How Phil Knight's 'Crazy Idea' - Nike - Revolutionized an Industry | Book Insights on Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
发布时间 2023-06-07 14:00:34 来源
摘要
*In Shoe Dog, the famously reticent founder of Nike opens up to tell the story of how he transformed a $50 loan into a multibillion-dollar business.
*Opening with Knight on a brisk morning run, aged 24, we’re treated to a description of the almost divine manner in which the idea for starting a shoe company first strikes.
*Yet the actual making of the future megabrand was founded on Knight’s own athletic prowess and business acumen, not to mention his dogged determination.
*While his college friends secured “proper jobs” and his father scolded him for “jackassing around” with sports shoes, Knight persevered. By selling shoes from the boot of his car, he managed to turnover $8,000 in his first year.
*At the heart of his burgeoning business was a desire to capture the thrill of competition, to do work that didn’t feel like working.
*As well as providing insights into the highs and lows of running a newly formed company, Shoe Dog shows what happens when you stop playing by society’s rules and decide to follow your heart.
Theme 1: Knight’s Crazy Idea - 0:29
Theme 2: Knight’s Entrepreneurial Journey & Purpose -11:55
Theme 3: The Buttfaces - 26:06
Like what you hear? Be sure to like & subscribe to support this podcast! Also leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on the episode.
You can also get a free weekly email about the Book Insight of the week. Subscribe at memod.com/insights
Want quick save-able, share-able bullet points on this book? Check out the Memo: https://memod.com/TomBBBusiness/how-the-story-of-nike-s-tough-early-days-can-inspi-594/part-1
HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEWS MENTIONED IN TODAYS' EPISODE HERE:
Archive, Investors. “Billionaire Phil Knight: Starting Nike, Life and Shoes (2017).” YouTube, YouTube, 12 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQvhAkLF7t0.
Bloomberg Markets and Finance, Bloomberg Markets and. “The David Rubenstein Show: Phil Knight.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=brkdw_5umYY.
Carmichael, Evan. “Chris Guillebeau's Top 10 Rules For Success (@Chrisguillebeau).” YouTube, YouTube, 26 May 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDEksMt3S9s.
Chapters, Indigo |. “In Conversation: Phil Knight and Indigo CEO Heather Reisman.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 May 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EhX62tPsGw.
Institute of Passion. “Steve Jobs Talking about Passion in Work at D5 Conference 2007.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Jan. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_SKFUHlW9Y.
Morning, CBS Sunday. “How Phil Knight's ‘Crazy Idea’ Conquers the Sporting World.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Apr. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxWJTo-0eyk.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Phil Knight Made A Pair Of Nikes Just For Stephen.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Apr. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQMi-CBcMg.
Full Title: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creating of Nike
Year of Publication: 2016
Book Author: Phil Knight
To purchase the complete edition of this book click here: https://a.co/d/1g3gx0K
Book Insight Writer: Joe Barnes
Editor: Tom Butler-Bowden
Producer: Daniel Gonzalez
Production Manager: Karin Richey
Curator: Tom Butler-Bowden
Narrator: Robin Gabrielli
GPT-4正在为你翻译摘要中......
中英文字稿 
You're listening to Book Insights, brought to you by Memode, finding and simplifying the world's most powerful ideas to fit into your lifestyle. Each episode is a deep dive into a non-fiction bestseller that can change your life or make you think. In around 30 minutes, you'll learn all about a book that offers wisdom for your life, career, or business. Get ready to live and work smarter, better, and happier with Book Insights.
您正在收听《图书洞察力》，由Memode带给您，我们致力于发现并简化世界上最有力的观点，以适应您的生活方式。每一集都深入探讨一本非小说畅销书，它可以改变您的生活或引发您的思考。在约30分钟内，您将了解一本为您的生活、职业或业务提供智慧的书籍。准备好用《图书洞察力》带给您更聪明、更好、更幸福的生活和工作。
On a foggy morning, Phil Knight went out for a run. It was 24 years old, introverted, and socially awkward. Yet rebellious and highly competitive, he was unsure about his future. He didn't feel like an adult. He told him to aim for money, marriage, kids, a house, and success, whatever that meant. But Phil Knight wanted more. He was a runner in his college days. He was excellent at it, with a personal best mile run time of 4 minutes and 13 seconds. But he wasn't good enough, not if he wanted to run for a living. He was competitive, he was excellent, but not the best.
在一个雾蒙蒙的早晨，菲尔·奈特出去跑步了。他只有24岁，性格内向，社交上有些尴尬。然而，他又桀骜不驯又极具竞争力，对自己的未来感到不确定。他觉得自己不像个成年人。别人告诉他要追求金钱、婚姻、孩子、房子和成功，不管成功意味着什么。但是菲尔·奈特想要更多。大学时他是个跑步者，而且还很出色，在个人最佳英里跑步时间为4分13秒。但是他不够好，如果想以跑步为生。他有竞争心，他很出色，但不是最好的。
During that misty morning run, he reflected on his life. He had returned to living in his childhood bedroom after a brief military career. He carried a newly printed MBA. His family and friends were all pursuing success, but Knight was the only one who didn't know what success was. He asked himself, what if there were a way, without being an athlete, to feel what athletes feel, to play all the time, instead of working? Or else to enjoy work so much that it becomes essentially the same thing. Knight needed excitement, and maybe more importantly, meaning. He needed to latch on to some improbable dream. He needed to chase it with focused dedication and a sense of purpose. He wanted to feel the same buzz of an athletic challenge and to do work that didn't feel like working. Phil Knight wanted to play.
在那个朦胧的清晨慢跑时，他对自己的生活进行了反思。他在短暂的军事生涯后回到了童年的卧室里。他手上拿着一本新印制的MBA学位证书。他的家人和朋友都在追求成功，但是凯特却是唯一一个不知道成功是什么的人。他问自己，如果有一种方法可以让他像运动员一样感受到运动员的感觉，一直玩耍而不需要工作，或者让他如此享受工作，以至于工作本身就成为一样的东西，那该多好啊？凯特需要刺激，或许更重要的是，需要意义。他需要坚持不懈地追求一个不太可能实现的梦想。他需要全身心地追逐，并怀有一种目标感。他希望能够感受到运动挑战中的兴奋，并从事一项不像工作的工作。菲尔·奈特想要玩耍。
This is the story of the man who created Nike. We all share a sense of adventure, but how many of us are brave or crazy enough to act on it? Phil Knight started with a $50 loan from his father and wound up with a Leviathan that made him into a billionaire. He's one of the greatest successes in the history of business. How many people all over the world recognize the swoosh? How many people can say in a hundred languages, just do it?
