Deadline
for applications is Friday 11 September
Applications
are being sought for a new fully funded programme aimed at providing early stage
female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland with the knowledge, support and
networking opportunities to advance the development of their
businesses.
Entitled ACORNS -
Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups - the programme is focused
on unleashing the potential of female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who
have recently started a business or who have taken concrete steps towards
setting up a business.
ACORNS is dedicated
to seeking out and assisting up to 50 start-up female entrepreneurs living in
rural areas as defined by CEDRA – the Commission for the Economic
Development of Rural Areas. These are all areas of
the country outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway,
Limerick and Waterford.
As ACORNS is
fully funded under the CEDRA
2015 Rural Innovation and Development Fund through the Department of
Agriculture, Food and the Marine, there is no charge for successful
participants.
Donegal
based entrepreneur, Deirdre McGlone, has
been announced as one of the Lead Entrepreneurs on the inaugural ACORNS
programme. Deirdre McGlone has run Harvey’s Point Hotel located on Lough Eske,
Co. Donegal for the last 26 years. Opening with 20 bedrooms, a restaurant and a
small team, the hotel has seen phenomenal growth over the years. Today, the
hotel boasts 64 suites and has recently launched ‘The Lodge @ Harvey’s Point’,
located on the grounds of the hotel for special interest groups.
In
January 2015, Harvey’s Point was voted Number One Hotel in Ireland in the
TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards for the third successive year. The multi
award winning hotel was also ranked No. 8 in Europe and No. 23 in the world.
With 120 people employed in Harvey’s Point, Deirdre and her team continue to
push the boundaries as an industry leader, keeping hotel standards at the
highest level.
 |
| The ACORNS initiative is an excellent opportunity for female Food Entrepreneurs |
To
qualify for consideration, applicants must have recently set up a new business
(no earlier than the 9th of July 2013), which they
either own or part-own. Those who are not already trading must be actively
planning a new venture and have a clear idea of what they want to achieve. If
they are not already trading, activities such as organising the start-up team,
looking for equipment / facilities, saving money for the start-up or writing the
business plan would all be considered as active commitments to starting a
business.
There is no restriction on the sector in which the new business is focused. However, the selection process is competitive. The deadline for applications from interested candidates is Friday 11 September and the pilot programme will begin on the 30th September, at the ACORNS residential Development Forum in Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
The ACORNS initiative will consist of interactive round table sessions that are facilitated by other female entrepreneurs who have started and successfully grown businesses in rural Ireland and believe in the philosophy of entrepreneurs supporting entrepreneurs.
They include:
· Alison
Ritchie, Polar Ice, Laois
· Anne
Cusack, Critical Healthcare, Westmeath
· Anne
Reilly, Paycheck Plus, Louth
· Caroline
McEnery, The HR Suite, Kerry
· Deirdre
McGlone, Harvey’s Point, Donegal
· Mary B
Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets, Wexford
Known as ‘Lead Entrepreneurs’, these role models will work in a voluntary capacity to facilitate monthly round table sessions with up to eight participants. These will take place once a month over six months and will address enterprise challenges and support participants to consider how best to develop and advance their early stage businesses for sustainability and growth.
 |
| Paula Fitzsimons, Deirdre McGlone, Alison Ritchie and Mary B. Walsh at the launch of ACORNS |
As
past participants of another female entrepreneurship initiative –
the Going for Growth programme -all of the Lead
Entrepreneurs have
first-hand experience of the round table peer learning approach and of its
benefits.
Paula
Fitzsimons is the Founder of Fitzsimons Consulting, the
company awarded the contract to run
the ACORNS programme and which also runs
the Going for Growthinitiative. She says:
“I believe that significant untapped entrepreneurial potential exists
among women in rural Ireland and the
objective of ACORNS is to equip these early stage entrepreneurs with the
appropriate knowledge, confidence and networks to successfully start and develop
sustainable businesses. Working with the team of volunteer Lead Entrepreneurs and with the
support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and CEDRA, I am
convinced that we can harness that potential for the good of the individuals
concerned, their local communities and the wider
economy.”
A
report from the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA)
contained a recommendation that a Rural Innovation and Development Fund should
be developed to support “innovative, small scale pilot initiatives that
explore the diverse range of potential identified through the CEDRA
process”.
Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided for the setting up of this fund in his 2015 budget allocation and, commenting on the ACORNS programme, he says: “I am delighted that this initiative is getting underway. Job creation is a huge focus for this Government and I hope that by targeting female entrepreneurs, who are currently under represented in start–up enterprises, that we can increase the level of business and employment generation in rural areas”
Minister of State for Rural Affairs, Ann Phelan TD, who is responsible for the implementation of the CEDRA Report, says that this CEDRA initiative aims to encourage a stronger level of enterprise development in rural areas and adds “Rural women’s entrepreneurship clearly represents an untapped potential and can contribute significantly to our economic growth. For many rural women, entrepreneurship is part of a broader livelihood strategy, often undertaken initially on a part-time basis. Emerging businesses need support to flourish. I am a strong believer in the value of mentors and in the importance being able to turn to experienced and trusted advisors from a variety of industries for advice and support”.
Female entrepreneurs interested in applying for the ACORNS programme can access information and register their interest at www.acorns.ie.
Application forms will be sent back to interested
applicants immediately.
The
closing date for the receipt of completed applications is Friday, 11 September
2015
Zack