CEO Of Wave Making Mumog Sports, Victor Ganzallo Tells Personal & Bizness Secrets Breaking Barriers For His Company Plus The Bitter Truth About Keeping Fit

A many of many positive parts, Victor Ganzallo the Chief Executive Officer at ground breaking Mumog Sports shares personal and business tips that work for him in this engaging chat with societynow.ng

Ganzy or better, Ligegere as friends fondly hail the face of emerging success also revealed the bitter truth about keeping fit…Enjoy

Que: Mumog Sports based on all the talks about the good things it offers seems to have been here for years, do you feel the same?

Answer: Yes, sometimes I look back and feels like we have been around for years, whereas in actual fact we are just a little under 3 years in existence, but we must give glory to God for the vision and the fantastic people we have been privileged to have customers and clients. The type of support and confidence we have got from them has been the reason why you can look at us and feel that we have been around for longer than we actually have.

Que: How well is the company doing?

Answer : Mumogsports is a subsidiary of Mumog Enterprises and we must say we have been very privileged and we have enjoyed tremendous goodwill from our family, friends, customers and associates, especially former colleagues in the various places I have worked before veering to start my own business. To the glory of God, we are not doing badly as a start-up company, we are gradually building up and I believe there is a lot of room for improvement.

Que: How easy is it keeping it afloat in the face of the Covid-19 induced economic limitations on businesses?

Answer: Well, like we all have seen and are witnesses to, 2020 has been a very wonderful years, it’s a year we don’t pray to experience ever again in terms of the calamity that befell the world in the form of the Coronavirus pandemic. Keeping afloat and remaining in business has been by the special grace of God. It has just been God. Maybe for organizations like ours, which are small and compact, being able to adapt and adjust has been easy, but we also have been affected indirectly because some of our customers and corporate clients took a hit from the effect of the pandemic.

Que: For many businesses Covid-19 has forced a redirection as part of survival strategies, is it the same with Mumog, has the prevailing situation inspired any new services that are catching on with clients?

Answer: Yes, to be honest, it also provided us an opportunity to adapt and rejig our marketing. For example, due to the pandemic, most gyms were locked up and people had to work-out or do their exercises at home and that provided us an opportunity to come up with a package the we called the Compact Home Gym offering. This package allows you to have a small gym at home where you can do your work-out safely and at a very affordable cost, we also developed work-out and exercising schedule for people that they can use to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Que: You are also a fitness coach, is that a personal thing or part of Mumogsports offerings? And what does it take to engage you?

Answer: Yes, I am a fitness enthusiast from time and I must say Mumogsports was a passion that became a business for me. I have always had an athlete’s physique and it is something I am very conscious of and do not want to lose so, working out and keeping fit has always been something I was particular about.

To engage me for personal classes or consultancy is quite affordable, the only challenge I have with some of the people who sees me and say ‘how I’ll like to be like you’ is the fact that people wants to look fit, but are not ready to put in the work, that’s just the truth. I have several of my friends that I have invited to workout with me and get trained for free, but after a while you just discover that they are not ready to commit the time and sacrifice needed.

Que: Mumog seems to be into everything sports, but what are its core offerings?

Answer: like our pay-off says ‘everything sports and more’, we offer all types of sports goods and equipment, name the sport, we will supply the items needed. From golf, to football, hockey, boxing, basketball, baseball, cricket, karate, table tennis, lawn tennis, handball, pool, badminton, volleyball, baseball. We also deals in almost any gym or fitness equipment you can think of,just name the equipment and Mumogsports will supply them.

Que: You have always been a boxing enthusiast, a trained boxer from childhood – any chance of seeing you in the ring for maybe an exhibition bout?

Ans: Laughs…no, not sure I can ever box again, as in step in a ring and box. But yes, boxing is my favorite sport; in fact, football which a lot of people know I am also very passionate about comes a distant second. I love the sweet science of boxing and even right now, I am training my two sons to box. You know growing up in a place like Empire and then later Oshodi surely can shape you in a particular way, depends on what you want yourself and the people you are surrounded with. Learning to box while growing up was something most young boys back in those days see as a thing of pride and so my case was not exemption.