这是一个关于创建耐克的男人的故事。我们都怀有冒险的情感，但有多少人能够勇敢或疯狂到真正付诸行动呢？菲尔·奈特从他父亲借了50美元开始，最终创造出一个巨无霸般的企业，使他成为了亿万富翁。他是商业史上最伟大的成功之一。全世界有多少人认识那个勾的图标呢？有多少人能用上百种语言说出“只管去做”呢？
Shoe Dog, a memoir by the creator of Nike, begins at Knight's foggy morning run at age 24 and ends in 1980 when Nike went public. It's the story of the humble beginnings of a shoe giant, but it's also the story of passion. After all, Phil Knight is a shoe dog. 25 words or less, a shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes. And that was me, that I was a runner. There's no such thing as a ball and a mile that all you really care about are the shoes. That's the man himself, Phil Knight, talking to David Rubenstein. Whether you're only in it for the shoes or for the entrepreneurial lessons, shoe dog shares what happens when you stop playing by society's rules and decide to follow your heart.
《鞋狗》是耐克创始人的回忆录，故事从24岁的骑士晨雾中的奔跑开始，到1980年耐克上市为止。这是一个关于鞋类巨头的谦卑起步的故事，也是一个关于激情的故事。因为Phil Knight是一个“鞋狗”。用最少的25个词来说，鞋狗指的是真正热爱鞋子的人。而我正是这个人，我是一名跑步者。在你真正关心的只有鞋子的情况下，没有什么比球和一英里更重要的了。这就是Phil Knight本人向大卫·鲁宾斯坦谈话的内容。无论你只是为了鞋子，还是为了创业的经验教训，《鞋狗》都分享了当你停止按照社会规则行事，决定追随内心的时候会发生什么。
In this book in sight, we'll focus on a few key themes. This crazy idea, his entrepreneurial journey, his philosophical journey, and the butt faces. We'll end with some thoughts on the controversies that have descended on Nike and consider Knight's responses and his legacy.
在这本书中，我们将着重探讨几个关键主题。这个疯狂的想法、他的创业之旅、他的哲学之旅还有那些“butt faces”（译者注：此处暂未找到详细解释，可能需要根据上下文推测意思）。最后，我们将思考一下围绕耐克公司的争议，并考虑奈特的回应和他的遗产。
People say, oh, I hear what Knight's doing to the Stanford MBAs peddle in the Japanese track shoes. That was a pretty big joke at the time. I wanted it, so I said, I got to try it. I got to try it. That's Knight talking to CBS. He's talking about his then seemingly crazy idea. 24-year-old Knight wanted to import Japanese running shoes to sell in the US. It was his obsession. Others didn't get the business plan. His own father told him to quit jackassing around with shoes. Despite the massive pressure to do something respectable with his life and his education, Knight was driving to track meets, selling trainers out of his car. It was painful trying to explain his wacky dream to his disbelieving friends and family.
人们说，哦，我听说Knight正在斯坦福大学的MBA们推销日本的赛跑鞋。那时真是一个很大的笑话。我想要，所以我说，我必须试试。我必须试试。这是Knight对CBS说的。他在谈论他那时看似疯狂的想法。24岁的Knight想要进口日本的跑步鞋在美国销售。这是他的痴迷。其他人对这个商业计划并不理解。他自己的父亲告诉他别再和鞋子胡闹了。尽管生活和教育给他带来了巨大的压力，Knight还是开车去参加田径比赛，从车里销售运动鞋。试图向怀疑他的朋友和家人解释他的奇怪梦想是很痛苦的。
Knight's idea didn't seem that crazy to him. It was born out of a research paper submitted for his MBA. He combined two of his biggest interests, running in business, and came up with an idea, which now seems obvious. However, at the time, nobody else could have or would have dreamed it up.
骑士对于他的想法并不觉得很疯狂。这个想法源于他为MBA课程提交的研究论文。他结合了他最大的两个兴趣，跑步和商业，并提出了一个如今看起来显而易见的想法。然而，在当时，没有其他人能够或愿意去想象这个想法。
On the other side of the planet, the Japanese economy was rapidly recovering from the Second World War. Its technological innovations were beginning to lead the world. Japanese cameras invaded the US, conquering the market previously dominated by the Germans. Here is Knight again on the Late Show, describing what he felt was the next logical step. I wrote a paper. The US shoe market was being dominated by German shoe companies, Edith and Puma, and it didn't make sense to me that you make shoes in Germany. So I said, why don't you make shoes in Japan like the camera business? Knight saw a gap in the market. Japanese running shoes. The research paper for which Knight received an A was more than the means to a good grade. It became his passion. The paper became the blueprint for Knight's new company.
在地球的另一边，日本经济正迅速从第二次世界大战中复苏。其技术创新开始引领世界。日本相机侵入了美国市场，征服了以德国品牌为主导的市场。在《晚间秀》节目中，这里再次出现了奈特，描述了他认为是下一个逻辑步骤的事情。我写了篇论文。德国的鞋类市场正在被爱迪和彪马两家德国鞋公司主导，而对我来说，在德国制造鞋子不太合理。所以我说，为什么不像相机业务一样在日本制造鞋子呢？奈特看到了市场上的空白。日本的跑步鞋。奈特因这篇论文获得了A，并不仅仅是为了好成绩而写，它成为了他的热情所在。这篇论文成为了奈特新公司的蓝图。
Knight started to travel the world, an experience that would shape his life. Here is Knight in a talk with Indigo. When I went to Japan, I went in a sporting goods store, then the Anitsika company had made a shoe called the brand called Tiger, which seemed to have the most promise. So I called him up. Knight shipped the Anitsika Tiger shoes to America. Then using his knowledge and contacts, he promoted and encouraged fellow athletes to go Tiger.
骑士开始环游世界，这次经历将会塑造他的一生。这里是骑士和印迪戈的对话。当我去日本的时候，我进了一家体育用品店，然后正好这家名叫安踏的公司推出了一种叫老虎的鞋子，这似乎是最有前途的品牌。所以我给他们打了电话。骑士将安踏老虎鞋运到了美国，在运用他的知识和关系的情况下，他推广和鼓励其他运动员选择老虎品牌。
While this seems obvious now, keep in mind, Knight didn't know a single thing about managing a business. He didn't even have any money to his name. He just did it. His company, called Blue Ribbon Sports, started with a $50 loan from Knight's dad. The name was something he made up on the way to meeting with the Anitsika top brass. Here he is talking with Indigo about the meeting that started everything. They walked through the accounting department before you get to the conference room and there were 20 Japanese people in the accounting department and they all stood up and bowed. And I thought, oh boy, they think I'm a big shot.
