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Quick answer: If you loved Shoe Dog, try The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Let My People Go Surfing, Creativity, Inc., Steve Jobs, The Everything Store and That Will Never Work. Each one offers an honest look inside a great company or the risks and obsessions of its founder.
Phil Knight's memoir tells how he borrowed fifty dollars from his father in the early 1960s to start selling Japanese running shoes out of his car. With his old coach Bill Bowerman and a band of misfits, he built Blue Ribbon Sports into Nike. Readers love its honesty about near bankruptcies, its grit and its unexpected warmth. These books share its candor, its stories of risk and its look at how great companies get made.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hard Thing About Hard Things | Ben Horowitz | Startups | readers who want a founder's advice |
| Let My People Go Surfing | Yvon Chouinard | Outdoor gear | readers who like unconventional founders |
| Creativity, Inc. | Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace | Pixar | readers who want a culture story |
| Steve Jobs | Walter Isaacson | Apple | readers who want the definitive founder biography |
| The Everything Store | Brad Stone | Amazon | readers who like company histories |
| That Will Never Work | Marc Randolph | Netflix | readers who want an early-days story |
| Pour Your Heart Into It | Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang | Starbucks | readers who like retail stories |
| Made in America | Sam Walton and John Huey | Walmart | readers who like old-school entrepreneurs |
| Grinding It Out | Ray Kroc | McDonald's | readers who love late bloomers |
| The Ride of a Lifetime | Robert Iger | Disney | readers who want leadership lessons |
| Losing My Virginity | Richard Branson | Virgin | readers who love adventurous founders |
| Elon Musk | Ashlee Vance | Tesla and SpaceX | readers who want a modern tech story |
| Bad Blood | John Carreyrou | Theranos | readers who want a cautionary tale |
| Open | Andre Agassi | Tennis | readers who want an honest sports memoir |
| The Boys in the Boat | Daniel James Brown | Rowing | readers who love training and teamwork |
1. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
A venture capitalist shares lessons from running a company through crisis.
Best for: readers who want a founder's advice.
2. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard
Patagonia's founder explains how he runs a business with his values.
Best for: readers who like unconventional founders.
3. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
Pixar's co-founder explains how to protect creative teams.
Best for: readers who want a culture story.
4. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
A full biography of Apple's brilliant and difficult founder.
Best for: readers who want the definitive founder biography.
5. The Everything Store by Brad Stone
How Jeff Bezos built Amazon from an online bookstore.
Best for: readers who like company histories.
6. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph
Netflix's co-founder tells the story of its first years.
Best for: readers who want an early-days story.
7. Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang
How Schultz turned a small coffee company into a global brand.
Best for: readers who like retail stories.
8. Made in America by Sam Walton and John Huey
Walmart's founder recalls how he built his retail empire.
Best for: readers who like old-school entrepreneurs.
9. Grinding It Out by Ray Kroc
A milkshake machine salesman builds McDonald's in his fifties.
Best for: readers who love late bloomers.
10. The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
Disney's longtime CEO shares his biggest decisions.
Best for: readers who want leadership lessons.
11. Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson
Branson recounts his wild business and ballooning adventures.
Best for: readers who love adventurous founders.
12. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
A biography of Musk's rise and the companies he founded.
Best for: readers who want a modern tech story.
13. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
A reporter exposes the Silicon Valley startup that faked its blood tests.
Best for: readers who want a cautionary tale.
14. Open by Andre Agassi
The tennis star admits he hated the game for much of his life.
Best for: readers who want an honest sports memoir.
15. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
A working-class rowing crew heads for the 1936 Olympics.
Best for: readers who love training and teamwork.
How to Choose
If you liked the humor and honesty of a founder's memoir, That Will Never Work and Let My People Go Surfing are the closest matches, and Patagonia's story offers a very different take on business values. Grinding It Out and Made in America show how older business legends did it, with the same sense of daily struggle. If you are a founder yourself, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is honest about how lonely leadership can be. The Everything Store is a great choice if you prefer reported history over memoir. And Bad Blood makes an excellent contrast, as it shows what can happen when a founder's obsession replaces the truth.
Related: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight: Summary and Key Takeaways · Dog Man Books In Order Printable List
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shoe Dog about?
Nike founder Phil Knight tells the story of how he started the company with fifty dollars borrowed from his father.
Is Shoe Dog a good business book?
Yes, though it reads more like an adventure than a how-to guide.
What years does Shoe Dog cover?
Mostly the early 1960s to Nike's public offering in 1980, with a look back at the end.
What was Nike's original name?
Blue Ribbon Sports.
Is there a Young Readers edition?
Yes. Knight released a version of the book for younger readers.