I recently read this book, "Shoe Dog". I originally set a flag and wanted to have a paper book every week, but the embarrassing thing is that there are always so many things around me. I still have to write a lot of manuscripts that were not originally intended, that is, task posts. I didn’t have the opportunity to say what I really wanted to say. Some scattered thoughts after reading finally formed the article you see today. I expected to read the book in a week, but I read it in 10 days, but this is definitely the most worth-read business conference proceedings in 2018.
Regarding this book, I think there are three most exciting things
01
Part One: Loan Operations
< p> In line with the modern business operating model, constant loans are emphasizing cash flow. This is what every retail industry is most afraid of. No matter what retail industry it is, stocking up is a problem, and, from the beginning In the beginning, I just sold other people's brands, and in the end, I ran my own brand. It can be said that it was very difficult, and many times, my company may become the fate of being acquired by others. Behind the constant persistence, is the New Year power.
I have spent a long time in debt in my life. When I was young and started my own business, I was very familiar with the situation. Every night after I went to bed and every day I woke up, I owed more money to others. There is simply no way to repay it.
But it was loans that built his entire empire.
1. "Loan travel around the world" after graduation
After graduating from college, Knight was very famous as a middle-distance runner on the college track and field team. After graduation, he did not directly participate in Instead of working, he chose to travel around the world. You know, just after World War II, it was not a good idea to choose to travel around the world, but he loved sports and 10 kilometers a day was almost his lifelong persistence. At the same time, he had no money to travel. He sold his beloved car, then took out the first round of loans from his father, and used his father's money to travel around the world. Although the money was not much, during the trip, he sold encyclopedias, worked as an accountant, and then decided to go Look at Japan.
2. Loans to build "Blue Ribbon Company"
In 1964, Knight started a business and named it Blue Ribbon Company. The reason came from the blue ribbon he won, and the same reason. It shows his passion for long-distance running. Of course, those who love running must also love running shoes. I believe that when many boys who love playing basketball and sports see AJ’s new models, they will be like girls seeing their favorite bags and want to take them home.
With this entrepreneurial capital, Knight and his former coach Bowerman each invested US$500 to establish "Blue Ribbon Sporting Goods Company" and began to sell their own brand of sports shoes. Their products were produced by a Produced by Japanese manufacturers.
Knight's money initially came from his father's self-help, and then, with the guarantee of his father's good reputation, he began to borrow money from banks to run the company. Because he didn't have enough money, the first part-time employee of his start-up company was his sister, and then his college classmates and students of his coach. And he used the money he earned as a college teacher, of course, to teach accounting courses. To run the company, in other words, while taking loans, use the income from the main business to invest in the entrepreneurial income.
3. Cheng Ye Loan, Ji Ye Loan
Because the business is growing too fast, every time it is necessary to increase production, the supplier of shoes will be slower than Knight expected. Half a beat, this resulted in a large number of shoes being transported, and all the money borrowed from the bank was spent on the shoes. What's more, because the sales volume was so large, the money from each sale changed hands again and again. It’s time to purchase goods, so I’m very nervous when repaying the bank loan.
Bank loan - imported shoes - sales in the United States - getting payment - repaying bank loan - second loan from bank - second import of shoes... the cycle continues
p>
Because all the funds were invested in shoes, and they were just a "second-hand dealer". In the few years after the end of World War II, they sold only Japanese shoes. This practice itself was very controversial, but fortunately Their designs can be made by Japanese manufacturers. With continuous improvement, the shoes are getting better and better, but they also face the most difficult crisis.
4. From bank loans to chaebol loans
Because the business has grown too fast and the partners have lost their temper, Knight’s supply channels have to be stopped and preparations are being made to change “agents” "Of course, stabbing someone in the back cannot be tolerated. After borrowing money from the bank, Knight secretly found a factory in the United States to prepare for his own production and then break away from upstream control. However, everyone knows that the loan is a special fund. Exclusively, the purpose of your loan was to purchase shoes, but you used the money to open a factory, and the loan was not repaid. This was embarrassing. The bank audited the accounts, the FBI got involved, and the commotion was huge. Finally, Knight found a Japanese company. The trading group and chaebol decided to lend him money directly to alleviate the crisis.
5. The largest loan model - listing
When neither banks nor chaebols have the strength to support the entire huge empire, The only way out is to go public, raise funds, and borrow money from people around to develop the company. However, because Knight himself is a bit strange, shy, not sociable, a shoe dog, and loves sports, in terms of the company's business model, several partners After many discussions, no one wanted to go public, but due to the company's last livelihood, it still went public. After all, after going public, you no longer work for yourself, but for millions of shareholders. Pressure and hope go hand in hand.
