13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

I read Phil Knight's Shoe Dog. Here are my thoughts:

• What surprised you the most? I was surprised by the fact that Phil started Nike from literally nothing. He had very low start up costs and sold the shoes out of the truck of his car for the first year. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I admire Phil's persistence and determination. Back when he started Nike nobody thought he could break into the market and become a household name. However, after sticking to it for many years he caught a few big breaks which eventually propelled Nike into what we know it as today.
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? I really cannot think of something negative about him. I was in awe of his whole story and I found it to be truly inspirational. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it. Yes he did encounter adversity during the the initial start up of his company. While he was not making very much money in the beginning he did experience some negative comments from those around him telling him that it would not workout and that he should move onto something else. In his mind he was young and was able to take risks still without huge consequences since he still had his whole left ahead of him. This lead Phil to continue on and go after his dream. 
• What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Phil was very good at being a go getter and sticking to what he believes in. This is something that I try to apply in my life as well.
• Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. I was a little confused originally by the fact that he had multiple college degrees and a job as an accountant, but he wanted to drop that and go for something totally different. By the end of the book I came to realize that he had an outstanding entrepreneurial mindset, this is something that was in his heart and something that made him feel fulfilled. 
• If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? I would Phil what was the hardest decision he made along the way? And, what made him feel like he could be successful when everyone else doubted him? I would ask him these questions because I want to dive deeper into his mindset. 
• For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?  I believe that Phil was no stranger to hard work. He embraced it and knew that it would be key to his success. I too have the same opinion of hard work. I know that if I want to get where I want to go that I must put in the necessary time.