尽管现在看起来很明显，但请记住，奈特对经营企业一无所知。他甚至连一毛钱都没有。但他就是去做了。他的公司名为蓝丝带体育（Blue Ribbon Sports），开始只有奈特父亲给予的50美元贷款。这个名字是他在去与Anitsika高层见面的路上临时取的。下面是他与英蓝就开创一切的会议谈话片段。我们走过了会议室前的会计部门，那里有20个日本人，他们都站起来并鞠躬。我想，哦天啊，他们以为我很重要。
This was the start of his adventure. And the beginning of all his problems, success would rely on two factors. The first was quality. Knight cared deeply about the quality of his products. He wasn't a shoe dog for aesthetics alone. His customers deserve the best performing and best looking shoes on the market. The solution to this quality concern was Bill Bowerman, Knight's old running coach at the University of Oregon. Bowerman was a legend of the 1950s and 60s, working as the regular coach to the US Olympic team. Here's Knight describing his early relationship with Bowerman to Indigo. When I was a runner there, he used me to experiment with on shoes a lot. But it was safer than using them on Jim Grello, who was our best runner. Bowerman saw Knight as a guinea pig for his side passion, deconstructing and reassembling running shoes. Good running shoes were hard to find in the 1960s.
这是他冒险的开始，也是他所有问题的开端，成功将依赖于两个因素。第一个因素是质量。纳特对他的产品质量非常重视，他不仅仅关注鞋子的外观。他的顾客应该获得市场上性能最佳、外观最好的鞋子。解决这个质量问题的办法是比尔·鲍尔曼，纳特在俄勒冈大学的老跑步教练。鲍尔曼是20世纪50年代和60年代的传奇人物，曾担任美国奥运会队的常规教练。这里是纳特对Indigo描述他与鲍尔曼早期关系的一段话。在我当运动员的时候，他经常让我作为试验对象来测试鞋子，不过相比我们最好的跑步选手吉姆·格雷洛来说，使用我肯定更安全。鲍尔曼将纳特视为他研究和重新组装跑鞋的实验品。在20世纪60年代，好的跑鞋很难找到。
With Bowerman on board, Knight was able to deliver on Blue Ribbon's promise of quality and innovation. The two of them signed a 50-50 deal when the company was formed. This would later change to a 51-49 deal in Knight's favor. On its accented shoes, Bowerman would suggest improvements which the Japanese company would follow. The result? A rapidly expanding shoe company where demand always exceeded supply. US sales of Tiger shoes boomed when Bowerman redesigned the Tiger for a larger American foot. 1967 was a good year for Blue Ribbon with revenue of $84,000. Still, it wasn't enough to pay a full-time salary for Knight. At 29, he took a job teaching accounting at Portland State. With ours more flexible than his previous day job as an accountant, Knight was finally able to devote himself to Blue Ribbon.
有了鲍尔曼的帮助，耐克得以兑现蓝丝带的质量与创新承诺。两人在公司成立时签署了50-50的合同，后来变为对耐克更有利的51-49比例。鲍尔曼会就日本公司的鞋子提出改进意见，而该公司会采纳。结果是一个不断扩大的鞋子公司，需求始终超过供应。当鲍尔曼为美国脚重新设计老虎鞋时，耐克的销售大幅增长。1967年是蓝丝带的好年头，收入达到了84,000美元。然而，这还不足以支付耐克的全职薪水。当时29岁的他，接受了在波特兰州立大学教会计的工作。由于这个工作比他之前的会计工作更加灵活，耐克终于能够全身心地投入到蓝丝带的事业中。
There was, however, another reason why Knight wanted to spend more time on his company. He was in love with his new bookkeeper, Penelope Parks. The couple married in 1968. Knight felt as nervous about his wedding as he did about his business, but sales kept climbing. It was $150,000 in 1968, then $300,000 in 1969. When Penny got pregnant, Knight wondered if he should go back to a stable job. He mulled it over and decided, life is growth, you grow, or you die.
然而，Knight想要在自己的公司上花更多时间还有另一个原因。他爱上了新来的簿记员Penelope Parks。这对夫妇在1968年结婚。Knight对自己的婚礼和生意一样紧张，但销售额一直在上升。1968年销售额为150,000美元，而1969年则达到了300,000美元。当Penny怀孕后，Knight开始考虑是否应该回到一份稳定的工作。经过思考，他认为人生就是成长，你要么成长，要么死去。
Bill Knight didn't walk into his first sports store with some gimmick to sell shoes. He was heavily involved in running. His idea was born out of his passion. He knew what shoes were comfortable and which performed well or didn't. Combined with his business degree, his research paper and his accounting skills, Knight was as close to being an expert on his product and market as anyone.
Bill Knight并不是带着一些把戏来卖鞋子走进他的第一家运动用品店的。他深深地投入于跑步。他的想法源自他的热情。他知道哪种鞋子舒适，哪种鞋子性能好或不好。加上他的商业学位、他的研究论文和他的会计技能，Knight对于他的产品和市场几乎可以说是专家级的了。
Your crazy idea won't just fall into your lap, totally unrelated to your areas of interest. It more likely already exists in one of your current passions. Chris Gillabow's entrepreneurial book, The $100 Startup, confirms this. Here's Gillabow sharing about how passion fits into your crazy idea. If you have a dream, if you have this crazy idea, you must believe in it, even if no one else does. He interviewed hundreds who launched a successful business on under $100. One snowboarding enthusiast lost his job at a restaurant, then launched an online course providing snowboarding tutorials. A music teacher overwhelmed with administration created online software, allowing other teachers to manage their booking schedules and other affairs. A pair of graphic designers, bored with their day job, started an innovative map-creating company designed to help tourists get the most out of their vacations. Crazy ideas occur in fields you're already involved in. Big, deep enough to find yours. Like Knight, be strong enough to resist societal pressure telling you it's too risky to pursue.
你的疯狂想法不会突然出现在你身上，与你的兴趣领域无关。它更有可能已经存在于你当前的激情之中。克里斯·吉拉博的创业书《100美元的创业》证实了这一点。吉拉博谈到了激情如何与你的疯狂想法相契合。如果你有一个梦想，如果你有这个疯狂的想法，你必须相信它，即使没有其他人相信。他采访了数百个仅用100美元创办成功企业的人。一个滑雪爱好者在一家餐馆失业后，开办了一个提供滑雪教程的在线课程。一位音乐教师因为行政管理过于繁忙，创办了在线软件，让其他教师能够管理他们的预订日程和其他事务。一对厌倦日常工作的平面设计师创办了一家创新的地图制作公司，旨在帮助游客充分利用他们的假期。疯狂的想法发生在你已经涉足的领域中。它们如此强大，足以发现属于你的那个。和奈特一样，要有足够的坚持，抵制社会压力告诉你追求它太冒险了。
When we return, we'll examine the rise of Knight and his little shoe company. We'll look at the immense outer struggles his team endured, and then we'll look at the spiritual side that led him through his problems and into the clearing. Enjoying this episode of Book Insights? If so, keep listening and learning. There's a collection of over 100 titles you can read or listen to now at MemoedApp.com slash insights.
