Westmeath female entrepreneurs are encouraging others from the county to join the latest cycle of ACORNS - a highly-successful free development initiative to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland.
The call for applications for the ninth cycle of ACORNS was recently launched by Deputy Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine. ACORNS is funded through the Department’s Rural Innovation and Development Fund.
The programme comes highly recommended by previous participants, with 100% of those surveyed at the end of the 8th cycle saying they would recommend the programme to others. The 46 entrepreneurs in ACORNS 8 made significant progress over the six months of their involvement, reporting significant growth in their new businesses. Their combined turnover almost doubled in the six months to April 2023 - from €1.9m to €3.6m. Participants in ACORNS 8 employed 96 (55 wfull-time, 41 part-time ) staff at the end of the cycle, an increase of 16. There were also five new exporters over the cycle.
There are 50 places available for ACORNS 9 which will run from October 2023 to April 2024. Those wishing to receive an application form for ACORNS 9 should register on the website (www.acorns.ie ).
The deadline for applications is midnight, September 22.
Past participants from Westmeath include Eibhlin Fitzpatrick of The Refill Mill ( www.therefillmill.ie ) and Niamh Dooley of BiaSol (www.biasol.ie ).
Increasing dismay at the excessive use of plastic packaging for everything from groceries to cleaning products inspired Eibhlin Fitzpatrick to set up her own plastic-free retail store in Mullingar. The Refill Mill offers shoppers the opportunity to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics by filling their own containers from the array of everyday pantry staples and eco-friendly products available in-store. An online service is also available to visitors to the website. Eibhlin was a participant on ACORNS 8.
“I was thrilled to be a part of ACORNS 8, it has been invaluable to my business. The support and encouragement from the women I met in the process has led me to move out of my comfort zone and push myself to set and achieve greater goals than I imagined possible. It has been challenging, inspiring and one of the best things I could have done for my business. I would recommend the programme to any female entrepreneurs who are looking for a positive support system," Eiblin stated.
A pandemic lockdown project across two continents led Niamh Dooley, from Athlone, Co Westmeath, and her brother Ruairi, to create BiaSol, a business that upcycles spent grain from breweries into healthy food products. BiaSol has had nationwide success: 2021 Irish Times Innovation Winner for Manufacturing & Design, 2022 Blas Na hEireann Finalist, Chefs Larder Winner & Best in County and 2023 RDS Spring Awards Winners Rural Innovation. Niamh was a participant on ACORNS 7.
“I highly recommend ACORNS for any woman in business, whatever stage of their business they are at. The sense of community the programme has built is amazing and it is a brilliant way to connect with other women in business," Niamh said.
ACORNS is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. Participants interact with each other in the monthly round table sessions, which are facilitated by a Lead Entrepreneur, who has first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland. Each of the Lead Entrepreneurs give their time to the programme on a voluntary basis, as they believe in the philosophy of ‘entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs’.
Only early-stage female entrepreneurs operating in rural Ireland, and who have had no sales before the end of June 2020, are eligible to apply.
There will be no charge for those selected to participate in ACORNS 9, thanks to the continuing support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of time by the Lead Entrepreneurs.
While 46 participants completed ACORNS 8, the initiative also provided continued support to more than 200 past participants through the ACORNS Community, which provided past participants with the opportunity to take part in workshops, roundtables, and other networking events.
