📈 Pushing Boundaries

The first step to getting back on track was revisiting the Nike episode by Acquired. It’s probably one of my favourite podcast episodes of all time.

The things Phil Knight, Bill Bowerman, and Nike did when starting in the 1960s are incredible. The episode has many key takeaways, and one that stuck with me was innovating and pushing the limits of what’s possible. For example, Nike was the first to sponsor players, and the movie ‘Air’ is an excellent display of how they are always on the athlete’s side. Without taking too much away from the episode, the premise is that Nike always found a way around whatever was restraining their growth. I mean, the entire Jordan line began with Nike agreeing to pay NBA fines, something utterly unheard of.

To say the least, the episode inspired me to think about ways to innovate and push boundaries as I begin to execute my plan to get back on track to growth. Today’s a short newsletter, but I want to leave with Nike’s ten fundamental principles. If they resonate with you, watch their latest marketing advert here. I was amazed.