Shoe Dog: Young Readers Edition

At the beginning of 1965, Knight receives a letter from Jeff Johnson saying that he thinks the Tigers have more sales potential than Adidas, so Knight once again offers him a job as a commissioned salesman for Blue Ribbon. Johnson accepts and begins sending Knight a constant stream of letters to ask questions, report his sales totals, and offer suggestions. By April, Johnson writes to tell Knight that he has quit his day job as a social worker to focus on his sales job full-time. This level of enthusiasm and “dewy romanticism” is something Knight has never encountered (95). Although Knight attempts to discourage Johnson from putting too much faith in Blue Ribbon and thinking that he can make a living with the fledgling company, Knight still agrees to hire Johnson as his first full-time employee.

At the same time, Knight is told by his banker that his company is growing too fast and that “growth off your balance sheet is dangerous” (98). Knight does not understand this concept and sees growth as mandatory for survival, so he continues to double his orders from Onitsuka and then convinces the bank to approve the loan.