The Power of Your Backstory (Nike)

The part of the Nike origin story everyone remembers is the bit where Bill Bowerman, one of the co-founders and a passionate (some might say crazy) athletic coach, poured a synthetic resin into his family’s waffle iron one Sunday morning.

He had become obsessed with designing a running shoe with a superior grip that would give his athletes an advantage.

That battered waffle iron takes pride of place at Nike headquarters (One Bowerman Drive).

It reminds the people who work there about the company’s can-do, scrappy beginnings, and it’s symbolic of their purpose — to inspire all athletes.

As training manager at Nike, Dennis Reeder says, “When people understand why we exist, what our foundation is, and who we are today, then they understand that all of our products are still rooted in improving an athlete’s performance.”

Great companies know how and WHY they started.