Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much,” is a famous quote by Helen Keller, and upon meeting the participants of the ACORNS programme, which kicked off in Mullingar on 24 October, it is quickly apparent that their group work through the ACORNS programme will ensure that their best business decisions are yet to come.

What is ACORNS?

The ACORNS programme supports female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have recently started a business or who have taken concrete steps towards setting up a business. The programme is based upon the belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other. It is funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Paula Fitzsimons is the woman behind ACORNS and she has witnessed first-hand the influence of the interactive sessions.

“The group is much more powerful than doing one-to-one [sessions]. It reduces the physiological isolation and if you meet other people who are in a similar situation to yourself, you realise that you are not the only one with those challenges,” says Paula.

“The way that we do it in terms of setting goals and milestones, is you own them and you write them down, but you are accountable to the group so you get good peer pressure. When everyone reports back to each other on what they said what they would do, then they really have to work towards that because the power of the group helps them to do it.”

Lead Entrepreneurs

The lead entrepreneurs are at the heartbeat of the ACORNS programme. They are volunteers who are giving back and passing on their experience of growing and developing successful businesses in rural Ireland, each of whom highlights to the participants that while they may be ordinary women, they have the potential to develop and sustain extraordinary business.

One of those women is Anne Cusack, co-founder of Critical Healthcare, which supplies the emergency services with medical consumables. Based in Westmeath, the business supplies medical services in Ireland, the UK and more recently in Europe. Despite her success in the business industry, Anne assures that ACORNS is a two-way learning system.

“I’ve learned an awful lot from it myself and it’s really satisfying to meet people for the first time as some of them may only have the idea on paper but they have a clear vision of where they want that business to be. It’s very rewarding to see what they have done with that business and how they have grown it,” says Anne.

“They are inspiring, and their passion is really contagious, but it is all about collaboration between each other. Everybody comes with a different set of skills. It is very much a case of people learning from each other and that’s the best way.”

Claire McDonough

“I haven’t officially launched my business yet,” explains Claire, who hails from Letterkenny in Donegal. “Wild Atlantic Interiors is a bespoke range of handmade, home accessories, cushions and lampshades inspired by the Wild Atlantic Way.”

One of the most beneficial aspects of the ACORNS programme for Claire is that it provides the perfect learning environment where she can invest herself wholeheartedly into her business. “ACORNS provides a specific time and space to actually think and develop the business. To go away from your everyday life of being a mammy and running a business but then to do that in a very structured way,” says Claire.

To discover the path which we wish to take in life, we can often find ourselves veering from one job to another. Having once worked in the Local Authority, Claire later branched out into the area of retail. She and a friend set up a homeware store which is now an interior design studio. However, as Claire’s love of creativity bubbled in the background, it was only a matter of time before she began to pursue her true passion in life, and she continues to dream big with the ambitions for Wild Atlantic Interiors.

“Sarah Jessica Parker has a holiday home in Donegal; I would love her to have some of my cushions and to bring them back to New York,” beams Claire. “I think if going to Ireland and soaking up the Wild Atlantic Way and the essence of being Irish, there is a fantastic opportunity for Wild Atlantic Interiors to redefine bringing something home from Ireland. I would like it to be bespoke, made by women, designed by women and reflect modern day Irishness.”

Leah Purcell

The business plan Leah Purcell had in place for Able Bodies Physiotherapy and Health expanded greatly following her participation in ACORNS. The roundtable sessions, led by her lead entrepreneur Alison Ritchie, opened her mind to the array of opportunities that would ensure that her business is more than your typical physiotherapy clinic.

“I will run workshops and talks on issues, there are lots of health conditions that are potentially ticking time bombs and people aren’t dealing with it,” explains Leah. “What I would like to do is get the message across about health and pre-empt those things so that you don’t end up needing surgery. I am going to organise public awareness sessions and talks in the clinic to show people what I can do and also give them useful information which they can take away.”

Leah wants to become an employer over time, and wants to be able to offer a range of treatment to her clients, including nutritionists and personal trainers. Having recently purchased a building in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Leah’s journey as an entrepreneur is only beginning as she strives to create a centre of excellence, and ACORNS is helping to pave the way.

“Already I have goals that I have to make happen in five weeks’ time and it’s up to me to do it. It’s brilliant to have it broken down. Before, it was this huge thing: how do I get to the point where I can open my doors and offer a brilliant service that I know that I am capable of offering?” says Leah.

Alongside the range of treatments, Leah’s impressive CV will surely put her clients at ease as she has experience in elite sports, she has specialised in spinal physiotherapy which is a niche area, and worked closely with spinal surgeon Ashley Poynton.

Nessa McManus

“I was out of work at the time and I love cooking and having lots of people around. I cooked a meal and one of the ladies said: ‘Oh my God, I would give anything to recreate this,’ and my baby was conceived,” laughs Nessa, creator of Spiced with Love.

“I roast and blend whole spices and create little packets of dinner kit so that you can create a restaurant-style meal at home.”

Due to her daughter being ill, Nessa had to take time out of work but she had not anticipated how difficult it would be getting back into the working environment.

“I had to reinvent myself and this is what I reinvented. I love food and I had the passion, I had the motivation and the business skills behind me.”

Nessa is aware that while she has the love of her family, it is easy to tire them out with ideas when they loom outside that business bubble and that’s where ACORNS comes into play.

“It’s very lonely on your own – having someone to run your ideas past is fantastic. The intimacy of the group is incredible; there is strong support which is something which I am really looking for. Everyone is really willing to help and to challenge you, which is important.”

Spiced with Love is already off to a flying start and Nessa has used Lidl as a springboard to get her spices on to the shelves.

“I applied for the Lidl kickstart programme, which I was accepted into, and sold thousands of my products over two weeks. It proved to me that I could scale up and that people wanted healthy food. We are afraid of spices in Ireland so I am trying to bring the flavour without all the heat.” CL