ACORNS alumni Annemarie O’Brien founded Honor & Bloom with the vision of making a positive difference in people’s lives.
Inspired by her own personal journey, she created Honor & Bloom in hope of making a positive difference in the lives of others through thoughtful tools centred around self-reflection, personal growth, and emotional wellbeing.
The first product, the You Are Enough – Guided Journal, was created as a supportive resource to help individuals connect with themselves and their emotions on a daily basis, build self-awareness, and create positive daily practices.
“The teamwork and collaboration between my peers and I helped identify issues and ways to resolve them, and long-lasting friendships have been made with fellow participants”
She is a graduate of the ACORNS rural women entrepreneurship programme. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme, generating 60 jobs. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
Return of the native
The Kerry native emigrated to Boston in 2009, where she worked in Marketing and Design before continuing her career in the field as an expert freelancer. Throughout this time, a busy working lifestyle and unhealthy coping mechanisms masked long-standing struggles with confidence, self-esteem, and overwhelming anxiety.
This led Annemarie to begin her own wellbeing journey, where she discovered journaling as a powerful outlet for self-reflection. Through the practice, she developed a deeper understanding of her personal story, learned to better connect with her emotions, and began making more intentional and positive choices in her life.
Annemarie moved back to Ireland in 2019 and invested in her education by completing a course in Media Production at Kerry College. In 2022, she pursued a Master’s in Digital Marketing at TUS. After completing her studies, she recognised an opportunity to combine her background in marketing, design, and media with her passion for personal development, which ultimately led to the founding of Honor & Bloom.
“To date, the You Are Enough – Guided Journal has sold across Ireland and internationally through Honor & Bloom’s online store, reaching customers in several countries worldwide.
The ACORNS programme provided Annemarie with the mentorship, guidance and support that often wasn’t available to her in running a business alone.
“The teamwork and collaboration between my peers and I identified issues and ways to resolve them, and long-lasting friendships have been made with fellow participants.”
Looking ahead, Annemarie plans to begin hosting wellbeing workshops, focusing on self-confidence and personal identity while continuing to grow her journal’s presence.
Do you have what it takes to join ACORNS?
Applications have opened for ACORNS 12, the next phase of the programme for early-stage female business founders.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
ACORNS 12 will run from October 2026 to April 2027 and is open to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023. Up to 50 places are available. Participation is free of charge, supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of Lead Entrepreneurs from across rural Ireland.
This year’s Lead Entrepreneurs include Alison Ritchie of Polar Ice, Geraldine Jones of Skin Formulas, Karen Kerrigan of Kerrigan’s Mushrooms, Larissa Feeney of Kinore, Mary B Walsh of Ire Wel Pallets, Orla Leahy of Ireland Chauffeur Travel and Triona MacGiolla Rí of Aró Digital Strategies.
To apply, click here
Eligibility Criteria for participation on ACORNS
To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023 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 19 and 20, 2026.
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
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