The Accountant Who Sold Shoes from His Trunk

Phil Knight didn't leap from accountant to Nike founder — he built a bridge. For five years, he sold Onitsuka Tiger shoes from his car trunk at Oregon track meets while keeping his day job and teaching at Portland State. When his Japanese partner secretly negotiated with competitors, Knight faced the same trap that cost Walt Disney his first character: building on someone else's permission. The rupture forced him to manufacture his own shoes, and in 1971, Blue Ribbon Sports became Nike — a name one employee claimed to see in a dream.

You'll learn:

- Why the Bridged Crossing beats the blind leap

- How Bowerman's waffle-iron sole changed running forever

- What the 35-dollar swoosh story leaves out