What books does Chip Wilson recommend?
Long before lululemon became a cultural force, Chip Wilson was a reader chasing systems and self-mastery, and his book recommendations still carry that same appetite. Drawn mostly from his own curated library and a wide-ranging Tim Ferriss Show interview, the 63 titles are unusually eclectic for a founder, moving between fiction and literature, psychology and human behavior, history, and business and strategy. His top picks include Eliyahu Goldratt's The Goal, which he praises for taking manufacturing theory and making it gripping: 'I can't believe that someone's taken something so boring and made it so interesting.' Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Jim Collins's Good to Great round out a shelf built for people who want to think seriously about constraints, character, and scale. Wilson is the author of Little Black Stretchy Pants, his own account of the lululemon story.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
A Process of Ongoing Improvement
byEliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox
1984384 Pages“A fun, fictional novel describing manufacturing bottlenecks, opportunities, and overall theory of constraints... I can't believe that someone's taken something so boring and made it so interesting.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and 8 others
byAyn Rand
19571168 Pages“Setting aside the political football this book evokes, this book champions the entrepreneurial drive to invent products and run a great company. This includes rewarding employees who are responsible, who do not complain, who move to action and think for themselves as partners and equals.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson, James Clear, Dave Ramsey and 2 others
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
byStephen R. Covey
2020464 Pages“Provides a holistic approach to personal and professional effectiveness by aligning oneself with principles of a character ethic.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Jeff Bezos, Brian Armstrong, Chip Wilson and 5 others
Good to Great
Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
byJim Collins
2001320 Pages“Explores why some companies achieve enduring greatness while others fail, identifying key principles such as the 'Level 5 Leadership' and the 'Hedgehog Concept'.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson
Legacy
What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life
byJames Kerr
2013224 Pages“At times while reading about this team, I thought I was reading about lululemon. I even came across quotes from the very books that set the linguistic abstraction for lululemon.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Tim Ferriss, Chip Wilson, Gary Vaynerchuk and 3 others
The E-Myth Revisited
Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
byMichael E. Gerber
1995288 Pages“But to build a lasting successful company where the entrepreneur can direct 5 year strategy and not be a slave to operations, the entrepreneur should set the company processes such that the company could be franchised.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Donald Trump, Larry Ellison, Chip Wilson and 4 others
byAyn Rand
1943752 Pages“Is a story of the struggle between a futuristic, functionally creative architect and the offsetting power forces of old media and those who fear change.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by LeBron James, Chip Wilson, Kobe Bryant and 2 others
The Tipping Point
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
byMalcolm Gladwell
2000301 Pages“This book describes how a product or brand is used by a very small group of fanatic consumers sometimes described as a tribe.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Warren Buffett, Brian Armstrong, Chip Wilson and 3 others
Shoe Dog
A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
byPhil Knight
2016400 Pages“The founder of Nike recounts the formative days of his startup and its evolution into one of the world's most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Outliers
The Story of Success
byMalcolm Gladwell
2008304 Pages“Investigates the factors that contribute to high levels of success.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson
Daring Greatly
How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
byBrené Brown
2012320 Pages“This book challenges readers to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live courageously, and to engage with their lives fully.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson
byBryce Courtenay
1989544 Pages“A compelling coming-of-age novel set in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Jordan Peterson and 11 others
byGeorge Orwell
1949328 Pages(4,800,000)
“A profound warning against totalitarianism, illustrating a world where the government exercises absolute control over every aspect of life.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson
byCarol Shields
1993361 Pages“This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel traces the life of Daisy Goodwill from birth to death.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson
byE.M. Forster
1924376 Pages“This novel explores the racial tensions and prejudices between Indians and the British who controlled India.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Wong Kar Wai, Chip Wilson, Steven Spielberg and 1 others
byJohn Steinbeck
2002464 Pages“An evocative depiction of the plight of the Dust Bowl refugees during the Great Depression.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Satya Nadella, Tobias Lütke, Chip Wilson and 5 others
