Phil Knight is one of those rare founders who built a manufacturing business from scratch in the non-tech age. His love for shoes got him running!
And we he ran, he did not run just along the beaches of Oregon in the USA but across the world. His book (Shoe Dog) is my personal favorite. Only book I have read more than once! Here are some quick notes I took from this timeless story:
Sell enthusiasm
Phil did not start selling from the store but he could be spotted selling them at track meets from the trunk of his car. He sold not just shoes but an enthusiasm of how they solve the basic problems of the runners and boom! First 300 flew out quick!
Not into sales? Oh, you are! :P
Start selling (read conscious branding) yourself as an experience! Remember that viral video of Jackie Shroff? Energy banao yaaaar!
Test Constantly
Phil never worried about competitors in the market. It was his ‘test’ mechanism that got him beat even an established biz of Adidas in terms of sales volume.
He bats for ‘tracking and testing’. You can not track what you do not test and you can not test what you do not track! simple hai bawa
Go Public
This is not just about taking the company public! Think of it in every aspect of life.
How it changed my life? One of the significant changes I made lately was to lose weight. I was 97 kg on Diwali of 2020 when I started telling people around me. I will lose 20 kgs in next one year.
Frankly, I did not how! I did not have a plan but I had said it to numerous people who now saw me fat and asked when can they see my abs? Long story short, I can go shirtless on beaches confidently flaunting those abs in just 18 months!
Jo bhi karne ka hai na bhai dil se, uske baare me aas paas bolna chaalu kar! Manifestation pro max!
Fight, not control
From almost losing all the money to legal issues, Phil saw it all. He does not represent the stoic school of manhood but choses not to give up without a fight.
Simple lesson: sab kuch nahi kar sakte par bina fight ke galat accept karna bhi galat hai!
Tribe>Vibe
Often you may not get the vibe from people but the skill set they come with put you two on the same side. Almost like house of cards, your tribe is the card you may not use but need to have.
Phil got some people he would kill and kill for! (see what I did there? Chalo taali bja do)
Play (but) not safe!
“Resist what others are doing, resist the safe option”
Safe game toh bhai online ludo bhi nahi hai. Usme bhi kuch goti kaat dete hai XD
Start before you are ready
If nothing to sell, start building an audience for your credentials. If 10k people know you online, you’ll eventually grow to be ready. (Link this with Going Public)
Bonus:
This substack is nothing but a cumulation of (some) lessons from Shoe Dog. I went public with my writings to educate and build a tribe of young Indians to build a better country going forward. All above points can be re-written here, reply if you’d want to ask/share/discuss more on this! :D
Bonus 2
Watch my 1MinuteBookReview of Shoe Dog. It’s absolute fun!
I trust this post helped you take some quick notes on first step. If you find this fun and insightful, I will urge you to support me as I bring more such perspectives to you.
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