当我们回来的时候，我们将研究Knight及其小鞋公司的崛起。我们将看到他的团队经历的巨大外部困境，然后我们将看看精神层面是如何引领他度过问题并走向成功的。喜欢这一集《书籍洞察》吗？如果是的话，请继续倾听和学习。现在你可以在MemoedApp.com/insights上找到一系列超过100本书的阅读或听书选择。
Well, a shoe dog is when I got into the business of this shoe dog is basically a shoemaker. And they had a way they figured out that normal human being, life expectancy will walk 275 million steps and shoe makers were part of their journey and part of their humanity. And I always sort of like that story. That was Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, explaining shoe dogs to Stephen Colbert on the Late Show. We're continuing the story of the man who brought running shoes to America. Although he's one of business's greatest success stories, Knight has only recently told his story. He wouldn't let anybody tell it except himself. There's a mystical edge to Knight's journey. If not predestination, the man had a preternatural instinct for good business. From hawking trainers out of his trunk, to becoming one of the most recognizable brands in the world, something seemed to guide him. Symbols and numbers repeated. And Nike isn't just a four-letter word to the man who founded the company. Shoe Dog, a memoir by the creator of Nike, is Knight's own perspective on the beginning of Nike. At the start, Knight had no money and knew even less about running a business. His little shoe company would go on to be worth roughly $100 billion today. As we'll learn in this part, Knight might attribute this success to a higher calling.
嗯，"鞋狗"是我开始进入这个行业的时候，基本上是指一个鞋匠。他们发现普通人的预期寿命将会行走2.75亿步，而鞋匠是他们旅途和人性中的一部分。我一直喜欢这个故事。这是耐克的创始人菲尔·奈特在晚间秀与史蒂芬·科尔伯特解释"鞋狗"的含义。现在我们继续讲述这个将跑鞋引入美国的人的故事。虽然他是商业界最成功的故事之一，但奈特直到最近才讲述自己的故事。除了他自己，他不允许任何人讲述。奈特的旅程中有一种神秘的边缘。虽然不是命中注定，但这个人对好生意有着超乎寻常的直觉。从车尾卖运动鞋到成为世界上最知名的品牌之一，似乎有某种力量在引导他。符号和数字反复出现。对于创立这家公司的创始人来说，耐克并不仅仅是一个四个字母组成的单词。菲尔·奈特的回忆录《鞋狗》是他对耐克起初历程的个人见解。起初，奈特一文不名，对经营生意知之甚少。他的小鞋公司如今的价值约为1000亿美元。正如我们将在本部分中了解到的，奈特可能将这种成功归因于更高的召唤。
Previously, we learned that Knight had a crazy idea, bringing Japanese running shoe products to Western markets. He partnered with his old coach, Bill Bowerman, and they founded Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor to Nike. This time we'll look at two methods of viewing Phil Knight's entrepreneurial journey. The first will go through the business challenges that eventually forced the creation of a new company called Nike. Then we'll look at the journey below the surface. We'll explore the man's personal philosophies and discuss the metaphysical purpose behind this incredible adventure.
在之前，我们知道Knight有一个疯狂的想法，将日本的跑鞋产品带到西方市场。他与他的老教练Bill Bowerman合作，他们创立了蓝丝带运动（Blue Ribbon Sports），这是耐克的前身。这一次我们将探讨两种观察Phil Knight创业之旅的方法。第一种方法是通过商业挑战，最终迫使他创立了一家名为耐克的新公司。然后我们将深入探讨这个人的个人哲学，并讨论在这场惊人冒险背后的形而上学目的。
Knight is fond of quoting General MacArthur's line, You Are Remembered For The Rules You Break. Or in other words, Knight never cared much for business convention. For almost 20 years, Knight ran a company that did over a million a year in turnover on very little equity. The banks hated him, but Knight held to his creed of growth at any cost. Cash balances sitting around doing nothing made little sense to him. It would have been the cautious, conservative, prudent thing to keep that money in the business's pocket, but in Knight's words, the roadside was littered with cautious, conservative, prudent entrepreneurs. He kept his foot pressed hard on the gas pedal.
Knight喜欢引用麦克阿瑟将军的一句话：“人们会因为你打破的规矩而记住你。”也就是说，Knight并不太在意商业惯例。将近20年的时间里，Knight经营着一家年营业额超过一百万美元的公司，却只有很少的股本。银行们讨厌他，但Knight坚持着以任何代价实现增长的信条。对他来说，让现金余额闲置不做任何事情是毫无意义的。把钱保留在企业的口袋里是谨慎、保守和明智的事情，但用Knight的话来说，这条路旁边堆满了谨慎、保守、明智的企业家。他紧踩油门。
Growth at all costs meant Blue Ribbon was forever low on cash. All the money they made went straight back into buying larger orders. All's revenue came in, enabling them to pay off the bank and their debts, but then they placed an even larger order for shoes from Japan. There was no float or backup fund to secure the company during turbulent times. Knight didn't even pay himself a salary until 1969, five years after he founded the company. Running his business in this manner brought Knight into conflict with multiple bank managers. This during an era when banking practices were far more conservative, they cut his credit.
不惜一切代价的增长意味着蓝丝带公司一直资金紧张。他们赚到的所有钱都直接用于购买更多的订单。尽管所有的收入来了，他们得以偿还银行和债务，但他们随后又从日本下了一个更大的鞋订单。在动荡时期，公司没有任何流动资金或备用基金来维持运作。直到1969年，五年后他创立公司，奈特才开始领取薪水。以这种方式经营他的企业让奈特与多个银行经理发生了冲突。在一个银行业实践更为保守的时代，他们削减了他的信贷额度。
Despite Blue Ribbon almost doubling in size year upon year, banks considered Knight's business method too risky. Credit troubles were just the start of Blue Ribbon's many trials and tribulations. Their Japanese partners, Onitsuka, quickly forced them to change or die. First, Onitsuka went back on their exclusivity deal with Knight. They allowed an east coast distributor of Tiger shoes to gain a foothold in America. Then, Onitsuka attempted an aggressive takeover of Blue Ribbon. When this failed, it plotted to pursue legal action as well as cut off the company's supply of shoes. Knight recollects how that final interaction with Onitsuka went on the David Rubenstein show. When Tiger just basically gave us an ultimatum that said either sell us 51% of your company at book value or we're going to set up other distributors no matter what this piece of paper says. So that kind of gave us an idea that we may be better changed manufacturers. They didn't have a lot of time.