I love boxing, although I have no regrets that I didn’t do the sport professionally but the passion is still there and my dream is to own one of the best equipped private boxing gyms in Nigeria.

We have a lot of talents wasting away in Nigeria. You’ll recall that Nigeria used to be the biggest name in amateur boxing in Africa, and we were even a force globally. Back in those days, our representatives were sure to pick up medals at any even they attend, be it the Commonwealth Games, All-Africa Games or even the Olympics. The likes of Dick Tiger Ihetu, Hogan Bassey, Davidson Andeh, Nojeem Maiyegun, Obisia Nwakpa, Jerry Okorodudu, David Izonritie, Richard Igbinegu, Isaac Ikwuoria, Peter Konyegwachie, Duncan Dokiwari, Hakeem Anifiowoshe, David Dafiagbon were all names that brought us joy from the four squared ring. There are still plenty of talents like these names that are waiting to be discovered and nurtured to stardom.

Que: From Journalism to Advertising, Insurance, and now Mumog – why settle for Mumog?

Answer: This is an interesting question. Sometimes when I enter discussions with people and I say some things, they go like, how come you know these much about this and that field. I must say I am very luck and privileged to have worked in the major arms of mass communication, which was what I studied in school. Although I specialized in print journalism, but my restless nature and zeal for knowledge has made it so happen that I have traversed the major arms of the course I studied in school. I started out as a journalist with Encomium magazine, where I left as a reporter/ columnist, covering telecoms and brands. From there I had a very short stint with Digital Interactive Media, DIM, the producers of The Next Movie Star, a reality TV show. I then moved to Centrespread FCB, one of the leading advertising agencies in Nigeria, where I worked as copywriter and that was where I explored the creative part of me the most. I wrote some award winning advertising copies at CentrespreadFCB and also learnt a great deal from some of the best hands in the business then.

Next after CentrespreadFCB was the then insurance subsidiary of GTBank, Guaranty Trust Assurance where I worked in the marketing communication department. The team was responsible for all internal/external communication, branding, events, sponsorship and perception management. I must say that was one of the most organized places I have worked thus far, and I also learnt a whole lot at the place. The company went through major rebranding while I was there and I was actively involved in the entire process, from Guaranty Trust Assurance to GTAssur to Mansard and later AXA Mansard. The last place I worked before going solo was CFAO/Yamaha, a joint venture business between CFAO of France and Yamaha of Japan. I was head of the events and sponsorship desk and I left there to start Mumog Enterprises.

Que: Outside of ownership, what is it that Advertising, Insurance, and Journalism lack – for you – that you are relishing in sports through Mumog, and please don’t mention passion!

Answer: It is the opportunity to create and deliver value as I see fit, the opportunity to create and carve a personal niche and build my own business. To adequately use my time and work at my own pace; the freedom to spend more time with my wife and sons. I believe every of my action is a message to my sons and there is no better way to carry out that personal mantra than when I call my own shots. For example, if I was working 9 to 5 with the crazy Lagos traffic and all, where would I get the time to train my sons to box? Laughs…

Que: And for a better industry, what are your expectations from the government and your co-operators as well as how you plan, hope to impact as an individual?

Ans: Like I mentioned earlier, my dream is to own the best equipped boxing gym in Nigeria, if not Africa. There is a lot the government can do, sports merchandising is a huge business and the potentials here is mind blowing, just consider selling replica Super Eagles jersey to 10 million football lovers, imagine that our league is well structured and funded like we had in the 70s, 80s and early 90s and you are selling Shooting Stars, Enyimba, Kano Pillars, MFM and Rangers International jerseys, fez caps, towels and other souvenirs to their supporters, do you know how much that is and how much jobs that can create? We just need a government that can think deeply and the involvement of private sector, without undue interference and politicking.