CARVING A NICHE - PETER GWOM – ENTREPRENEUR, CEO ‘THE OFFICE’ ABUJA

PETER GWOM – ENTREPRENEUR, CEO ‘THE OFFICE’ ABUJA

Nothing pleases us more than meeting people who are so inspiring, especially when they are so Young.

Running a Business is extremely challenging especially in a City like Abuja that is considered a sleepy government town, but this extremely focused International Business Management Masters Degree holder from University of Surrey is up to the task. The most Part of PETER GWOM’s Life and Education happened in England but he has come Home to take over the business terrain. Chatting with him, you can see how passionate he is about Creating Jobs and making a Difference as he is always happy Paying Salaries.  His brand THE OFFICE is a VIRTUAL OFFICE, 

FRONT DESK

A novel concept established to consolidate the modern professionals ideals into one beautifully designed workspace. Clients  benefit a stylish lounge, state of the art meeting rooms and world class serviced offices all without the neckbreaking Abuja rent. Strategically located at Ropp House, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Pent House Floor.

Handsome and Soft Spoken, Humble and Inspiring, Sorry Ladies….PETER is currently taken and even looking to Settle down pretty soon. We engaged Mr. Peter in a short Chat and his responses inspired us and we hope it inspires you too.

Enjoy.

WR: Abuja is not really considered a business town, how did you think this would work?  What gave you the confidence to venture into a business like this?

PG: I saw opportunities. I came to Abuja 1^st in 1990, then in 2002 and the difference was astounding. Then when I returned finally everything had changed. Growth is an Abuja trend; I saw business activity picking up so I’ve positioned my brand. Besides even as a “seemingly” Government town there is a cycle of people who come and stay because Government always needs support from private sector.

MEETING ROOM

WR: Were you scared that the idea of THE VIRTUAL OFFICE wasn’t going to catch on?

PG: (Laughs) I’m still scared. I never take anything for granted. Still Pushing on, always on my toes.

WR:  What has the Response been like?

PG: Absolutely tremendous. There is hardly anyone who hasn’t been impressed with the Idea or responded well to the Business model. Before we even started properly our service office was taken. It’s been awesome.

WORK STATION

WR: What Were/Are the Challenges?

PG: At the Beginning Investors, Partners etc. Because it was such a huge project and required a lot of funds. We did a Private placement. Took a while, people even advised me to move on but I believed so much in the idea and did what I had to do to make it work. When the project started, finding very good and professional minded artisans in Abuja was a challenge. Because of the look and ambience we were aiming for, we had to import a lot of things from Lagos and outside the country. Of course Power(PHCN) and finding and managing the right staff. But we always find away to overcome them.

WR: Why Wuse 2 for the Office?

PG: In Business, Location! Location! Location! Matters a whole lot. So we found this Fantastic address, in a Strategic and Prestigious Part of the FCT, ROPP House Wuse 2 for THE OFFICE. For where it’s located our Prices shock people because we are so affordable.

WR: So as a Virtual office I can imagine that you have an unlimited number of Clients, What are the networking opportunities there and how do you make sure your potential and existing Clients are not illegal?

PG: Yes, we have an unlimited number of Virtual Clients who just use THE OFFICE as their Business address, which is the main service we offer amongst other packages. For the Serviced offices and Membership taking up of Work Space, we have a Limit to the number we can take. We do our Due Diligence on every single potential Client. CAC Checks, CEO and Board of Director Checks and everyone has to sign a contract with us. It’s very secure. The Networking opportunities are immense, many business synergies have happened between people here. We have people in several industries, IT, telecoms, oil and gas, mining, advertising, media, consulting, events management etc. People who live in Abuja or People who just come in to do business.

WR: It’s a Great idea, Great platform. Competition will come, or has already come, what will make THE OFFICE Brand different.

PG: Service. We might serve the same purpose but the difference will be in the service. I say modestly that I am not bothered of competition because of what we have. Subtle things, but most important for us is service. People never forget where they are treated well.

LOUNGE AREA OF THE OFFICE

WR: Love the Place, Love the Idea, and Love the Model. Its a lot of work though, how do you unwind and relax?

PG: I love watching movies; I have a lot of those. The last movie I watched was Raaj Neeti an Indian political movie, really nice. I love to travel; Music and I read a lot. But I don’t really do fiction, biography and history. I go clubbing every once in a while but that’s because I am not married yet.

WR: There is a Miss Peter in the Picture, when is the Big day?

PG: Yes there is and I hope to settle down very soon. Right now my favorite place to be in Abuja is my home because I’m not much of a social person I hardly attend events, but my favorite restaurant is NKOYO’s.

WR: That’s nice, we Love NKOYO’s too and we look forward to your Big day. The Situation in Nigeria can be discouraging to business people, how do you keep going?

PG: I Self Motivate, I’m passionate about my brand and I’m driven by principles. I will advise anyone moving back to Nigeria to do a lot of mental preparation, because there is a lot more to handle here than in other organized society. You can easily get worked up, pack up and leave (laughs)

WR: Finally, What’s the Best Advice you’ve ever gotten?

PG: Two actually. Focus! Don’t get carried away by all the activity happening around, be Patient, Build up the Brand. I remember I had so many ideas I wanted to work on all at once but I just stopped. This was from one of my share holder. A Pastor told me that The Bible is a Guide to life. When I started reading the bible with insight I found out that all the advice I’ve been searching for in management books and all has been in this book sitting right beside my bed. The Bible helps you change your priorities, understand yourself, I had gotten it wrong on so many counts but I was able to realign myself.

The Bible

Truth is this generation is basically guided by the 7 deadly sins, Greed, lust, envy etc. Especially Greed and we focus on money for the wrong reasons. Unhealthy Competitions, comparism, and an obsession with things. People get depressed because of that lust for more, it’s sad to watch. When our Generation finally gets a hold of power, I hope that we will do well, because people only equate success to wealth and only treat people well if they are rich. This is a mindset that has to change or we will continue going down. I’m lucky I started reading the bible I found all the answers there and was able to renew my mind.

WR: Thank you so much Mr Peter, I’m sure our readers will enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. We wish you the very best in your future endeavors and look forward to chatting with you again.

PG: You are Welcome.

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