尽管蓝丝带几乎每年都翻了一番，但银行认为奈特的商业方法太过冒险。信用问题只是蓝丝带面临的众多困难之一。他们的日本合作伙伴鬼冢很快迫使他们改变或倒闭。首先，鬼冢取消了与奈特的独家合作协议。他们允许东海岸的经销商在美国立足。然后，鬼冢试图强势接管蓝丝带。当这失败后，他们计划采取法律行动，并切断公司的鞋类供应。奈特回忆起与鬼冢的最后一次互动，在大卫·鲁宾斯坦节目中提及。当时，虎标基本上给了我们一个最后通牒，要求以账面价值出售给他们公司51%的股份，否则他们将无论如何设立其他经销商。所以这让我们有了一个想法，可能更好地改变制造商。他们没有太多时间。
Knight and his team whipped up their first original shoes in a Japanese office over a weekend and Blue Ribbon became Nike. That fire put out. Knight wasn't in the clear yet, their next adversary was the US government. Nike came under FBI investigation, revealing an arcane trading law they appeared to have breached. The company had to pay $25 million in back taxes. This was long before the brand was valued in the billions of dollars. Michael Jordan wouldn't put on his Air Jordans until more than a decade later. This should have buried the company. He's in dominant will and belief in a solution to every problem kept the ship afloat. To understand how he could have pulled such a miracle, let's refer to Steve Jobs at a D5 conference in 2007. People say you have to have a lot of passion for what you're doing and it's totally true. The reason is because it's so hard that if you don't any rational person would give up. It's really hard and you have to do it over a sustained period of time. So if you don't love it, if you're not having fun doing it, you don't really love it, you're going to give up.
骑士及其团队在一个周末在日本的办公室里匆忙设计出了第一双原创鞋子，并将其命名为"蓝丝带"，从而成立了耐克。然而这场火还没熄灭，骑士面临了下一个对手——美国政府。耐克遭到了联邦调查局的调查，揭示了他们似乎违反了某项复杂的贸易法规。该公司不得不支付2,500万美元的欠税。这发生在品牌被估值为数十亿美元之前。迈克尔·乔丹直到十多年后才开始穿上他的"乔丹鞋"。这原本应该沉重打击了公司，但骑士对解决问题的强烈意愿和信念使公司得以继续生存。为了理解他如何实现这样的奇迹，让我们回顾一下2007年史蒂夫·乔布斯在D5大会上的讲话。人们说你必须对自己所做的事情充满激情，这完全是真的。原因是这样做很难，如果你没有激情，任何理性的人都会放弃。这是非常困难的，而且你必须持续一段时间才能完成。所以如果你不喜欢它，如果你在做这件事时不感到快乐，那么你真的就不喜欢它，你会放弃的。
When business gurus discuss the importance of passion, it's typically in the context of inspiration and product creation. In other words, you need to enjoy what you're doing in order to have innovative market capturing ideas. While this might be the case, Jobs identifies a less appealing and perhaps more salient reason why passion is so important. It gets you through the tough times. Knight had this passion. He could have thrown in the towel, declared bankruptcy and gone back to his accounting job. But he pulled along because he believed in what he was doing. After all, despite the financial and legal worries, Knight was having fun. He got to play.
当商业专家们讨论热情的重要性时，通常是在灵感和产品创造的背景下。换句话说，为了具有创新的市场捕捉思路，你需要喜欢自己正在做的事情。虽然可能是这样，但乔布斯指出了一个不那么吸引人、但也许更重要的原因，那就是热情能帮助你度过困难时期。耐克特（Phil Knight）有这种热情。他本可以放弃、宣布破产，然后回到自己的会计工作岗位上。但他坚持下去，因为他相信自己在做的事情。毕竟，尽管有财务和法律上的担忧，耐克特在享受其中。他在玩耍。
No analysis of Knight's entrepreneurial journey would be complete without mentioning some of the technical innovations his company brought to shoe design. In the late 1970s, eccentric inventor M. Frank Rudy approached Knight with an idea. Rudy was injecting air into the soul of running shoes. Confused, Knight dismissed the idea as gimmicky. However, the inventor persisted and managed to convince Knight to demo the air soul with a six-mile run. Upon testing them, Knight was convinced. The eccentric inventor was onto something. Knight agreed to include his design in upcoming models. This would become Nike Air, a brand within the brand that would send Nike's sales into the stratosphere in the 1980s and 90s.
在分析耐克创始人耐特的创业之旅时，不得不提及他的公司在鞋子设计方面带来的一些技术创新。在20世纪70年代末期，古怪的发明家弗兰克·鲁迪向耐特提出了一个创意，即在跑鞋鞋底注入空气。耐特对此表示困惑，并认为这只是一种花哨的想法。然而，这位发明家坚持不懈，并成功说服耐特进行了一次6英里的空气鞋底试跑。试验结果让耐特深信不疑，这个古怪的发明家确实找到了一条新路。耐特同意将这个设计纳入即将推出的款式中。这就是后来的耐克气垫鞋，它成为耐克品牌中的一支品牌，使耐克在20世纪80年代和90年代的销售量飙升至前所未有的高度。
It helped them become the number one shoe and sports apparel company in the world. Rudy had previously pitched this to Adidas, the number one athletic shoe brand at the time. Like Nike, Adidas initially rejected his idea. However, Adidas did not have a runner as their CEO. When Knight laced up those early Nike Airs and tested them, he knew he'd struck gold. He knew only because he knew running. Adidas and his other rivals at the time were run by people hell-bent on making a profit. Knight, on the other hand, wanted to advance the sport of running. He had a runner's mindset, and this enabled him to understand the needs of his fellow athletes. Aspiring entrepreneurs, bear this in mind. If you don't possess a nerd-like knowledge of your product, you might be in the wrong industry. When your competitors care more, you're the one who's going to be left behind.
这帮助他们成为世界上最大的鞋类和运动服饰公司。鲁迪之前曾向当时的运动鞋品牌第一名阿迪达斯提出过这个想法。和耐克一样，阿迪达斯最初也拒绝了他的想法。然而，阿迪达斯的CEO并不是一名跑步选手。当耐克的创始人穿上那些早期的耐克气垫鞋并测试它们时，他知道自己发现了一项巨大的商机。这是因为他对跑步非常了解。与此同时，阿迪达斯和其他竞争对手则是由那些一心追求利润的人来管理。而骑士则想要推进跑步运动。他有一个跑步选手的思维方式，这使他能够理解他的队友们的需求。有志创业的人们，请记住这一点。如果你对自己的产品不具备类似怪才般的知识，那你可能进错了行业。当你的竞争对手更加关注时，你将是那个被落下的人。
While almost every entrepreneur will claim a deeper motivation than profit alone, few come across as genuine. There's no mention in shoe dog of Knight spending on luxuries or a fleet of cars. He mentions buying a house for his family. All the money earned from early sales was stuffed back into the business.
几乎每个创业者都会声称他们的动力不仅仅是利润，但真正表现出真诚的人很少。《鞋狗》中没有提到奈特在奢侈品或一整车队的车上花钱。他提到为他的家人买了一所房子。从早期销售中赚到的所有钱都被重新投入到生意中。
During his Blue Ribbon days, Knight had two children with his wife Penelope. He calls Nike his third child. It's clear something more than money motivated him. Knight once claimed he didn't start Blue Ribr on to get rich. It's easy to believe him.