This reminds me of Tao Huabi, the founder of Laoganma. Throughout his life, he insisted on not letting others borrow money, and of course, he would not go public. Therefore, Lao Gan Ma is the Lao Gan Ma of China and the Nike of the Nike world.
So, whether you admit it or not, loans are the only way to develop your business and yourself.
Loan from father
Loan from relatives and friends
Loan from bank
Loan from chaebol
Loans from the People
It can be said that the entire Nike empire was built on this concept of loans. When all the bankers told Knight, you should slow down and not develop too fast. , it is really because of his persistence and bravery that he has established this huge running shoe empire.
The same principle also applies to individuals. Only brave people can challenge the limits of their potential.
Life is growth, you grow or you die
(life is growth, you grow or you die)
p>
02
Part 2: Don’t rush to start a business; Everything accumulates
1. You must work hard, but don’t be anxious
See the loan operation part , you will be impressed by this brave explorer, and behind every entrepreneurial start-up and thrilling business battle is the accumulation of many previous events. Only with enough ability can you see the tricks!
After traveling around the world and returning to China, his father’s friend asked Knight to take the CPA exam. Then while working in an accounting firm, he was exposed to many corporate financial issues. In other words, he could see all kinds of outstanding people. How companies survive, produce, compete, and generate wealth is like passing an exam and being exposed to top companies in various industries. In layman's terms, it's a stepping stone to learn how to operate an excellent business.
His entrepreneurial journey was not going well. When he went to teach at a university, the course he taught was CPA, and he was also a master. In those days, reading was really useful, and he taught at a university.
During this period, all his income was used to supplement the operations of Le Cordon Bleu. When he was teaching, he met his wife, who was his student. If this happened in China, it might be another unethical teacher and student. In love. But from another perspective, isn’t it perfect to marry the person you want to marry at the age of 18?
2. Professional skills are the core of everything!
Among Phil Knight's people, there are two types of people who are most often hired. One is an accountant and the other is a lawyer.
In fact, in 1978, it was not that there were only these two types of talents, because there were no specialized footwear universities at that time, allowing them to recruit employees. The people they needed to hire must have sharp minds, and accountants and lawyers, who can at least demonstrate that they can master a complex subject and pass a very difficult test. Having advanced abilities in a certain field usually leads to more opportunities.
If you hire an accountant, you know that his numeracy skills are good;
If you hire a lawyer, you know that his language skills are good;
And you hire a marketing expert or product developer, what do you know?
When he has not worked for you, he knows nothing. The basis for your prediction is only the performance in an interview. Therefore, if you spend your time on strangers, To take a gamble, it is better to choose occupations with sophisticated R&D capabilities such as accountants and lawyers.
In fact, this principle is still applicable today. Whether it is accounting or lawyers, in today's era, it is also a field that is advancing rapidly with the times. In the same way, having a professional skill that is specialized and proficient in it will also Open a career path for upward growth.
By analogy, if you can master a certain research skill, you can expand more job opportunities. For example, many people who have studied for graduate students or Ph.D.s did not do their own jobs after graduation but passed , the knowledge system and the skills of researching and exploring the essence of problems developed through many years of research can also be done well in other fields. Of course, it is not just learning, but also the spirit of studying and solving problems, which is the contemporary spirit of craftsmanship.
In Knight's team, the most original elite is Bowerman, his college coach. On the one hand, he directs all track and field athletes to win the Olympic Games. On the other hand, he also develops how to design more rationally. After the company got on track, it still developed shoes. The "grid" on the soles now comes from Bowerman's wife's waffle maker, which was used to make the grid for rubber soles. At the end of the day, several cake-making machines were scrapped. Research and development, innovation, and destruction are all essential skills for creators. After the company went public, he still developed his own products,
Love - practice - research and development - failure - maintain love - repeat the practice process.
Every time Knight introduces Nike to others, he will introduce his coach, Bowerman, talking about his time at the University of Oregon. Running for him, he formed a partnership in his twenties, talked about the coach's mind, and bravely designed the waffle shoes. His most classic quote is:
A coward never Get up
The weak die on the road
Only we are left to move forward
03
Part Three: Faith
< p> When Knight was preparing to enter the Chinese market and manufacture factories, he made a very classic conclusion when he visited China, which impressed me very deeply.When he came to China for the first time, he had successfully obtained orders for 1 billion people and 2 billion feet. He thought he had concluded a business and had the ability to "be like the top of the mountain and see all the small mountains at a glance" and "seek defeat alone." " mentality, but after all the busy and sleepless nights, he discovered:
All of this is not just business!
