Swift unlocks secrets to a beautiful future

He must be the most unlikely purveyor of beauty products in Galway, all 6ft 5inches of him in a frame akin to a small mountain.

But with his quick smile and twinkly eyes, you can also see how Michael Swift would easily charm those cosmetic types, more used to industry babble than the down-to-earth banter of Connacht Rugby’s most capped player ever.

While quick to insist that he hopes to play for one more season at least, the 36-year-old has already begun the next phase of his life.

Starting his own business was always something he was interested in.  Three years ago, to dip his toe in the water, he decided to set up an all-sports summer camp for six to 14 year-olds based at St Mary’s College. It opened him up to the idea of registering, dealing with money and generally managing a small business.

He used the skills he had learned through a diploma in business management he completed at the online Hibernia College. He already has a degree in politics and economics, which he had completed before his rugby career took off.

“Playing rugby for Connacht for the past 14 years, I couldn’t see myself stuck in an office, nine to five. Rugby allowed me to be comfortable with public speaking, it teaches you a sense of discipline . . . I haven’t been apprehensive about going into these companies out of my comfort zone,” he reflects on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. He subscribes to an American business magazine and read an article about how two women set up a beauty subscription business.

“I thought it was really clever, the whole simplicity of it. In the recession sales of cosmetics actually go up, it’s called The Lipstick Effect. I did some research about female cosmetics and discovered there were over 70 Irish cosmetic companies operating in Ireland.

“I did a few focus groups with the help of a friend who had a PR company and bounced some ideas. And what came out of that was it was all well and good to have Irish brands, but women wanted international brands as well so I shifted my focus a bit.”

He started contacting cosmetic companies about the idea of using travel sizes of their products for a monthly sample gift box to be sent to a database of subscribers. Known as the Birchbox, the concept has caught on in the US, where 100,000 boxes are mailed each month.

The idea is that customers receive five beauty and lifestyle samples, which gives them the chance to try out new products instead of purchasing the full size which are, all too often, left to languish on the dressing table.

He got one of his teammates, Frank Murphy, who doubles as a graphic artist, to design the logo. Another ex-player, Conor O’Loughlin, who heads Zappy Media in Dublin, designed the website.

It was an ex-girlfriend in London who came up with the name. He quickly discounted his preferred option of Blissbox due to some rather inappropriate associations uncovered on the internet.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.