Young Kenyan Entrepreneur Turns Her Love For Sports into a Lucrative Business

Cynthia Mumbo is a modern world class lady who believes in Edward de Bono’s words that a winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients as everyone else and  produces the best results. She says, “Without passion, you cannot achieve your dreams. You must know what you want and focus on the greater outcome.”

Venturing in an area that most women would shy from, Cynthia is a career marketer with a bias for sports development and is passionate about using sports to change lives. She is a certified FIBA manager and holds Sports Management Certification from Wits University in South Africa.

 The admirable lady that we see today has been mentored and shaped under her  parents watch. She grew up seeing her dad in the   corporate world. He worked with Kenya Airways. He later ventured into the business world. Her mum however worked for the government pretty much all her life.

With such a rich background Mumbo dived into the corporate world. She has in total over a decade work experience in the commercial industry. This was despite her ultimate desire to have something she could proudly say belonged to her and those around her. She believes strongly that ownership of sport is what she and those close can confidently say is their own.

Speaking from a business perspective; she admits that sports is an art that brings people of all walks of life together. Mumbo regrets that the modern day youth lack the business perspective. This is the ability to covert the passion into something that can generate revenue. She is however grateful that she has a background in both corporate world and in business.

 The mother of a nine years old son is now the CEO and Founder and Chief Executive of Sports Connect (Africa) Ltd. Sports Connect is a sports consultancy firm involved in connecting sports stakeholders in Africa and improving the capacity of sports entities and managers on the continent through sports consultancy, sports workshops and forums, sports marketing, event management and sports development.

Mumbo has worked with great companies in and out of the country. These including Sameer Africa where she worked for five years. She later moved on to East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL). She coupled her career with learning Sales. After completing her course in sales she moved to Menengai where she began executing more leadership roles. She became head of marketing. She then moved on to Chandaria industries as Marketing Manager. All this experience for a young ambitious lady gave her in-depth understanding of the corporate world and the corporate perspective as well.

The Passion

Cynthia’s love for sports continued to grow even as she advanced her career in Sales and Marketing. She served in the executive committee of the Kenya Basketball Federation for 6 years. Then, at 26, she was the youngest and still managed the national team at the All Africa games that were held in Mozambique (Maputo) and within that period. This obviously continued to add up to her leadership skills.

 “I’ve always learnt to take on leadership roles and that has really shaped me to who I am today.”

The extremely driven sports enthusiast who loves to be able to give back and build business through sports, had never planned to stay in the corporate world forever. She always knew that a time would come when she would be somewhere doing something with sports from an entrepreneur’s perspective. This is because she had learnt that sports would also be a way for her to genuinely earn a living.

When Cynthia looks back, she appreciates that   everything that her company has been able to do for sportsmen and women whether through sponsorships, partnerships, events management or consultancy has been to change people’s lives.

 The Hatching of ‘Sports Connect’

In the exclusive interview with Inversk, Mumbo revealed that Sports Connect came into existence many years ago. It was however hit by challenges resulting to failure.

Cynthia did not quit, she revamped with a lot of fear but with the hope that her company would stand firm. She says it was a dream that she held dear to her heart. She registered the firm in 2012. It has continued to grow ever since.

Cynthia is grateful for having made a milestone in seeking partnership with EABL. She has so far managed to work with Global Enterprise Connect (GEC) which is a company in Dubai that deals with golf tours across the world that is Kenya, Ghana and Egypt inn African countries.

Advice: Cynthia Mumbo’s ideas and wisdom for young and novice entrepreneur

On Passion

Nothing comes easy, if you do not have the heart do not even begin doing it. Success is not a one day affair. Do a different thing to connect with your values and ensure you do not waste time with the people who do not back up what your goals are. Build a dedicated team for your business that will ensure that the set goals are attained.

There is no better joy than earning from what you love doing.

Your passion should take you to the greatest heights you have ever wished for.

A firm foundation and an undying zeal for success should propel any you to the levels that have always been desired. All people are equal. They are only made different by the decisions they make and by the people they meet along the way.  

 On Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is beyond owning a business. It is about taking an extra step and been keen on the market patterns. It is   moving out of the comfort zone, embracing all the risks and aiming to the highest set goal. It is about not allowing oneself to get shaped by what others say. It is about converting passion to an entrepreneurial venture that will fetch good returns.

Personally I have never met an entrepreneur who is not passionate.

Real entrepreneurs are patient because it is never a guarantee that the results of the    entrepreneurial venture are instant. Entrepreneurship calls for resilience, it calls for a thick skin that if one is hit on one side, he turns around are finds an even better    opportunity on the other side.

Final Word

Failing is part of growing up.  So many times, you will fail, but do not give up! Rise up, dust yourself and focus on attaining your goal.

Success does not come in a wink of an eye. There is need for effort, for sacrifice and getting the right minded people. You should get out of your comfort zone and invest time and resources in what you are passionate about.

In a time when most people are complaining of increased rates of unemployment, convert your passion into a business venture. This way, you will earn a living through what you love doing and also go a long way in making yourself your own boss.

Now is the time to align yourself with the right people to show you the way into entrepreneurship and into the corporate world as well.

This article appeared on November 2016 Issue of Inversk Magazine

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