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential
byCarol S. Dweck
2006320 Pages“I love Mindset by Carol Dweck.”
— Chip Wilson
Source: Tim Ferriss Show Interview #514
Read by Chip Wilson, Richard Thaler, Stephen King and 1 others
byJoseph Heller
1961453 PagesSource: Tim Ferriss Show Interview #514 (Most Gifted)
10% Happier
How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story
byDan Harris
2014256 PagesSource: Tim Ferriss Show Interview #514
Read by Charlie Munger, Jamie Dimon, Daniel Ek and 6 others
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Fates of Human Societies
byJared Diamond
1997480 PagesSource: Tim Ferriss Show Interview #514
Read by Chip Wilson
Disunited Nations
The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World
byPeter Zeihan
2020480 PagesSource: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Read by Chip Wilson
byMitch Albom
2015512 PagesSource: Tim Ferriss Show Interview #514
Read by Chip Wilson
byBryce Courtenay
2006800 Pages(11,343)
Source: Tim Ferriss Show Interview #514
Read by Steve Jobs, Jensen Huang, Jeff Bezos and 5 others
The Innovator's Dilemma
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
byClayton M. Christensen
1997288 PagesSource: Chip Wilson's Curated Library
Loading more
Also recommends books in
Frequently asked questions
What books does Chip Wilson recommend?
His 63 recommendations include The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and Good to Great by Jim Collins, a mix that spans business strategy, philosophy, and literary fiction.
What is Chip Wilson's favorite book?
He singles out Eliyahu Goldratt's The Goal, calling it 'a fun, fictional novel describing manufacturing bottlenecks' and adding, 'I can't believe that someone's taken something so boring and made it so interesting.' It captures his love of systems thinking.
Where do Chip Wilson book recommendations come from?
They come primarily from Chip Wilson's own curated library and his appearance on Tim Ferriss Show interview #514, which included a separate list of the books he most often gifts to friends and colleagues.
Has Chip Wilson written a book?
Yes. He wrote Little Black Stretchy Pants, his personal and often candid account of founding and building lululemon into a global athletic-apparel brand, tracing the company's culture back to the ideas in his reading.
What genres does Chip Wilson read most?
His shelf mixes fiction and literature, psychology and human behavior, history, and business and strategy, an unusually broad range for a company founder and one that favors big ideas over quick tactics.
All 63 Books Chip Wilson Has Recommended
- The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement · Eliyahu M. Goldratt
- Atlas Shrugged · Ayn Rand
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People · Stephen R. Covey
- Good to Great · Jim Collins
- Legacy · James Kerr
- The E-Myth Revisited · Michael E. Gerber
- The Fountainhead · Ayn Rand
- The Tipping Point · Malcolm Gladwell
- Shoe Dog · Phil Knight
- Outliers · Malcolm Gladwell
- Daring Greatly · Brené Brown
- The Power of One · Bryce Courtenay
- 1984 · George Orwell
- The Stone Diaries · Carol Shields
- A Passage to India · E.M. Forster
- The Grapes of Wrath · John Steinbeck
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success · Carol S. Dweck
- Catch-22 · Joseph Heller
- 10% Happier · Dan Harris
- Guns, Germs, and Steel · Jared Diamond
- Disunited Nations · Peter Zeihan
- The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto · Mitch Albom
- The Potato Factory · Bryce Courtenay
- The Innovator's Dilemma · Clayton M. Christensen
- The Power of Now · Eckhart Tolle
- Black Box Thinking · Matthew Syed
- Flying Blind · Peter Robison
- The Four Agreements · Don Miguel Ruiz
- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. · Ron Chernow
- Out of the Gobi · Weijian Shan
- Rich Dad Poor Dad · Robert T. Kiyosaki
- Life Force · Tony Robbins
- How to Win Friends and Influence People · Dale Carnegie
- Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale · Zig Ziglar
- Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done · Larry Bossidy
- Built to Last · Jim Collins
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future · Ashlee Vance
- The Almost Nearly Perfect People · Michael Booth
- Anthem · Ayn Rand
- The Kite Runner · Khaled Hosseini
- The Lord of the Rings · J.R.R. Tolkien
- Doctor Zhivago · Boris Pasternak
- The Rosie Project · Graeme Simsion
- The Ascent of Rum Doodle · W.E. Bowman
- Ready Player One · Ernest Cline
- Shantaram · Gregory David Roberts
- The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared · Jonas Jonasson
- Pachinko · Min Jin Lee
- After On · Rob Reid
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy · John le Carré
- The Sport of Kings · C.E. Morgan
- The Godfather · Mario Puzo
- Stranger in a Strange Land · Robert A. Heinlein
- Of Mice and Men · John Steinbeck
- Middlesex · Jeffrey Eugenides
- Ender's Game · Orson Scott Card
- Anna Karenina · Leo Tolstoy
- The Drifters · James A. Michener
- Memoirs of a Geisha · Arthur Golden
- The Pillars of the Earth · Ken Follett
- Lonesome Dove · Larry McMurtry
- The Thorn Birds · Colleen McCullough
- The World According to Garp · John Irving