Did you know Nike started out of trunk of a car?

16 Mar 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:45

In this short narration, Dan Novaes recounts how Phil Knight founded Nike in the 1960s by selling lightweight running shoes out of his car trunk at track meets. Knight partnered with a Japanese manufacturer to import shoes, reinvested thin margins, and faced intense competition and cash shortages. Together with his coach Bill Bowerman, they began designing their own shoes, famously using a waffle iron to create a new tread pattern. Despite early financial struggles and hesitant banks, athletes adopted the brand, and performance-driven reputation grew the company. Novaes emphasizes that Nike’s success stemmed from belief, incremental sales momentum, and a humble start rather than immediate scale.

Chapters

Phil Knight started Nike by selling running shoes out of the trunk of his car. In the 1960s, Knight believed American runners needed better footwear. He partnered with a Japanese manufacturer and imported lightweight shoes. There was no storefront, no warehouse, just a car trunk at track meets. Knight reinvested everything. Margins were thin. Competition was strong. Eventually, he and his coach, Bill Bowerman, decided to create their own designs. Bowerman famously experimented with a waffle iron to improve traction. Nike was born. Growth was not smooth. Cash shortages were frequent. Banks hesitated. But athletes began wearing the brand. Performance spoke louder than marketing. Phil Knight did not begin with global dominance. He began with belief and a trunk full of shoes. Sometimes inspiration is not scale at the start. It is momentum built sale by sale until the logo means something far beyond where it started.