在他的“蓝丝带”时期，奈特和妻子佩内洛普一起育有两个孩子。他称耐克为他的第三个孩子。很明显，超越金钱的东西激励着他。奈特曾声称他成立“蓝丝带”并不是为了致富。很容易相信他的话。
During the difficult fledgling years, Knight could have returned to accounting or teaching. He would have worked less hours and experienced less stress. It was a growing sense of restlessness that wouldn't let him settle for a life of relative security. With Nike, it wasn't about what he could get out of the business. It was about what he could bring into the world.
在艰难的初创岁月里，耐克（Knight）本可以回到会计或教书的岗位上。他可以减少工作时间，减轻压力。但是，他内心的不安定感使他无法满足于相对安全的生活。对于耐克（Knight）来说，事情不是关于他能从业务中得到什么，而是关于他能为世界带来什么。
For him, it seemed wrong to call it a business. It seemed wrong to lump all those hectic days and sleepless nights, all those magnificent triumphs and desperate struggles under that bland, generic banner of business. What they were doing felt like so much more. According to Knight, anytime you create something that makes people happier, healthier, safer, or better, you're participating more fully in the whole grand human drama. More than simply alive, you're helping others to live more fully.
对他来说，称之为生意似乎是错误的。将所有那些忙碌的日子和彻夜未眠、所有那些壮丽的胜利和绝望的斗争都归结为那种平淡无奇、一概而论的生意的说法是错误的。他们所做的事情感觉就像更多的东西。据奈特表示，每当你创造出让人们更快乐、更健康、更安全或者更好的东西时，你就更完全地参与了整个宏伟的人类剧场。你不仅仅是活着，还在帮助其他人更加充实地生活着。
Although never explicitly mentioned, it can be deciphered that Knight felt chosen to walk this path. He toured the world before setting up Blue Ribbon. Of all the sites he visited, a trip to the Acropolis in Greece moved him the most. He'd lost track of time staring up at the temple there. What captivated him was a marble freeze of Athena, the goddess cast as the bringer of victory. She's also known as Nike. Athena was bending down to adjust the strap of her shoe. He felt like he'd been there before.
虽然从未明确提及，但可以解读出奈特感觉自己被选中走这条道路。他在创办蓝丝带之前环游世界。在他访问过的所有地方中，希腊雅典卫城的一次旅行对他影响最大。他盯着那座庙宇上面看，失去了时间的概念。让他着迷的是雅典娜的大理石浮雕，她被描绘为带来胜利的女神。她也被称为耐克。雅典娜正弯下腰去调整自己鞋带的样子。他感觉自己好像曾经在那里待过。
This mysticism goes further, no matter which Nike office you're in throughout the world. The phone number ends with the same four digits. 6453, this spells Nike on the keypad. When you reverse the numbers, its early Nike-sponsored athlete Steve Pufontaine's personal best for the mile. Some of Nike's most popular-sponsored athletes, like Michael Jordan and Tiker Woods, dropped parallels with his own journey. Knight visited the River Jordan during his life-changing world tour at 24. The first ever line of trainers he released were called Tigers.
这种神秘感在世界各地的耐克办公室都进一步延伸。电话号码的末尾都是相同的四个数字。6453，在键盘上按下这些数字可以拼出耐克。当你将这些数字倒过来时，它代表了耐克赞助运动员史蒂夫·普佛塔因跑一英里的个人最佳成绩。耐克最受欢迎的赞助运动员之一，如迈克尔·乔丹和泰格·伍兹，与他自己的旅程有着相似之处。耐克创始人奈特在他改变人生的世界之旅中访问了约旦河。他发布的第一系列运动鞋被称为“老虎”。
Here is Dave Rubenstein on his show, sharing a startling coincidence between Knight, Nike, and shoes. Now you're from Oregon and I think I read that the first fossil we have of a shoe that ever existed is 9,000 years old and it was in came from Oregon. Those ancient shoes were also discovered in the year Knight was born. In 1938, Knight builds towards the idea that his journey was preordained. Even the company name spills over into this belief. Jeff Johnson, Blue Ribbon's first full-time employee, came up with the name Nike. It came to him in a dream. Only later did Knight remember his experience at the Temple of Athena. Knight ponders the possibility of divine intervention. He questions if he could be forgiven for thinking or hoping that the universe or something else guided him.
这里是戴夫·鲁宾斯坦在他的节目中分享的有关奈特公司、耐克和鞋子之间的一个惊人巧合。你来自俄勒冈，我记得第一双已知存在的鞋子化石有9000年的历史，而且它是在俄勒冈被发现的。那些古老的鞋子也是在奈特出生的那一年被发现的。1938年，奈特开始相信他的人生轨迹是注定的。甚至公司的名字中也蕴含了这个信念。蓝丝带（Blue Ribbon）的第一位全职员工杰夫·约翰逊（Jeff Johnson）想出了耐克（Nike）这个名字，而这个名字是他在梦中得到的。只有后来，奈特才想起他在雅典娜神庙的那次经历。奈特思考着上天干预的可能性。他质疑自己是否有权去认为或者希望宇宙或其他什么力量在引导着他。
Mysticism and patterns aside, there was nothing guaranteeing his success. On many occasions, his family's financial stability was at risk. He questioned the validity of his quest. There were even times when he considered foregoing his passion and giving up his crazy idea. The universe may have been speaking to him, but he made a choice to listen and act on his calling.
除了神秘主义和模式之外，没有什么能保证他的成功。在许多情况下，他家庭的财务稳定都面临风险。他质疑自己的追求是否有效。甚至有时候，他考虑放弃自己的激情，放弃他疯狂的想法。宇宙也许一直在与他对话，但他选择聆听并按照自己的使命行动。
In this part, we covered Knight's physical and metaphysical journey. Banks repeatedly cut his credit lines since he kept reapplying equity into larger purchases. His Japanese manufacturer turned on Blue Ribbon and forced Knight's team to form a new company, Nike. Then the US government required Nike to pay millions of dollars in back taxes. The company only survived due to Knight and his team's indomitable passion.
在这一部分中，我们讲述了奈特的身体和形而上的旅程。由于他不断将资金投入更大规模的购买中，银行不断切断了他的信贷额度。他的日本制造商关闭了蓝丝带（Blue Ribbon）并迫使奈特的团队成立了一个新公司 - 耐克（Nike）。然后，美国政府要求耐克支付数百万美元的欠税。这家公司之所以能够生存下来，完全是因为奈特和他的团队坚韧不拔的激情。
In the next, and final discussion on Phil Knight's Shudog, a memoir by the creator of Nike, will cover the quote unquote, but faces, then will wrap on a consideration of his own. The odds of success are not high. When I graduated from business school, the stats were that 26 out of every 27 new businesses fail, and I think the odds might be worse now.
