Through the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA), two student entrepreneurs under the innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation incubation programme recently travelled all the way to Ireland in a journey aimed at sharpening their entrepreneurial skillset.
Travelling to the northern European country, Ms Nonkanyiso Msomi and Mr Samkelo Mkhize were part of eight students from around the globe who explored the entrepreneurial landscape of Ireland through various visits to businesses such as Tara Hill Flowers, where they gained valuable insights into running a successful, sustainable business.
The study tour was a one-week international study tour to Ireland on entrepreneurship business transferable skills, with the students selected by THENSA after having completed their online entrepreneurship course.
Ms Nontokozo Ngcobo, innobiz DUT Centre Manager said that such opportunities and entrepreneurial trips abroad were critical to the development of our student entrepreneurs from a global perspective.
“These journeys abroad help to expose our student entrepreneurs to best global practices in entrepreneurship, while they are also able to network and build relationships with their entrepreneurial counterparts from different parts of the world. It is thanks to the University, the management, and all our partners that such opportunities are available for our student entrepreneurs to explore and be in tune with the latest trends in entrepreneurship in the world,” Ms Ngcobo said.
Ms Msomi is the founder and director of Nonkanyiso Funeral Services who operates in the death-care sector while Mr Mkhize is the founder of Samembo, which initially began as company that produced quality tissues and has now ventured into dealing with petroleum wholesaling, logistics, both locally and abroad. The pair are currently in the innobiz DUT Centre’s post incubation phase.
Another significant visit was when the group made a visit to Salt Rock Dairy, which is a family-run farm, described by THENSA as being passionate about ethical, high-quality dairy production.
Ms Msomi explained that at the heart of the trip was an entrepreneurial study tour, which she believes will greatly benefit her business moving forward.
“Our first stop was a visit to the South African embassy in Dublin where I had the privilege of meeting Mrs Nicolette Schreiber, the South African ambassador to Ireland. She spoke something profound, of how Ireland loves South Africa and have successfully made good relationships with each other, thus willing to continue investing in student entrepreneurs to scale their businesses,” Ms Msomi asserted.
Ms Msomi shared that one of the biggest takeaways was the way Irish businesses operated with trust and honesty at their core.
“Many businesses rely on self-service payment systems without cashiers which truly puts customer integrity to the test. Yet, people uphold this trust by living with honesty and a strong work ethic,” said Ms. Msomi.
She added that what also stood out was their fearless approach to failure, which is seen as part of growth rather than a setback.
“The idea of learning from failure and trying again is deeply ingrained in their business culture. They also prioritise training and networking, ensuring that entrepreneurs are connected with the right people in their industry,” Ms Msomi said.
Furthermore, Ms Msomi said that the Irish philosophy that says: “If you’re going to study entrepreneurship, then become one” was something they have mastered, proving it through the way they run their businesses.
“Looking ahead, the expansion of satellite companies into South Africa is expected to boost employment opportunities, contributing to economic growth. My experience has been truly incredible. More than anything, I am excited to scale my business and apply all the valuable advice we received. I also had the amazing opportunity to visit Google’s headquarters in Dublin, where I learned firsthand the importance of prioritizing employee well-being because when employees are taken care of, they, in turn, provide excellent service to clients. This trip has been both inspiring and insightful,” Ms Msomi added.
Mr Mkhize has been a part of the THENSA programme since 2022, following his selection by the innobiz DUT Centre to join the programme.
Under THENSA, Mr Mkhize has undergone an intense incubation training programme, focusing on a variety of business management and business start-up aspects, while he has benefitted from their tutelage on delivering a comprehensive business pitch.
His time under the THENSA programme has also afforded him the opportunity to pitch his toilet paper business to different stakeholders and potential investors.
Mr Mkhize described the opportunity to pitch his business as not just a pitch but also an opportunity to network and increase his business’ chances of gaining more recognition and subsequently investors, and clients.
Mr Mkhize’s trip to Ireland was of significant benefit for his enterprise Samembo as it exposed him to a different entrepreneurial environment and to different entrepreneurial mindsets and perspectives not just from the Irish, but from contemporaries from around the world.
Some of the key lessons Mr Mkhize picked up on the Irish trip was the understanding of business start-up fundamentals, transparency, responsibility and accountability in the running of a successful business. He reiterated that being in a new environment had a huge impact on his business perspective.
Pictured: DUT student entrepreneurs, Mr Samkelo Mkhize and Ms Nonkanyiso Msomi during their trip in Ireland.
Nkululeko Jili/Samkelo Mtshali
