ACORNS alumni and founder of Away with Nature Fiona O’Donohoe has skin in the game.
Away with Nature founder Fiona O’Donohoe admits to being something of an accidental entrepreneur.
A long-term sufferer with rosacea – a skin condition that causes outbreaks of redness on a person’s face – she used the isolation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic to research her skin’s ability to tolerate various treatments.
“Working with the ingredients gave me a sense of wellbeing. A lot of skincare brands only focus on skincare. I realised that this was a business and my products could promote wellbeing as well”
O’Donoghue is a graduate of the celebrated ACORNS women entrepreneurship programme which recently opened applications for 11th Cycle as previous participants reported 54% revenue growth. The next programme has a deadline of midnight on 22 September. The programme is available to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2022. Up to 50 places are available for ACORNS 11, which will run from October 2025 to April 2026.
From a kitchen table to manufacturing
The initial experiments, she says, produced transformative results.
“I narrowed it down to 20 ingredients. From that, I created a golden facial oil. I spent six months using it. When we could finally meet people again, my friends were astonished by the difference it had made to my skin,” says Fiona, who left her career in customer service and accounts to set up her skincare company Away With Nature in 2020.
Working with essential oils had the added benefit of instilling the Tipperary native with a sense of calm. “I was on medication for anxiety at the time, but the working with the ingredients gave me a sense of wellbeing. A lot of skincare brands only focus on skincare. I realised that this was a business and my products could promote wellbeing as well,” she says.
Beginning in in her kitchen, Fiona renovated a room in her home to begin manufacturing. However, increasing demand means she is now beginning to outsource production, and has entered into discussions with a distribution company.
“We’ve won 15 awards in three years, some national, some European and global. I’ve worked with the Local Enterprise Office to get microfinance so that I could collaborate with a cosmetic chemist. Together we developed a soothing overnight mask, which we sold out in pre-launch and five times again since,” says Fiona.
She continues: “ACORNS was an incredible experience. The support from the team and the lead entrepreneurs was vital and I would highly recommend the programme to anyone who is involved in the early stages of a start-up.”
From little ACORNS to thriving businesses
Women in rural Ireland with new businesses or at least with well-developed ideas are being invited to join next phase of the programme, ACORNS 11.
The ACORNS programme is designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through a peer learning approach. Thanks to the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the voluntary contribution of time by Lead Entrepreneurs, there is no charge for those selected to participate.
Interested applicants for ACORNS must first register their interest here and will then receive an application by email. There is no charge for participation, thanks to continued government support and the voluntary contribution of time by Lead Entrepreneurs.
Results from ACORNS 10 demonstrate the programme’s impact on rural female entrepreneurship. All 52 participants who completed the cycle reported feeling closer to achieving their business ambitions, with 90% saying their participation brought about practical change within their business. Four businesses started trading for the first time during the cycle.
The financial results were particularly impressive, with the combined annual turnover of ACORNS 10 participants growing from €2.8m to €4.3m, representing a 54% increase. Participants employed a total of 104 staff at the end of the cycle, an increase of 15 positions, and 18 participants had gained export experience.
ACORNS operates on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. The programme features monthly roundtable sessions facilitated by Lead Entrepreneurs who have first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing businesses in rural Ireland.
The programme has also been recognised as a ‘good practice’ on the EU’s INTERREG Learning Platform, adding to its recent accolades.
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