在接下来的讨论中，将是对菲尔·奈特的《Shudog》一书的最后一次讨论，这本书是耐克的创始人写的回忆录。我们将讨论那些挣扎的创业者，然后总结关于作者自身的思考。成功的几率并不高。当我从商学院毕业时，统计数据显示每27个新创业企业中有26个会失败，而我认为现在的几率可能更糟糕。
That's Phil Knight, founder of Nike, on Indigo. He would know better than most what it takes to build a company from a crazy idea into a billion dollar brand as famous all over the world as Coca-Cola. Knight didn't achieve this by being the savviest or the smartest or the toughest. His knowledge and skills weren't what got his company through corporate betrayal, government interference and financial tumult. He's simply a Shudog, or someone who loves shoes, he loves running and he loves contributing to his world. It was never about money, always about the love of play.
这是菲尔·奈特，耐克创始人，在Indigo上出现。相对大多数人来说，他更了解从一个疯狂的想法将一家公司建设成一个价值数十亿美元、如可口可乐一样在全球出名的品牌所需的一切。奈特并不是通过聪明、机智或坚韧来取得这一成就。他的知识和技能并不是帮助公司度过企业背叛、政府干涉和财务动荡的主要因素。他只是一个Shudog，也就是一个热爱鞋子、热爱跑步并且乐于为自己的世界做贡献的人。这从来不是关于金钱，而是关于对游戏的热爱。
Shudog, a memoir by the creator of Nike, is Phil Knight's book and story. Though, characteristically of the famous philanthropist, he devotes a fair chunk of the book to saluting the many people who made Nike into a great company. Here is Knight again, in an interview with Indigo talking about the butt faces. I don't know if they were geniuses or near geniuses, but they had all the emotional baggage of genius.
《希优多格》是耐克创始人菲尔·奈特的回忆录，这本书讲述了他的故事。然而，作为著名的慈善家，奈特典型地在书中花了相当一部分篇幅来赞颂让耐克成为一家伟大公司的众多人。在这里，再次是奈特，在接受Indigo采访时评论了那些“脾气古怪的人”。我不知道他们是否是天才或接近天才，但他们都具备天才的情感负担。
The butt faces were Blue Ribbon and Nike's core team. The name came from the firm's biannual retreats where, amidst some hijinks, the team would throw around ideas for the company's future. They were an odd bunch of obsessive, hard-drinking, slightly unhinged young men. All ferociously tribal about the company, and brutal with each other. They were clearly not above harmless potty humor or name-calling. It was this collective of butt faces that turned Nike into a multi-billion dollar company.
这群“屁股脸”是蓝丝带和耐克公司的核心团队。这个名字来自于公司每年两次的休假会，在一些玩闹中，团队会集思广益地讨论公司的未来发展方向。他们是一群极端痴迷、好酒如命、有点不合常理的年轻人。他们对公司有着强烈的归属感，彼此之间也非常残酷。他们显然毫不介意开一些无伤大雅的玩笑或者互相起绰号。正是这群“屁股脸”促使了耐克成为一个数十亿美元的公司。
Among the misfits, there's Jeff Johnson, a running enthusiast and Blue Ribbon's first full-time employee. An even bigger running geek than Knight, Johnson's obsessive enthusiasm for the product helped build Blue Ribbon's loyal customer base during the early years. Johnson even famously maintained male correspondence with over 100 customers. Here's Knight reflecting on the oddness of Jeff Johnson, who he calls the world's greatest salesman. Then it is odd to this day, living as a hermit. He makes Jay de-Solinger look social.
在这群不合群的人中，有杰夫·约翰逊，他是一个跑步爱好者，也是蓝丝带公司的第一位全职员工。约翰逊比奈特还更加痴迷于跑步，他对产品的痴迷热情帮助蓝丝带公司在早期建立了忠实的客户群。约翰逊与100多位顾客之间甚至有着著名的男性通信。这是奈特对约翰逊奇怪之处的反思，他称其为世界上最伟大的销售员。直到今天，他仍然过着隐士的生活，这真是令人感到奇怪。他让杰伊·迪索林格尔看起来都很社交。
Then there's Bob Woodell. Again, Knight selected an athlete. But one whose career was cut tragically short after a freak accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. A combination of sympathy and loyalty towards a fellow Stanford athlete caused Knight to hire him. But Woodell quickly became an operational manager whose value to the business is almost as great as Knight's own. Bob Woodell was an outstanding long jumper on his team who had broken his back in a freak accident and would be confined to a wheelchair the rest of his life. And he was thinking about being a track coach. I don't think that's going to work. How about giving him a job?
然后还有鲍勃·伍德尔。骑士再次选择了一位运动员。但他的职业生涯在一次意外事故中突然终止，导致他从腰部以下瘫痪。同情和对斯坦福大学队友的忠诚使得骑士决定雇佣他。但伍德尔很快成为一名运营经理，他对企业的价值几乎与骑士本人一样大。伍德尔是他所在团队的杰出跳远运动员，在一次意外事故中背部受伤，将终身困于轮椅之中。他曾考虑成为田径教练，但我认为那行不通。给他一个工作岗位怎么样？
Two 300-pound men formed the remainder of the butt faces, haze and accountant, and Strasser, a lawyer. Both are eccentrics who probably wouldn't have fit into any other company. The manner in which Knight selected the butt faces is interesting. He sought razor sharp minds but also outsiders. He wanted people with their own ideas who didn't need micromanaging. Knight quotes his hero, General Patton, don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. This less-a-fair management style allowed his talented core group to flourish. None of the butt faces were in awe of Knight. All of them made fun of him and sometimes questioned his decisions.
两个300磅重的男人组成了“屁股脸”团队的其他成员，分别是流雾（haze）和会计师，还有一位律师斯特拉瑟（Strasser）。他们都是些古怪的人，可能在其他公司里无处容身。奈特（Knight）挑选“屁股脸”成员的方式很有趣。他寻找的是脑子锋利的人，同时也是外人。他希望招聘那些有自己想法的人，他们不需要过多管理。奈特引用了他的英雄巴顿将军的话：“不要告诉人们如何做事，告诉他们要做什么，然后让他们用结果给你带来惊喜。”这种较少干涉的管理风格让他的才华横溢的核心团队得以发展壮大。屁股脸们没有对奈特感到畏惧，他们都拿他开玩笑，有时还对他的决定提出质疑。
Ironically, given Nike's status today, the butt faces were staunchly anti-corporate. For this reason, the company resisted going public for as long as possible. As early as 1976, they were discussing the idea as they needed more cash to grow. However, the possibility of losing control and the subsequent impact this would have on the culture made them hold out. Ultimately, Nike did go public. The memoir leads up to and ends with this moment. However, even in taking this step, Knight was keen to maintain as much control over the move as possible and in doing so, preserve the spirit of Nike. As a compromise, Nike issued two classes of stock. The public got Class B and titling them to one vote per share. Knight, the butt faces and debonshire holders got Class A's which enabled them to name three-quarters of the board of directors.
