Sneaker Wars by Barbara Smit explores the dramatic story of Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, brothers who founded Adidas and Puma respectively, after a bitter feud. The book delves into how their rivalry transformed the sports business, introducing high-stakes deals and endorsements. It also touches on the rise of other sports brands like Nike and Reebok, highlighting the intersection of sports, business, and family drama.
Shoe Dog is a memoir that chronicles the journey of Phil Knight as he builds Nike from its humble beginnings as Blue Ribbon Sports. The book is a personal and detailed account of Knight's experiences, from his early days selling Japanese running shoes out of the trunk of his car to the global brand Nike is today. It highlights his relentless work ethic, the challenges he faced, and the key relationships with his partners and employees that were crucial to the company's success. The memoir also touches on Knight's personal life, including his family and the emotional struggles he encountered along the way[1][3][4].
What I learned from reading Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and The Family Feud That Forever Changed The Business of Sports by Barbara Smit.
----
This story begins at a time in history when money and sports were still two separate worlds [0:01]
A family business struggling to survive / drafted into WWI / Adi Dassler’s EXTREME resourcefulness and personality / [3:15]
Early distribution and marketing of sports shoes [10:06]
The Dassler Brothers were opposites: Adi was the quiet craftsman with soul in the game. Rudolf was ostentatious and loud. [12:46]
The chronicle and biography of Adi Dassler: A story about someone obsessed with making high quality products [14:00]
Was Adi Dassler a Nazi? / My experience with the totalitarianism of the Castro regime / tearing up thinking of having to risk the lives of your children [24:30]
Adi Dassler reminds me of Henry Royce [29:30]
The difficulties of building a business during World War II [32:15]
Adi starting over at the age of 46 / How the Adidas stripes came about [38:15]
Athletes start requesting bribes to wear Adidas / How the payoffs happened [46:00]
Breaking into a new market was a slow, labor intensive process [50:45]
While Adidas and Puma are distracted fighting each other, opportunity opens up for Phil Knight and Nike / pursue your crazy idea / famous last words: “it’s just a toy”, “jogging isn’t a real sport”, “Nike is not a threat because we have more demand than we could service” [55:05]
If you have a business that makes you miserable, somewhere along the line you lost the plot. [1:06:45]
----
Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work. Get access to Founders Notes here.
----
“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth
Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast
Founders 
