In 1969, Phil Knight left his teaching job to focus on Blue Ribbon Sports. By 1972 they launched the Nike shoe at a trade show. Despite imperfections in the product, it sold well. Blue Ribbon had a reputation for telling the truth. Their relationship soured with Onitsuka, their Japanese supplier. When Blue Ribbon launched Nike, Onitsuka ended their contract, claiming damages. Phil pushed for independence. He recognized the opportunity to launch Nike. His company secured credit to survive, bu

Kidami, Onitsuka’s export manager, wasn’t satisfied with Blue Ribbon. He visited Phil in Portland. Phil discovered that Onitsuka was looking for new US distributors. Phil’s bank cancelled him. Phil made a deal with a Japanese trading company named Nissho Iwai. He gave away no equity. Phil found a factory in Guadalajara to import a new brand of athletic shoe. He hired Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University. She designed the “swoosh” that would become recognizable

Creating a successful business demands significant focus and energy. Phil Knight prioritized Blue Ribbon Sports. He worked at Price Waterhouse until it took up too much time and energy. Phil transitioned to teaching accounting to focus more on his business. Blue Ribbon Sports needed to take market share from Adidas and Puma. Blue Ribbon hired competitive athletes as salesmen. Sponsoring athletes helped Blue Ribbon gain market share. Inconsistent deliveries from Onitsuka held up sales and debt r

Johnson had been attracting the Marlboro Man’s customers on the East Coast. Johnson had done all the ground work. No one promoted Tigers like he did. Now the Marlboro Man placed an ad in Track & Field News. Johnson and Phil devised a plan to cut him off. Phil flew to Japan to secure exclusive US distribution rights for Onitsuka shoes. He stretched the truth about having an East Coast office. This led to Blue Ribbon securing a three-year contract and ordering 5,000 shoes. Phil hired someone to t

Phil Knight faced significant challenges in growing his shoe business, Blue Ribbon. His company lacked equity, relying on bank credit. His banker, Bob Wallace, was reluctant to extend Blue Ribbon’s credit. Wallace considered Knight too high-risk. In 1965, Knight worked his day job at Price Waterhouse. He served in the US Army Reserves. This was on top of getting Blue Ribbon off the ground. Bill Bowerman, Knight’s partner, met with their Japanese supplier, Onitsuka. Still slow to deliver, Onitsu

There was too much work for Phil Knight to do alone. He hired his sister part time. He needed more help. He’d given a pair of Tigers to an acquaintance named Jeff Johnson. They knew each other from track meets. Jeff had sold shoes for Adidas. Now he worked as a social worker. Jeff started a family and needed to earn more cash than his day job could provide. Phil offered Jeff a commission sales job to sell Tiger shoes. Enthusiastic about selling the shoes, Jeff suggested expanding the business.

There was no such thing as venture capital in 1965. US Bank had turned him down. First National Bank was hesitant. There wasn’t any equity. Blue Ribbon Sports was cash flow negative. Phil Knight’s fledgling shoe business was outgrowing its cash balance. His balance was zero. Still, he asked the bank for another letter of credit. That wasn’t his only problem. Now he had competition.Last week on Methods of Prosperity Phil was unaware of the Marlboro Man. He used to be a model in the ad for Marl...

What makes you happy? That’s a trick question. This newsletter is not about happiness. It’s about how to become a billionaire. The irony is that, doing what makes you happy can make you a billionaire. For Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike, wealth and success is a byproduct of chasing after your bliss. Nike was co-founded by Phil Knight and his track coach, Bill Bowerman, on January 25, 1964. The original name of the company was Blue Ribbon Sports. They rebranded to Nike, Inc. on May 30, 197...