Victor Ganzallo, CEO/Founder of MumogSports, is finding markets riding on the huge platform that sports, particularly football, is in Nigeria. He is another excellent example of the entrepreneurial spirit of young Nigerians.
By Tosin Ayinde
Back in his college days as an aspiring sports enthusiast, Victor Ganzallo had secretly nurtured his ambition – to be a boxer or footballer. He was very optimistic about the future. By a curious twist of fate, Ganzallo found himself in the creative sector. After many years in the marketing communication and insurance sectors of the economy, he launched MumogSports, a fashion, and sports outfit dedicated to providing high-quality sportswear for Nigerians. Beyond customised sports wears, the outfit also has a well-equipped fitness gym and offers fitness consultancy services.
Ganzallo’s narrative is an interesting story hinged on his creative passion. “Back in secondary school when my mates were struggling to be on the field of play, I’d elect to be the coach and up till now, when I come across some of them, they still call me coachie. I also carefully choose what I wear, and I like to adorn sportswear. Over time, I discovered people saw these clothes on me and would always ask where I got them and asked me to help them get some. At a point, I just sat down and gave the idea of marketing and selling these things. I am also a fitness enthusiast; so, it’s more like I turned my passion to business,” he said.
It’s noteworthy how sports and fashion are increasingly becoming intertwined globally. This area is where Ganzallo has found his niche. If you are wondering how an enterprise that is focused on delivering high-quality sports wears thrive in a market where the clothing markets are proliferated with imitations, Ganzallo explains: “What makes us stand out is quality. We have chosen that path and we intend to walk it, come rain or shine. The quality of our merchandise will always stand us apart. Sometimes, it’s frustrating when you see these inferior items being passed off as the real things. But it is what it is: you just keep your focus locked on values.
He added: “We don’t compromise quality. I also try to be a step ahead of others. We always keep our eyes open for what is trending globally and try to be the first to introduce them here.” Ganzallo emphasized the company’s tagline, Everything sport made easy, saying: “That’s our key promise to our customers: to make whatever they are looking for our business and easy to get for them. I believe we are doing this already and will bend over double to even go further in delivering on this promise.”
Another unique thing about MumogSports is how it sources its materials and the quality of advice it gives its clients. “We do this by sourcing from the original manufacturers or dealers. Sometimes, we advise on the design too, and because I am a creative person, sometimes it’s easy. I worked in one of the best Ad agencies. The fact that I am a fashion-forward person has also helped a lot,” said Ganzallo.
A background forged in creativity
Prior to his foray into sportswear designing, Ganzallo had a stint in the media, marketing communication and insurance sectors. As a creative enthusiast, he was involved in several brand engagements, delivering unique and memorable marketing campaigns for Starcomms, Ecobank, and Skye Bank. “I started out as a journalist. I was a reporter/columnist with Encomium. From there, I went to work as a copywriter/concepts person at Centrespread FCB. I left Centrespread FCB for AXA Mansard. After AXA Mansard I also worked at CFAO Yamaha as the Events and Sponsorship person before I set up MumogSports.”
Recalling his magic moments in the advertising sector, he said: “My time as a copywriter is still one of my fondest memories, career-wise. I worked with some very amazing individuals and we created some very memorable campaigns that I am still very proud of. I remember the Skye Bank I Wish sing-song campaign, followed by another for the same bank Hakuna Matata. I also remember we did some very good jobs for Starcomms, the leading CDMA company in Nigeria then, in addition to Zenith Bank, Tantalizers, Lotto Nigeria, and Ecobank.”
Fitting Nigerians in trendy sports wears
In spite of the challenges posed by a proliferation of imitation jerseys in this market, Ganzallo sees great opportunities. In addition are clients who want to have the exact same jerseys that fit and trim footballers. “The jerseys people wear comprise majorly of two types: the stadium version, which is for the fans, and the players’ version. The stadium jersey is practically the same design as what you see the players wear but their cut is loose fit while the players’ version is athlete cut, with shapes. You sometimes have customers with big frames and potbellies insisting on the players’ version, which sometimes end up appearing ill-fitting. It’s a challenge convincing customers to pick the stadium rather than the players’ version,” says Ganzallo. Another is exchange rate volatility and access to finance.
On the impact MumogSports has made in the market, Ganzallo says it has been huge. “We are the ‘go-to’ people presently in Nigeria when it comes to clubs and national teams’ jerseys, sportswear, gym equipment, and accessories. We even get recommendations to corporate organisations and individuals even beyond Nigeria,” he says excitedly.
On the dynamic business environment, the CEO of MumogSports says Nigerians are some of the most fashionable and discerning people in the world, with a distinct taste in fashion and quality.
Beyond the design and sales of bespoke sports swears, MumogSports also offers fitness consultancy services. “MumogSports is a lifestyle company. We help people with fitness plans, gym set-up, we even had a lot of people consulting us during the COVID-19 lockdown on how to keep fit. We helped some people to set up mini gyms in their homes, says Ganzallo, adding: “We will be glad to serve institutions and organisations. Remember, we are not just a sports fashion company, we also offer consultancy and services in fitness and sports. There are lots of ideas we can give government and organisations in the private sector on how to use sports as a bonding tool and even increase productivity in their operations.”
The Idris Elba fan, while recalling some of his timeless creations as the Team Lead of MumogSports, said, “We recently did some designs and executions for MI supporters, they call themselves Tribe of Judah. We are very proud of that. We also did some jobs for the official supporters’ clubs of Chelsea Football Club in Nigeria.”
He added that the future of MumogSports is quite bright. With Nigeria’s population, there are loads of opportunities in this land. “I want to build MumogSports to become a household name in Nigeria. That is my dream and aspiration right now,” he says.
Tosin Ayinde is Managing Editor, meiza.ng. This article was first published by Four Points Communications in NCDMB’s Local Content Digest magazine.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
