Female entrepreneurs in the Shannonside Northern Sound region are being encouraged to apply for ACORNS.
The government-backed ACORNS programme is a highly-successful initiative for early-stage female business owners in rural areas.
In its sixth year, the programme is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under its Rural Innovation and Development Fund.
A total of 50 new business owners will be selected for ACORNS 6 which will run from October 2020 to April 2021, and the deadline for applications is September 21, 2020.
The programme is open to those with new businesses or an idea for a new venture, and each participant will have the opportunity to learn from successful female entrepreneurs who have started and grown businesses in rural Ireland.
Diarmuid Pepper spoke to its founder Paula Fitzsimons, who began by explaining the background to the programme:
