Running a swingers firm is not all sex

LAS VEGAS (Reuters Life!) - Robert McGinley, founder of a company devoted to "swinging" couples who like to swap partners, says a business based on sex comes down to the same thing as any other venture -- the bottomline.

McGinley, 73, a former aerospace engineer, set up the Lifestyles Organization in the 1970s, turning his passion for swinging into the largest business of its kind that brings in about $15 million a year in revenue.

At his group's annual convention attended by about 900 couples in Las Vegas, McGinley spoke to Reuters about sex and business:

Q: If we compare the business to a couple of years ago what is the difference?

A: "This particular lifestyle is growing rapidly, principally because of the Internet ... The Internet did not create this desire, it became the means for fulfilling this desire, the desire to let your hair down, the desire to get together with other couples."

Q: What are the new trends in the business?

A: "In reality we are making more money than we ever have before. The resort business is very unique because we are appealing to people's sexual interest and it is growing. You have resorts with big name companies. They're not into swinging at all, but they are into making money, and we're the ones that provide the clients for them."

Q: Is it about the money for you too now?

A: "Well, it's kind of a natural progression. I kind of question whether Hugh Hefner is getting much sex either. He just pretends a lot. I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm not purely a businessman now, just more of a businessman than I used to be."

Q: So it is just a business?

A: "Yes, it's business, but it's more than business. I believe in this lifestyle. I have seen so many happy people through their ability to express themselves openly. I'm aware of the impact it has had on their lives."

Q: You've been married twice. Has being in this line of business affected your marriages?

A: "No. You know, a marriage is a very complicated thing and a lot of things get involved. You've got two personalities you're putting together, and whatever else."

Q: Outsiders might question though what this would do to the core stability of marriage and then look at the guru.

A: "They shouldn't judge it by me, because like everybody else I'm an individual with a particular personality. I'm a little bit of a control freak, I have to admit. I don't drink, I don't smoke, maybe I'm hard to get along with."