ACORNS alumna and Galway native Kate Costello set up Narrator & Co in February 2021 after working in full-time digital marketing roles in London. She is now based in Kinvara, Co Galway.
Having grown up with both parents self-employed, Costello says business was part of life at the kitchen table. The decision to start her own company was driven by a desire for more flexibility, particularly post-Covid and while building her family.
Narrator & Co is a brand and creative agency offering fractional support to in-house marketing teams. Depending on the project, Kate plugs in the right creative resources, managing a roster of freelancers in Ireland and the UK.
“The programme allowed me to connect with female business owners facing similar challenges, including working for themselves, paying themselves and others and managing childcare while building enterprises in rural Ireland”
Costello 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.
KEY NUMBERS: Narrator & Co Growth
• Founded February 2021
• Based in Kinvara, Co Galway
• Revenue growth every year since launch
• Freelancer roster spanning Ireland and the UK
• Fractional marketing support model
• Retained client contracts a key business milestone
• ACORNS programme graduate
• Business scaled following two maternity leaves
• Clients include Foxford, Finline Furniture, Colourtrend Paints and Kylemore Abbey
Editorial takeaway:
A flexible fractional marketing model, combined with a growing network of specialist freelance talent, has enabled Kate Costello to build a steadily expanding agency serving some of Ireland’s best-known heritage, lifestyle and consumer brands.
Marketing talent on tap
After working in the luxury sector in London, Kate felt Irish brands could benefit from access to high-quality marketing talent and international expertise. She had also worked in theatre directing and the arts, so narration, storytelling and how brands tell their stories felt central from the beginning.
Since launching, Kate has grown revenue year on year, expanded the brands she works with and built a wider portfolio of freelance collaborators. Narrator & Co has worked with Irish heritage and lifestyle brands including Foxford, Finline Furniture, Colourtrend Paints and Kylemore Abbey.
“A major milestone has been securing retained work, coming on board as a consistent marketing partner for brands as they went through rebranding processes, rather than working only project to project.”
She says ACORNS came at the right time as she returned to work after her second maternity leave.
“The programme allowed me to connect with female business owners facing similar challenges, including working for themselves, paying themselves and others and managing childcare while building enterprises in rural Ireland.”
Looking ahead, Kate plans to grow the client roster among Irish lifestyle and heritage brands, and continue giving them access to world-class creative resources at a fractional cost.
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.
Applications for ACORNS 12 will remain open until midnight on September 18. 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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