The book I chose was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. The general theme of the book was the creation of the company that eventually became Nike athletic apparel. The book details the start and development of the company. The theme of the book in my opinion is that it wasn’t really rocket science it was an idea that turned in to an action by people who really didn’t have any competitive advantage. They did things that were bold and took risk and worked hard at it and it paid off big.
The book highlighted what we are learning in class. We really don’t need a competitive advantage or special talent to create a successful venture. We just need an idea and the guts and the grit to give it a couple dozen tries.
If I were to create an exercise for this class based on this book, it would be to make a video where you must make up a crazy sales pitch for a product that doesn’t yet exist and pitch it to an exec.
My biggest surprises were many but a couple that stand out were that the company was originally blue ribbon and that Phil Knight went into the CEO in Japans office to get a contract to make shoes without anything to back up his ambition.
Hi Scott;
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job reflecting on your reading. I believe you got some pretty good insights. For instance, I like that you mention that we do not need a “special talent” to create a successful venture. I agree with that. Like you, I also think that the most important element is having the tenacity and persist despite obstacles. For the future, keep on the great work. Go Gators!
Scott, great job with your reading reflection and relating it back to what we are learning in this class. Being an entrepreneur is all about taking risks, and it's great that that is what you got out of the book. Making bold statements and standing out to customers without having any sort of competitive advantage is so interesting and just goes to show that the next big thing could be right under our noses with a few bold chooses.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott,
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a really great book that I would love to pick up sometime. It is true that Nike has never had a specific competitive advantage over other brands. It is very refreshing to know that we don't have to have a secret sauce and that sometimes the ability to risk it all and win is all that matters. Great job and go gators!