Reading Reflection No. 1

Shoe Dog - Phil Knight 

1) The thing that surprised me the most about Phil Knight was the fact he often expected to fail and would even make sure to let investors know that it was a real possibility. That parlays into what I admired most and that was how hard he was on himself and how that was the primary reason he ended up being successful. The one thing I would say that I least admired was the amount of time he spent in debt as it paid off in his case but in the majority of cases that is not a sufficient practice. Knight unquestionably faced failure and you could argue that was the primary point he wanted to get across was that no matter how many times you came up short you should never give up on a dream.

2) There were countless competencies that stood out to me but the one that resonated the most was his self-awareness in that he was not the most personable or best looking but he was dedicated to his cause and was going to work until he made his dream a reality.

3) I was somewhat confused by the way he continued to acquire funding despite continuously going into debt time after time before finally succeeding.

4) Two questions I'd have would be: What has changed between the entrepreneurial climate from when you were successful to now? And if you were to start another business idea what would it be founded on?

5) My guess is Phil Knight's opinion on hard work is that it is at the center of all success. That is the way I see it as well in that no matter how smart or talented you are in whatever you do if you do not have the work ethic to go along with it you will ultimately fall short of your potential and your goals.