Today is my last full day in Westport & so we have embarked upon an exploration of the town itself...& again I am impressed. It has a homely feel to it, like a chocolate box town from an all American movie from the fifties. The pace of life is slow & the people are warm & keen to chat.

After a relaxed lunch, spent watching the world go by, we have a wander along the main street, punctuating our stroll with excursions into various shops that pique our interest. & one of these is a blast from the past. When I lived in Vancouver & Whistler, I used to meet up with an ex-girlfriend with whom we stayed close after deciding that friends was the way forward. On several of these rendez vous, she used to drag me into a store called Lululemon – a vendor of yoga clothing, which she swore was the most comfortable clothing she'd ever worn for training in. What had appealed to me was the way they ran their store, it was always a friendly place to visit & they were always interested in what you thought..

Over the years I have met numerous disciples of the Lululemon brand, including British friends that have stumbled across it on trips across the Atlantic & have stocked up to feed their addiction to the quality of the product. On each occasion I ask the question “Why haven't they reached the UK yet?”, a question more pertinent since they have launched in USA & Australia as well as expanding their range to include men's clothing.

Today, we spent close to an hour in their Westport store. Granted both Lauren & I indulged in some retail therapy but most of the time was spent chatting to their staff & getting a feel for their approach to business. Tucked away in the right hand corner of the shop was series of boards that illustrated the company's approach to how it does what it does, the thinking behind it & the way it strives to interact with the community. I took several photos & will take the lessons I learnt into my businesses in the hope that one day we can become as much of a part of people's lives as Lululemon obviously is in several of my friends' lives.

The board was further complimented by the insightful & passionate manner in which their store assistant engaged in the discussion about their plans to expand into the UK market & how this would be done. The time spent was an education into how to grow, run & staff your business & went a long way to building a relationship between me & Lululemon...& that is, as any marketing expert will tell you, is how you successfully grow your business.

So if Lululemon is new to you visit their website at http://www.lululemon.com/

& if you get the chance, indulge yourself in some of their clothing...I can now concur with my female friends that their clothes are extremely comfortable & very well made!