Let me tell you a story.
In 1962, a broke former NCAA track star flew from Portland to Tokyo to look at a pair of shoes.
As it turned out…
That long flight over the Pacific would lead to the birth of a $165 Billion dollar company.
If you haven’t already guessed — the track star’s name was Phil Knight and that company was Nike.
But it's actually a miracle the business survived at all…
See, in the 1960’s, most people thought “running” was completely bizarre (why not just drive?).
Joggers would often even get pop cans, coffee cups, banana peels, and so on, hurled at them from passing cars.
But Knight had an unshakable belief that if more people ran, the world would be a better place.
He also believed that his shoes were the best shoes to run in.
All the same, to onlookers he was a crazy person selling footwear from the trunk of his Chrysler.
Knight hated selling but now everything hinged on his ability to move shoes.
And business was a grind.
Converse and Adidas had the market cornered…
His Japanese supplier favored other distributors…
And banks didn’t understand his business model so they fought him on every loan.
Yet somehow Knight grew his company at insane speed — doubling revenue almost every year.
By 1971, sales passed $1 million (equal to $7.5 million in 2023)… the famous ‘swoosh’ logo was adopted… and the budding shoe empire rebranded as the Nike we know today.
But then everything came crashing down.
Mistaking his highly leveraged cash flows for bank fraud…
The Bank of California threw Knight out, froze his assets, and called in the FBI.
Staring down the double barrel of bankruptcy and jail time…
Knight thought he and Nike were toast.
Miraculously though, he managed to smooth the whole situation over and came out unscathed.
Soon they were moving at a steady clip again — signing athletes and opening stores.
Nike was a household name and sales were blowing up…
Until U.S. Customs hit them with a fine for $25 million they didn’t have.
Now, for most folks the constant financial stress, prison threats, and surprise bill from the government would make them fold like a house of cards.
But Phil Knight didn’t.
Instead?
He took Nike public.
And incredibly… just two years after the massive fine everyone thought would be their demise…
Nike became one of the largest companies in the world and Knight’s net worth rose to the equivalent of $655 million today.
So how is it that this man who didn’t know how to sell…
Didn’t understand how to deal with banks or his Japanese suppliers…
…and frankly, just plain didn’t know what he was doing...
How does someone like that rise above ALL the competition and build the most dominant sportswear business on the planet — now a Fortune 100 company five times bigger than its closest competitor?
The answer is surprisingly simple.
Founders of wildly successful businesses are, almost always, among the most disciplined people you’ll ever meet.
There is no “gene” for this.
Discipline is not something you inherit from your parents.
What separates top performers from everyone else… is they choose to design their lives in such a way that following through on their goals becomes automatic.
They install habits, routines, and systems which allow them to execute consistently with minimal friction…
So that they can keep making steady progress when others get tired or start to coast.
This is why you’ll often see business owners from humble beginnings and limited skill sets achieve incredible growth against all odds.
And Phil Knight was no exception.
Even though he had no real business experience…
It was Knight’s dedication to running and the discipline he developed through intense training that prepared him for success.
His ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other, in sport and in business, is what ultimately allowed him to rise to the top.
Because he had the routines and mindset to keep following through — even when he didn’t want to… or when it seemed impossible to win.
If you would like to develop the disciplined habits & strategies of an elite high performer…
…So you can execute on your goals daily and keep growing your business & income no matter what…
Then I’ve got great news for you:
In our Effortless Discipline Boot Camp program we show you exactly how to upgrade your routines, systems, and mindset so you can consistently achieve peak performance and make rapid progress in your life.
Through the 8 weeks of group coaching…
You’ll get all the personalized guidance and accountability you need to lock these behaviors in long term.
But we have limited spots available and enrollment is only open this week.
So if that sounds like it’s up your alley — don’t put this off til Friday…
I highly recommend booking your application call with our team NOW at the link below.
I'd hate for you to miss out just because our call calendar or the program itself are already full.
>> You can go here now to book your application call to join Effortless Discipline Boot Camp
For now, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Mr. Knight himself:
“The cowards never started and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen. Us.”— Phil Knight, Nike Co-Founder
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
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