From the early days of entrepreneurship, he felt that business only pursued the profit cycle and results, but for every businessman, business is like humans making blood. Blood is needed to produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, which are distributed smoothly to Every suitable place, as simple as daily work?
But the mission of human beings goes far beyond the basics of survival, and always strives to transcend this basic process to achieve higher goals.
For example, in the 1970s, he once defined the word victory like this:
Victory - winning means not losing, but living. However, this idea does not exist now. It is not enough to support his next plan in China, like all big companies:
"We want to create and contribute, we dare to say this out loud,
When you create something,
When you improve something,
When you convey an idea,
When you serve a stranger people's lives, adding some new things and services to make them happier, healthier, safer and more satisfied;
When you solve the above problems neatly and in the way they deserve, while others do If not, you will be more involved in the grand human stage.
Just living is not enough. You must also help others live more fulfilling lives. If this is considered business, then. Please call me a businessman! ”
From a businessman to a person of faith:
Entrepreneurs have expanded from pursuing basic interests to caring for others. , and even change the world.
After turning into ideas and beliefs, I believe that this is not only the pursuit of businessmen, but the pursuit of everyone. When you realize your personal value, it reflects your contribution to this society and the world. value, which is why I recommend the book "Shoe Dog".
The thoughts and ideas it describes go far beyond a simple business experience, but from a world perspective, to macroscopically measure how to become a meaningful person to the world, which is what we have been taught since childhood. Once your personal value matches your social value, you will become a truly successful person. "
There are many wonderful things in the whole book, which are beyond the reach of ordinary people. For example: money is not just money.
When completing the listing of the company, Knight After going home and doing some calculations, the net worth of his partners and brothers over the years: Bowerman is worth 9 million U.S. dollars, Karl is worth 6 million U.S. dollars, and Woodall, Johnson, Hayes and Strasser are each worth 6 million U.S. dollars US dollars, and his own net worth will be 178 million US dollars!
At this time, he described his feelings as, because I really hope to do it again.
I can’t help but think of that. A technician who started a business in Alibaba, because there was a wealth ranking online, it was said that his net worth was worth hundreds of millions. Then at lunch the next day, everyone in the WeChat group started to boo him and asked him to give out red envelopes because he didn’t give out enough. , but was kicked out of the group. In fact, when money becomes a fantastic number, it has no meaning.
What we are doing is more of a pursuit of self-worth. , Numbers are both meaningful and meaningless at the same time. Only after you truly understand them can you truly understand your own value, and it is not all about the affirmation of money.
And when you do. When you can't find your next goal in life and are overwhelmed by victory, I suggest you read this book.
When Knight's company went public, he and his wife read it. A movie, Bucket List:
It mainly tells the story of two male protagonists who, because they are suffering from cancer, are going to use their remaining time to try all the crazy things they want to do in their lives. Make use of every minute.
After the movie started, I found Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in the lobby.
It was amazing that the three of them met. , but. As the first in their respective fields, the topics discussed were about this place, Palm Springs, how to escape the cold winter, family, sports, etc.
Others will whisper in the back and say:
Do you think those are Buffett and Gates? Who is the other person?
Knight did some calculations in his mind. At that time, he was worth 10 billion U.S. dollars, and these two people were worth five or six times as much as him. Such a comparison made him immediately feel at ease. stand up!
So, when you are dazzled by success and victory, look at people who are better than you. Isn’t there an old saying?
There are mountains outside the mountains, and there are people outside the people. For warriors, victory is never the end, but the starting point.
This is the misunderstanding that most people have: they think that after becoming rich, they can stop working and just enjoy life. But the truly rich have achieved financial freedom since birth. What they pursue again is personal value, which is the true meaning of survival. This is not so much an autobiography as a "Dream Guide" 》.
Through this book, you can see some outstanding people realize their dreams and help people avoid ordinary setbacks.
During a long period of your life, you should press the pause button and take the time to think hard:
How do you want to spend your life?
Who do you want to spend the remaining 40 years with?
20-year-old young people, don’t settle down because of a job/major/career. You must seek your inner impulse. Even if you don’t know the meaning, you must persist in pursuing it. If you follow, The inner impulse will make you more able to endure fatigue, every disappointment will become your motivation, and the peaks you need to climb will become insignificant!
Those iconoclasts, innovators and rebels all have a target behind them. The more successful they are, the more vulnerable they are to attacks from others.
