INTRODUCTION
Phil Knight. Bill Bowerman. Jeff Johnson.
Three very different minds. One impossible mission.
They didn’t just create Nike, they built it from scratch through obsessive habits, weird routines, and an unhealthy amount of grit.
Forget branding and ads. In the beginning, it was one guy packing shoes, one guy melting rubber, and another guy handwriting letters to customers. Every day. Every night. No breaks. No exits.
If you want to understand what actually powers a great company, start with the people who bled for it.
PHIL KNIGHT: SHOW UP, STAY IN THE FIGHT
Habit: Relentless daily problem-solving, no matter the cost
Phil Knight didn’t have a 10-year plan. He had today’s problems, and a habit of not backing down from them.
In Nike’s earliest years, his entire day was shaped around survival:
- Handling invoices and angry banks before breakfast
- Writing letters to Japan during lunch
- Packing boxes after midnight
“So much of business is just holding on.”
He didn’t journal. He didn’t delegate. He simply faced the chaos and kept moving.
Founder Takeaway: Don’t overthink. Wake up and solve the most urgent problem. Repeat.
About Phil Knight
- Co-founder of Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) with Bill Bowerman in 1964.
- An accomplished runner who started selling imported athletic shoes from the back of his truck to fund the company.
- Later became the public face and strategist of the company, leading it to become Nike, Inc..
Insight: Running Was His Reset
Running wasn’t a hobby for Knight. It was sacred.
“Running gave me clarity, it reminded me why I started.”
Even when the company was bleeding money or fighting lawsuits, he made time to run. It grounded him, cleared his head, and reconnected him with the product they were fighting to sell.
Use this: Build one habit that recenters you, a ritual that reminds you of your why when the business makes you forget.
BILL BOWERMAN: MAKE IT FASTER, LIGHTER, BETTER
Habit: Daily, obsessive product innovation, with zero tolerance for mediocrity
Bowerman didn’t care about logos or scale. He cared about speed. He was part mad scientist, part coach, part war general and his lab was a mess of melted rubber, shoe scraps, and runners’ complaints.
He tore shoes apart daily, rebuilt them from scratch, and stole his athletes’ shoes without asking, just to make them better.
“He didn’t care who you were, if you ran for him, your shoes were his to destroy.”
Founder Takeaway: Product comes first. Make something better than anyone else, and people will forgive everything else.
About Bill Bowerman
- A track coach at the University of Oregon and Knight’s former mentor.
- Co-founded BRS with Phil Knight in 1964, and was known for his constant tinkering with shoe design, like the famous waffle iron sole.
- A key figure in the innovative spirit of the company, pushing for excellence in athletic footwear.
Insight: Revered and Feared, Even By Knight
Bowerman’s standards were brutal. He expected greatness, especially from Knight. He hated small talk, didn’t trust suits, and regularly called the factory directly to rip into someone.
“He scared me,” Knight admits in Shoe Dog. But he also says: “There would be no Nike without Bowerman.”
Use this: Build with people who scare you a little. It keeps you sharp.
JEFF JOHNSON: ONE LETTER AT A TIME
Habit: Hyper-disciplined customer follow-up, built before CRM existed
Jeff Johnson didn’t just sell shoes. He tracked every customer like it was a mission from God.
Before CRMs, before databases, Johnson created a handwritten tracking system for every runner he ever sold to, trained, or spoke with. He knew their shoe size, their last race time, their injury history, and whether they liked thick socks.
“He sent letters at dawn, made follow-up calls at lunch, and wrote thank-you notes after dinner.”
Founder Takeaway: You don’t need software. You need obsession. Follow up like you actually care, because Johnson did.
About Jeff Johnson
He developed an early customer database by creating index cards for every customer, which he used to build relationships and send personalized notes, turning them into loyal fans and promoting the company through word-of-mouth.
Hired in 1965 as the first full-time employee of Blue Ribbon Sports.
A former runner who served as BRS’s initial sales and customer service representative, selling shoes at track meets.
Insight: He Didn’t Scale. He Connected.
Johnson didn’t care about reaching millions. He cared about reaching one runner at a time — deeply.
He organized races. Drove to small towns. Spent hours on letters instead of ads. And it worked, runners became advocates, and loyalty grew at the grassroots.
Use this: Don’t chase followers. Build believers.
TOGETHER: TENSION, RESPECT, AND UNRELENTING DRIVE
Knight, Bowerman, and Johnson didn’t always get along. But they worked like hell.
- Knight loved and feared Bowerman but also trusted his genius.
- Johnson frustrated Knight with his intensity but built the base.
- Bowerman saw Knight as soft but respected his endurance.
What they shared:
- Obsession with athletes
- Disgust for mediocrity
- Discipline with no backup plan
“We didn’t have roles. We had jobs that needed doing.”
Founder Takeaway: Your team doesn’t need harmony. It needs urgency and shared obsession.
| Person | Daily Habit / Trait | Impact on Nike |
| Phil Knight | Showed up daily and faced chaos head-on | Survived lawsuits, cashflow collapse, and constant existential risk |
| Phil Knight | Running as a mental reset | Maintained sanity and connection to product |
| Bill Bowerman | Rebuilt shoes daily, often without permission | Created breakthrough designs like the Waffle Trainer |
| Bill Bowerman | Brutally high standards + no tolerance for fluff | Pushed team to exceed limits; feared but revered |
| Jeff Johnson | Created handwritten CRM system pre-digital | Built loyalty through personal, scalable customer care |
| Jeff Johnson | Obsessive follow-up with runners | Converted buyers into brand evangelists |
| All Three | Mission-first, ego-second teamwork | Built trust through action, not titles |
KEY HABITS THAT BUILT NIKE
FINAL THOUGHT
Nike was built by people who had no idea how to build a company but they had habits that wouldn’t let them quit.
- Knight ran to stay sane.
- Bowerman built products like a madman.
- Johnson wrote letters like it was religion.
None of it was glamorous. All of it mattered.
Start with the habits. The business follows.
Go Further. See How the Story Unfolds
Want the full arc from broken startup to global brand?
Check out our companion piece: Phil Knight: The Reluctant Entrepreneur Who Built Nike, a deep dive into how Knight’s personal contradictions shaped Nike’s culture and future.
Get the Full Story
Buy Shoe Dog by Phil Knight on Amazon
Follow Further – The Incredible Journey That Built Nike
To truly understand the grit, chaos, and discipline that shaped Nike, read Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (affiliate).
It’s not a corporate success story, it’s a raw account of what it takes to keep going when nothing’s working. Every failure, every breakthrough, and the daily mindset that turned near-collapse into one of the most iconic brands on the planet.
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Internal Link Also read: Phil Knight: The Reluctant Entrepreneur Who Built Nike
