As part of ENSPIRE’D Talks and the introduction to Entrepreneurship module for second-year students, UKZN’s Student Entrepreneurship portfolio together with the School of Commerce, hosted seminars for students to ignite their creativity, and turn their talent into profit through entrepreneurship.
Presented by Professor Nicole Antoinette Smith, a social entrepreneur and an Ohio University academic, the lecture aimed to sharpen the students’ problem-solving skills, through explaining how real entrepreneurs turn everyday challenges into game-changing opportunities.
As the founder of eleV8T, a workforce development programme aimed at empowering individuals to reach their full potential, Smith, who grew up in generational poverty, believes in turning every natural gift and lived experience, good or bad, into an opportunity to generate income.
She reflected on how she has been able to do that in her own life through her diverse portfolio as a former corporate executive turned professor, entrepreneur, consultant, author and event organiser, who learned the art of unlocking multiple streams of income early on in life.
Smith shared her personal trials such as job loss, health challenges, relocation, racism and grief, and explained how adversity has become a catalyst for innovation in her life. She said: “Turning talent into profit lies in recognising that there is value in everything that you experience, do and produce – you just need to learn to turn it into a particular commodity.”
She encouraged students to have the confidence to turn their ideas into working products and services even when they didn’t have everything together, and to practise excelling even when individuals had low expectations of them.
Smith presented the Talents, Areas of Improvement, Passions and Presentiments (TAPP) Framework for students to identify their unique strengths and uncover hidden business opportunities.
Drawing inspiration from the work of legendary agricultural scientist Mr George Washington Carver – who developed over 300 products from the humble peanut, ranging from ink and paper to cosmetics and paints – Smith challenged students to reimagine the possibilities within their own skills and experiences.
The peanut, in Smith’s analogy, represents something small, familiar and often overlooked – much like the talents or ideas many carry without realising their worth.
Delivering the engaging ‘What’s Your Peanut?’ activity, she taught students how to discover and align their natural talents with entrepreneurial opportunities, reframe adversity into marketable innovation, explore new business ideas grounded in their passion and purpose, strategically move the needle forward in their ventures or careers, and make a profit!
Students pitched these ideas to peers, received feedback, and documented the process.
Smith urged the students “to do common things in life, in an uncommon way, to command the attention of the world” and be successful entrepreneurs.
She closed off by stressing that creativity was not the exclusive domain of artists or designers, but a discipline entrepreneurs must practise daily: sitting with ideas, writing them down, prototyping quickly, sharing with others, and embracing failure as part of the process.
“If you sit down and give your peanut serious thought, you might surprise yourself. Innovation is not just magic – it’s intention plus action,” she said.
Students said they had enjoyed the session with Smith and they would take what they had learned and implement it in their ‘soon-to-be’ or existing businesses.
Words: Hlengiwe Khwela and Ayanda Radebe
Photographs: Andile Ndlovu and supplied