Some people may say that luck plays an important role in these things. Yes, luck plays a great role, but luck is also commensurate with intelligence, determination, and hard work. If you consider This is called luck. It is better to call it Tao, reason, wisdom, law, the Holy Spirit, and God.
The harder you work, the closer you are to the "Tao". Believing in the Tao means believing in yourself and your destiny. It is not other people's destiny, not your own destiny, but the destiny in your heart. self-definition.
Translated to my understanding, it is: how to pursue your inner desire and what kind of person you want to be.
Originally, after reading the book, I felt very excited. Transformers 6 is about to premiere, and the director happens to be Travis (Knight's second son). If his movie doesn't get a good response, he will have no choice but to go back and inherit his father's tens of billions of wealth. I can be a rich second generation with peace of mind. Well, let me show you his appearance:
Just like the American version of Wang Sicong, even though he has a rich family background, he still works hard to make progress and find his own value.
"Bumblebee" is scheduled to be released in North America on December 21st
The film is directed by the director of "The Legend of the Strings", the founder of Laika Studio, a rising star in the animated film industry, and "Nike" "The Young Master" directed by Travis Knight ("The Legend of the Strings" and "Corpse Bride");
Knight's father is the founder of Nike, a veritable rich second generation
So, we really have to think about this:
What does financial freedom mean?
What do you want to do when you are truly free?
04
Afterthoughts
After reading the entire book, I started to read the recommendation preface of the article, because I had already chosen For this book, I didn’t read the recommendations carefully, but when you read this book and read other people’s recommendations, you will get a buzz.
In the recommendation preface by Professor Yang Bin, associate professor and provost of Tsinghua University, he writes:
Knight often said a famous saying: Cowards never set off, and the weak die. On the road, we can't stop even one step forward.
The name of this book is Shoe Dog. The author only explains the meaning of this word in a story in 1971 on page 203, and dominates the "spirit" of integers, which will make you recall this The deep meaning of the word:
Not only a shoe dog, but also a person who makes a living by doing this all his life, is good at it, enjoys it, and innovates this industry, is the backbone of every industry, the one who drives these industries. Industry, the leader of nirvana, sublation, destruction and innovation, is an Oregonian, a member of Bowerman's team, a master in the jungle, a catalytic force for the progress of the world, and only he can make this life worthwhile.
Finally, let’s talk about the reading methods of business books and several tips on developing reading habits:
1. The 80-20 principle
Business books, 80% The essence may only account for 20% of the page numbers, so you must allocate time according to your own reading ability.
2. The principle of concentration of advantages and energy:
In a specific period of time, break through 20% of the essence of the content, or you can also focus on conquering one topic in a period of time. .
3. Progressive Principle
Efficient reading does not necessarily have to be carried out in the order of page numbers. You can choose the parts you are interested in and then expand to other content.
Start with a small topic to develop reading skills, understand writing style, point of view explanation and case description, with the purpose of mastering the method, which is the most important.
4. Be a good teacher
Take the lead and control the topic in the circle of friends, guide the topic, and develop it in the direction of your own design, so that reading can be more solid, practical and effective.
5. Recall
Because it is impossible to read it all in one go. When you pick up the book for the second time, you should use 15 minutes to recall what you read last time. You really can’t remember it. Get up and read again. Strictly train yourself, keep recalling, and you can develop a memory habit by persisting for 50 times
6. Take notes
Don’t try to make your notes highly logical and systematic , there is no need to have deep insights and thoughts, as long as words train the brain, blank spaces, write more and draw more, essays, symbols, picture and color bookmarks, folding notes, or even open books
< p> This is a link in the original text, collection is not supported at the momentYou can refer to the notes in previous articles
7. After-reading and ppt
Keep writing your after-reading, It can greatly improve your reading ability. After doing ppt, you can improve your logical analysis ability. Start by writing your thoughts after reading, then do five ppts, and repeat three times to write your thoughts after reading.
If you persist in reading in this way, your ability to read will be greatly improved.
8. Ideological Transcendence
To develop the above-mentioned reading habits, it usually takes six months of rigorous training and reading more than four books before you can achieve ideological improvement. The goal of improving reading ability is to escape, to have a feeling of transcending the author, to transcend the author, and to try to think above the author.
And reading is not just as simple as "reading a book", but more importantly, thinking about this level, how to sublimate what you see into your own knowledge, which requires constant output.
I hope my reading notes can be helpful to everyone’s reading/study. If you also want to read this book, because there is no electronic version, you can buy the paper version or directly search for the Himalayan Listening Book section. No more recommendations here.
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