Friday (September 20) is the final deadline for early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural areas to apply for the 10th cycle of the ACORNS business development programme.
ACORNS is this year celebrating the 10th anniversary of the initiative, which is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, under its Rural Innovation and Development Fund.
Charlie McConalogue T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, launched the latest cycle of the programme last month.
As in previous years, there has been significant interest in the programme, but there is still time for those interested to apply for one of the 50 available places. The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday, September 20.
ACORNS 10 is completely free to those selected to participate. It will run from October 2024 to April 2025 and will include six monthly round table sessions, a workshop on understanding financials, and briefings by various business development agencies. All round table sessions are facilitated by a Lead Entrepreneur, who has first-hand experience of starting successfully growing a business in rural Ireland.
A survey carried out at the end of the last cycle, ACORNS 9, revealed that participants increased their total turnover over the course of the six-month programme by €1.2m, from €2.8m to €4m (+43%). All participants surveyed said that they would recommend participating in ACORNS to others.
Participants also reported doubling their total workforce to 133, with 59 full-time and 74 part-time staff employed at the end of the cycle – an increase of 67. There were also four new exporters over the cycle.
Any woman with a new business based in rural Ireland — or an idea for a new venture they want to get off the ground — can get more information and register to receive an application form at www.acorns.ie.
Based on a belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, ACORNS is centred on interactive round table sessions facilitated by successful female entrepreneurs who have started and grown businesses in rural Ireland. These are known as ACORNS Lead Entrepreneurs, and they give their time free of charge to encourage and support the new business owners.
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’.
This year’s voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie, Polar Ice; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Larissa Feeney, Kinore; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; and Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies.
Fitzsimons Consulting, which specialises in entrepreneurship and growth, developed the initiative. Founder Paula Fitzsimons says:
“ACORNS 9 produced positive results for the early-stage entrepreneurs who took part in the programme. Participants’ total revenues increased by more than 40% during the six-month cycle, while the total workforce doubled to 133. We’re grateful for the support of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and his Department as we continue our mission to provide appropriate tailored support to enterprising women in rural Ireland.”
To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2021 or be actively planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.
- They must own or part-own the business and be living in a rural area, that is in an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
- If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch Forum and first round table session on October 21 and 22, 2024.
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
