Swinford woman accepted into prestigious ACORNS programme

A SWINFORD mother who began her eyebrow rejuvenation business as a pastime therapy after giving birth has been granted a place on the prestigious ACORNS programme.

The ACORNS (Accelerating the Creation of Rural Nascent Start-ups) programme supports early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland and runs over six months part-time. Past participants report increased sales, exports and employment creation.

Maz Gilmore found out this week that her fledgling business ‘The Brow Movement’ based above O’Donnell’s Pharmacy in Swinford, is to get the support of products she sells online.

Maz worked as a social care worker in the west for 19 years before quitting to set up her business.

And it all came about after a discussion as she was being treated for post-natal depression.

“My therapist asked me what did I like doing. I’ve always been creative and I said actually enjoyed doing threading,” said Maz.

“And that’s how it all started. I began doing threading on friends, and then friends of friends and then I had to clear out my study at home because so many people wanted to come to see me.

“They kept coming back and I thought, ‘wow, I must be good at this!’. It was a hobby and a therapy for me to begin with and then I thought I could try to turn it into a business.

“I decided to do every possible eyebrow course under the sun. I decided to move from the study at home to my own salon and I was supposed to open the day after St Patrick’s Day in 2020 and of course it never happened due to the pandemic.

“I eventually opened in June that year under restrictions. Everyone was masked up. My landlord was brilliant, very understanding.”

Maz decided to use the times when the salon was closed to develop her own products, made in a lab in Cork to ensure it was properly tested for the market.

The first product – The Potion – helps eyebrows to grow, prevents greying and is hugely popular in Mayo. She then created her own eyebrow pencil and a clear gel.

“The services side of my company is great. I have amazing regular customers. But with the ACORNS project I am going to get the mentoring I need to be able to do the sales side of my business,” said Maz.

“I will be working alongside experts in those fields where I need support and I hope to grow the sales of my products. There is no point in having products if you don’t know how to sell them.

“It’s a six-month programme and I’m looking forward to getting the support and help I need. I am also there to help others too, sharing my experiences. It’s a great programme.”

Based on a belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, the ACORNS initiative is centered around interactive round table sessions that are facilitated by female entrepreneurs, known as ‘Lead Entrepreneurs’, who have started and successfully grown businesses in rural Ireland.

To be eligible participants must have or intended to have a new business located outside the city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. The programme is open to early stage female entrepreneurs who have recently started a business, which has less than three years sales, or who are at an advanced stage of setting up a business.

The initiative is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund.