a $35 logo to representing hope and motivation
👋 Hello, this is your weekly dose of inspiration and practical guidance. Every Friday you will receive a captivating visual timeline that charts the rise of a successful individual + lessons derived from that.
Phil Knight was born on 24 February 1938, in Portland, Oregon.
His journey into the world of running shoes began at the University of Oregon, where he was a middle-distance runner under the coaching of Bill Bowerman, a man deeply fascinated with optimising runners’ shoes.
Upon graduating in 1959, Knight devoted a year to serving in the Army. After his military service, Knight pursued an MBA from Stanford, where he wrote his dissertation paper on shoes.
Can Japanese sports shoes do to German sports shoes what Japanese cameras did to German cameras?
Phil Knight — Dissertation Paper
His paper correctly predicted that Japanese sports shoe manufacturers would become major players in the global market, just as Japanese camera manufacturers did. Knight put his theory to the test and traveled to Kobe, Japan where he secured distribution rights for a brand called Tiger manufactured by Onitsuka.
The first samples took more than a year to arrive in Portland; during this time, Knight worked as an accountant. When he received the samples, he mailed two pairs to coach Bowerman, who was very impressed.
They entered a 50-50 partnership to form the Blue Ribbon Sports Company on January 25, 1964. In 1971, after cutting ties with Onitsuka, Blue Ribbon officially rebranded as Nike.
The rest is history.
One Lesson from Phil Knight
Believe in your vision and act on it.
His research pointed out that Japanese sports shoes will overtake the industry. He did not let this remain an academic theory; he acted on it, travelling to Japan and connecting with Onitsuka.
And he kept testing his theory for nine years. In 1971, when the company rebranded as Nike, Knight was still supplementing his income from various sources. One of his side hustles was to teach an accounting class at Portland State University. Here, he met Carolyn Davidson, a design student whom he paid $35 to create Nike’s swoosh logo.
Well, I don't love it, but maybe it will grow on me. — Phil Knight’s initial impression of logo
Until next Friday,
The Chronicler
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