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14. 1974
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shoe Dog, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Entrepreneurship, Experience, and Perseverance
Leadership
Global Economies
Balancing Family and Work
Summary
Analysis
Although Knight does not want to slow Blue Ribbon’s growth, he knows he also needs to ensure his creditors at Nissho will continue to fund him. However, he does not do a good job of making his business look reliable. He rarely has any cash and often overdraws from his account. By the time spring arrives, Knight finds that he does not have enough money to pay Nissho what he owes them. In fact, he is $75,000 short.
Knight’s creditors cannot afford to trust him because if something happens and Blue Ribbon fails, they are out of hundreds of thousands and possibly even millions of dollars. Knight always disparages them for worrying too much, but, in reality, he should probably be worrying more.
Themes
In order to pay Nissho, Knight takes all of the money from the accounts of his retail stores, a risky move that he knows could come back to bite him. Because of Knight’s decision, several Blue Ribbon employees do not receive a paycheck, which results in several disgruntled workers. Luckily, Knight’s East Coast connections lend him some money to help him smooth things over and get everyone paid.
Although it is admirable that Knight always chooses to put money second, his carelessness with Blue Ribbon’s finances is starting to impact other people. Blue Ribbon’s employees know how much money the company is bringing in, so they are understandably upset when Knight does not pay them for their hard work.
Themes
Following these financial difficulties, Knight’s bank in California officially cuts him off. They refuse to work with him any longer and insist he take his business elsewhere. Desperate, Knight goes to Nissho, explains the situation, and asks for more money. Ito, Knight’s contact at Nissho, tells him that he will need to look over Blue Ribbon’s books before he can issue another loan.
Because Knight refuses to take Blue Ribbon public, he continues to run into problems. Knight says he does not want the company to go public because he does not want to answer to other people, but he constantly has to answer to others anyway. Not only that, but the people he does have to answer to are getting fed up with him.
Themes
The same evening, Knight speaks with Perry Holland, his contact at the Bank of California who tells him that the FBI is investigating him for fraud. After hearing the news of the investigation, Knight starts to spiral. He worries that he will lose everything he worked for over the last several years and he does not feel he has done anything wrong.
Unlike the situation with Onitsuka, Knight does not think he has done anything wrong and does not know why the FBI would investigate him. Indeed, Knight is innocent, but this is the moment where he suffers the consequences for being so haphazard when it comes to Blue Ribbon’s finances.
Themes
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Knight holds a conference with his best men, including Woodell. Together, they decide Nissho’s assessment of their books will be the most important thing moving forward. However, to make matters worse, Knight worries Ito will be upset when he discovers Blue Ribbon is operating factories outside of Japan. Still, Knight’s problems do not stop there. The checks Blue Ribbon sends to their creditors begin bouncing, and Knight gets a number of angry phone calls from creditors claiming they plan to pull out. A few even intend to come to Blue Ribbon and collect their money in person.
To Knight’s credit, he is largely honest with the most important members of his team and genuinely seeks their advice. Knight rarely acts like he is above the members of his team because he does not see himself that way, and he knows they have valuable insights. Plus, it is clear to Knight that he is out of his depth. If he does not fix Blue Ribbon’s finances soon, the company could take a major hit unlike what it has experienced in the past.
Themes
The day the creditors arrive at Blue Ribbon is the same day Ito comes to look over the books. Knight orders his employees to keep the creditors occupied and away from each other so they do not discover that things are even more dire than they seem. While Blue Ribbon’s employees steer the creditors around the office, Knight regularly checks in on Ito to see if he has discovered the secret factories yet.
Although Knight is always honest with his team, he feels no such sense of loyalty to his creditors. As far as Knight is concerned, the money side of the equation only ever gets in the way of what he wants Blue Ribbon to achieve, so he is fine with misleading his creditors when the situation calls for it.
Themes
Eventually, Ito discovers everything Knight feared he would. However, to Knight’s surprise, Ito is not mad at him. Ito understands that Knight did everything he did in order to help Blue Ribbon succeed. He does not begrudge Knight; rather, he believes in him. Together, Knight and Ito speak to Holland at the Bank of California, and Ito writes a huge check to cover Blue Ribbon’s expenses. Knight realizes that Ito’s check means there will be no FBI investigation and so Blue Ribbon is once again free to continue its growing and operating as it has been.
Typically, lying does not pay off in this memoir. Knight tries to ensure that his company is always honest with the public, and he generally practices honesty in his business practices. However, in this case, he lies and still comes out on top. Once again, although Blue Ribbon’s finances still exist, the company is safe for the time being.
Themes
