Did you know that the idea to create Nike, one of the most famous sports shoe brands in the world, started as a university project? One of the future founders of the company, Phil, was at the finish line of his university studies and needed to complete a project for an entrepreneurship class.

He came up with a simple, yet "crazy" idea. Phil wondered if Japanese shoes could become more popular than European shoes in the American market.

The idea seemed to be unrealistic, but Phil couldn’t stop thinking about it. He spent weeks reading books about imports and trade. He was passionate about this idea and believed that it could have the potential to revolutionize sports. However, when it came to presenting his project to the class, the only reaction Phil got was the bored faces of his groupmates.

Did he give up his idea? Absolutely not!

After graduating from university, Phil went on a world tour. One of the stops on his trip was Japan, where he planned to try to implement his fantastic idea. For several months, he lived on the Hawaiian beaches, got to know Asian culture and even visited the temple of Athena Nike, the goddess of victory. In Japan, he arranged a working meeting with the shoe company Onitsuka.

Phil was stumped for words before the meeting. However, when he was asked to tell about his project in more detail, Phil simply started saying what he once said when presenting his idea to the class. The listeners were impressed by Phil's presentation, without even realizing that he was faking.

When he finished his speech, they asked him what company he worked at. Phil didn’t expect to hear such a question and said the first thing that came to his mind, “Blue Ribbon!” He remembered blue ribbons from races hanging on the walls of his room.

To Phil's surprise, the company agreed to take on his project and even asked to become their distributor in America because they believed there was a lot of potential for such shoes there.