Nike
Alex Brogan
Nike's origin story begins with audacity disguised as a Stanford business school paper. In 1962, Phil Knight wrote his final project on importing high-quality Japanese running shoes to compete against German brands dominating the American market. Two years later, he made it real. With $1,200 and his former University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, Knight launched Blue Ribbon Sports. First-year revenue: $8,000.
Knight's distribution strategy was pure hustle—selling shoes from the trunk of his car at track meets across the Pacific Northwest. While working full-time as an accountant, he built relationships one runner at a time. The early customers weren't buying shoes; they were buying into Knight's conviction that American athletes deserved better footwear than what established brands offered.