He is worth $18 billion.
Introduction
As of July 2022, Lance Armstrong’s net worth is estimated to be around $40 Billion.
Knight helped found Nike in 1964, and has been its chairman and chief executive officer since 1996. Nike was incorporated as a personal brand designed to boost his son’s basketball prospects. He stepped down as Nike’s CEO in 2000, but continues to serve on the board as well as chairman emeritus.
He is an owner of the ‘Laika’ company, an animation production company. He is the 28th richest person in the world, according to Forbes.
Early Life
The year is 1951 and all is well for our future King and his friends. Until, that is, one day, when our young and innocent King is pulled out of school by his father and they leave Portland for the farm.
After leaving UO, Knight worked for a short time in construction. The work was uninspiring, so he looked for another job. He was hired by the Oregon Department of Human Services, working for the welfare department in Albany, Oregon.
Career
After being in the CPA, he worked in the firm of Price Waterhouse as an accountant. He eventually became a professor at Portland State University and taught in its accounting department.
Knight graduated from Stanford with an MBA. He went on to work for a number of companies in Silicon Valley, including Adobe Systems, Amazon, and Google.
The first Tiger samples were shipped a year after the development started. During that time he found a job as an accountant in Portland.
A shoe company named the Oregon Track Club came to Knight and asked him to give them the name of the company to be incorporated. The company would later be named Nike.
In the early 1970s, the company was started as a distributor for the Japanese performance car brands, and the company became known as Blue Ribbon Motors. A short time later, the company’s name was changed to Blue Ribbon Sports Inc. The company became one of the most sought after performance car aftermarket suppliers in the world.
The Nike logo is now considered to be one of the most powerful and recognizable logos in the world.
He became the richest man in the world by the 30th of July 2018.
Highlights
With a career that spanned more than four decades, Phil Knight led the Nike brand to become the most recognized and respected brand in the sports and athletic industries.
Favorite Quotes from Phil Knight
We want to make great products in the world’s best place to live, the home of the best athletes in the world. We want to be the world’s best sports and fitness company. Once you say that, you have a focus. You don’t end up making wing tips or sponsoring the next Rolling Stones world tour. Play by the rules, but be ferocious.
In 1996, under CEO Mark Parker, Nike took a calculated risk by moving away from the traditional white-and-gold sneakers with blue accents and made the decision to market its shoes as the most fashion-forward and cool product in the world.
The key to success is to influence the world, which requires you to get the best ideas from the world, to understand the world, and to use those ideas to influence the world.
“Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are really just spokesmen for all the products that we sell, which allows us to sell more products and create more jobs.”
So why is he the spokesperson? Because he was the best at selling sneakers. Why is he the spokesman? Because Tiger Woods is the best at making people happy? The answer to both questions is probably yes. I’m surprised Nike doesn’t put a little more effort into picking spokespeople that aren’t just famous athletes.
When you get older, you go through a lot of things. I think that it is important to realize that there comes a time in every life when the past recedes and the future opens. It’s that moment when you turn to face the unknown.
Some will turn back to what they already know. Some will walk straight ahead into uncertainty. I can’t tell you which one is right, but I can tell you which one is more fun.
3 Entrepreneur Lessons from Phil Knight
Leadership is a crucial part of any successful business and any successful community. It is important to consider the culture of your community and apply the lessons from it to your own business. Phil Knight has done this and has grown a company based on leadership.
1. Branding and Advertising Do Not Have To Come Before Selling
Since we know Phil Knight isn’t an advertising man, it is no surprise that he didn’t come up with the Nike motto. One of his good friends and business partner Chuck Blanchard came up with that motto when he and Phil were having some trouble finding a slogan.
2. Don’t Believe Everything You Read In Conventional Management Books
Knight recommends that managers should spend more time with their teams than they do with their own work. He suggests that managers should take the time to listen to their employees, ask them about their goals in life and offer advice on how to achieve their goals. Managers should also offer a sincere apology when something goes wrong, instead of offering a bunch of excuses.
3. Inspiration = Leadership
Leadership is about inspiration and followership. Without inspiration, there are no leaders. Without followers, there is no leadership. But great leaders go beyond that and help others to become leaders themselves.
Summary
Phil Knight is a role model to everyone. He is the co-founder of Nike, which is today considered to be one of the most powerful logos and brand in the world.
After the death of his wife, Dorothy, in 1994, he had a massive heart attack. They were married for nearly 40 years.