具有讽刺意味的是，鉴于耐克今天的地位，捍卫者们曾坚决反对公司。正因如此，该公司尽可能地推迟了上市。早在1976年，他们就开始讨论这个想法，因为他们需要更多的资金来发展。然而，失去控制的可能性以及对文化的后续影响使他们坚持下去。最终，耐克上市了。这本回忆录以及以这一刻为高潮和结尾。然而，即使采取了这一步骤，耐克的创始人奈特仍然希望尽可能地掌握对此事的控制，并以此保持耐克的精神。作为一种妥协，耐克发行了两种股票。公众持有B类股票，每股有一票的表决权。而奈特、捍卫者和股权持有者获得了A类股票，使他们能够任命四分之三的董事会成员。
Which Bowerman was too respected to be a butt face, but his presence felt throughout the book as an innovative genius in steady rock in the company's turbulent years. Knight gave Bowerman whatever he needed to keep innovating on shoe design. And with good reason, Bowerman invented the waffle-sold shoe that became one of Nike's best sellers during the 70s. This memoir reinforces the importance of assembling a strong team around your vision. He even goes so far as to say there was a bond of love between the butt faces. Bowerman and the butt faces became multi-millionaires upon Nike's flotation in 1980. But the riches were only the bonus. The camaraderie was what made their years working together so meaningful and satisfying.
鲍尔曼（Bowerman）受到过分尊敬，因此不大可能成为个性粗鲁的人，但他在整本书中的存在感却始终被感受到，他是这家公司在动荡的年份中的创新天才和可靠支柱。奈骑士（Knight）为鲍尔曼提供了一切所需，以保持对鞋子设计的创新。这样做有充分的理由，因为鲍尔曼发明了成为70年代耐克（Nike）畅销产品之一的凹状鞋底鞋。这本回忆录强调了在实现愿景时组建强大团队的重要性。他甚至说，粗鲁的人之间存在着一种爱的纽带。鲍尔曼和粗鲁的人在1980年耐克上市后成为千万富翁。但财富只是额外的奖赏，他们一起工作的这些年才是他们如此有意义和满足的共同体验的原因。
Nike's present-day image stands a bit of a contrast to Knight's ideals in Shoe Dog. Today we see a highly polished multinational corporation paying athletes hundreds of millions of dollars to wear their shoes and clothes while apparently failing to pay their workers a living wage.
耐克（Nike）目前的形象与《鞋狗》（Shoe Dog）中奈特（Knight）的理念有些对立。在现今，我们看到一个高度精细的跨国公司花费数亿美元让运动员穿着他们的鞋子和衣服，而似乎未能支付工人足够的工资。
Knight's credit addresses these issues. In the insightful final chapter, he discusses the two biggest controversies in Nike's history, the poor working conditions in their factories, and the exploitation of their workforce. He holds his hands up when discussing the conditions in the factories. At one point in time, he admits they weren't good enough. One of the problems was cancer-creating fumes caused by the rubber soles being bonded with the upper part of the shoe. To resolve this, Nike invented a water-based bonding agent that eliminated 97% of the carcinogens in the air.
Knight的文章解决了这些问题。在深入思考的最后一章中，他讨论了耐克历史上最大的两个争议：工厂中恶劣的工作条件和对员工的剥削。在谈论工厂条件时，他坦诚地承认过去的条件并不好。其中一个问题是，橡胶鞋底与鞋的上层部分粘合产生了致癌气体。为了解决这个问题，耐克发明了一种水基粘合剂，将空气中的致癌物质减少了97%。
Not only did they install this technology in their own factories, they gave it to their competitors for free. These improvements, while unnoticed in the media, have gone some way towards rectifying the situation. The United Nations has even declared that Nike is the gold standard by which we measure all apparel factories.
不仅他们在自己的工厂安装了这项技术，还免费提供给竞争对手。这些改进虽然在媒体上未引起注意，但在一定程度上纠正了现状。联合国甚至宣布耐克是我们衡量所有服装工厂的黄金标准。
The issue of wages is harder to unpack. Knight claims the decision isn't up to him. He recalls one example of a country where he tried to raise wages but was confronted by local politicians protesting that they were disrupting the country's economy. They told Knight it wasn't right that a shoe worker should make more than a doctor.
工资问题更加复杂难以解决。奈特声称这个决定不是由他来做出的。他回忆起一个国家的例子，在那里他试图提高工资，但遭遇到当地政治人物的抗议，他们认为这样会破坏该国的经济。他们告诉奈特，一个鞋厂工人赚得比医生多是不对的。
Despite the controversies, one can't doubt the genuine nature of Phil Knight himself, as a man who cares about people. Knight and his wife Penny have donated hundreds of millions to the universities of Oregon and Stanford for cancer research and to further girls' education.
尽管存在争议，但人们不能怀疑菲尔·奈特本人的真诚之心，他是一个关心他人的人。奈特和他的妻子佩妮已经捐赠了数亿美元给俄勒冈大学和斯坦福大学，用于癌症研究以及促进女孩教育的发展。
Knight set out to make a difference. He never claims to be superhuman. Through Shoe Dog, a memoir by the creator of Nike, we are left with the impression that, given a similar level of industry knowledge, anyone could walk the same path. Perhaps this is Knight's greatest gift. He says if he could do it, anyone can.
Knight希望做出改变。他从不声称自己是超人。通过《鞋狗》这本由耐克创始人写的回忆录，我们得出的印象是，只要具备相同的行业知识水平，任何人都可以走同样的道路。也许这就是Knight最伟大的礼物。他说如果他能做到，任何人都能做到。
Here's David Rubenstein on The David Rubenstein Show posing a question on everybody's mind. Your best time, as I remember, was four minutes and ten seconds for a mile. Four thirteen minutes. Suppose I told you today that you had these choices. You could either have built Nike or run a 3.56 mile, which would you have preferred?
这是戴维·鲁本斯坦在《戴维·鲁本斯坦秀》上提出一个每个人都在想的问题。我记得你跑一英里的最好成绩是四分零十秒。四分十三秒。假设我今天告诉你，你可以有以下选择。你可以选择创办耐克公司，或者跑一英里的时间缩短到三分五十六秒，你更希望选择哪个？
356-mile or build Nike?
356英里或者制造耐克？
Yes. I'll take Nike. Okay. But I did pause. All right. Okay. All right.
是的，我会选Nike。好的。但是我确实停顿了一下。没问题。好的。没问题。
Thank you for listening to Book Insights. Check out the rest of our content at memo.com. Please keep in mind that the information provided in or through our Book Insights episodes is for educational and informational purposes only. It's not intended to be a substitute for advice given by qualified professionals and should not be relied upon to disregard or delay seeking professional advice.
感谢您收听《书籍洞见》。请访问我们在memo.com上的其他内容。请记住，我们在《书籍洞见》中提供的信息仅供教育和信息目的，不意味着取代合格专业人士的建议，也不应依赖于此来忽视或延迟寻求专业建议。