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‘This was never the plan’: Nancy Costello on building Belle into a global beauty brand
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Nancy Costello, IMAGE PwC Young Businesswoman of the Year, shares the surreal moment her brand was recognised on stage, the power of community in shaping Belle, and why becoming a mum changed everything about how she leads.
Haircare is one of the most dynamic corners of the beauty industry, and few Irish founders have made as much noise in it recently as Nancy Costello.
A seven-year “overnight success”, Nancy’s The Belle Brush and Belle Hair has been steadily growing for years, counting some of Ireland’s biggest retailers among its stockists. Built on a three-strand business model — specialist haircare, brushes and hair extensions — the brand has seen a particularly busy year, thanks in part to a long-time client and champion: actress Nicola Coughlan. When the Bridgerton star mentioned Belle as her go-to brush, international orders flooded in.
But Belle’s rise has not been powered by celebrity endorsement alone. By fusing innovation, product development and customer-first thinking, Nancy has created a brand that feels as personal as it does professional. Now, with emerging platforms like TikTok Shop becoming today’s answer to QVC, Belle is building a global community and preparing for its next era of growth.
Winning IMAGE PwC Young Businesswoman of the Year was surreal. I really wasn’t expecting it. Midway through Melanie Morris’ introduction, I realised she was talking about us. Hearing our journey shared with the room was a moment I’ll never forget. I got so emotional that I ended up bringing the breadbasket napkins with me to the stage to wipe my tears. And this year, winning felt especially full circle. I remembered attending the same awards back in 2023, 36 weeks pregnant, as a plus one. I sat beside Sophie from The Wine Opener, and we talked about how incredible the night was. Seeing both our names on stage this year made me reflect on that moment and how far we’ve come.
I think I was so emotional because I remembered wondering if I would ever be good enough to be nominated. Over the last two years, I have poured everything into scaling the business, and this recognition felt like the “well done” you don’t always get as an entrepreneur.
This was never the plan; a brand was never the plan. I started doing hair extensions over 10 years ago while in college. I was one of the very few in the west of Ireland doing a specific method of extensions that could be reused. When I graduated, my diary became busier and busier, and I realised this was my full-time job.
The mission was always to be the best at my job that I could be and to give people the confidence I got through my hair. Because I had no fancy premises and worked from a tiny room in my college apartment, I knew my customer service had to go above and beyond. I really do believe that was the spark for everything else. People buy from people — if you make them the heartbeat of the business, everything else will follow.
I’ll never forget the day Nicola Coughlan mentioned the Belle Brush on Vogue’s ‘Beauty Secrets’. I was on holidays when we saw the tag come in, and I thought, “What is this?” I clicked into the article, went to message Nicola straight away… then I realised it was a video. That’s when it clicked. It was Vogue’s ‘Beauty Secrets’ — one of the biggest beauty platforms we could ever be mentioned on. I recorded a TikTok about it, one of my very first, and it went viral. Soon after, the international sales started to pour in. We were like, “Is this real life?” It was one of those moments business owners dream of, and we’re so grateful to Nicola.
Photo: Nancy Costello being awarded IMAGE PwC Young Businesswoman of the Year – at the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2025. Photography by Kieran Harnett.
Since then, there have been pinch-me moments every single day. Sometimes it’s jumping on TikTok Live to chat with our amazing community, other times it’s seeing our new rebrand come to life. Seeing the new packaging for the first time felt incredible. I make a point of really noticing and celebrating these moments, because I know how important it is to pause and appreciate them.
TikTok Shop has become a massive driver for Belle, and I absolutely love it because it goes back to customer service. I can speak to people in real time, like I’m back in my college apartment again, one-to-one with clients. Rather than a generic video, it’s personalised, one-to-one service, which is so scarce in today’s online world.
If you were to ask my team what one of my most-used sayings is, it would be: “But does that give value to our customers?” Whether it’s an email, a new product, or something as small as a flyer in the salon, it always comes back to value. People don’t just want to see the end goal; they want to see the journey to the result. They invest in people, not just things. Our community is part of that journey now. They literally help us decide things — I nearly launched a product in one colour, but they all voted for another, so of course I went with what they said.
Good things take time. Those overnight successes you see on social media are like winning the lottery.
Running three businesses is chaotic, it really is. Coming through Covid was one of the toughest periods, and in 2022, I was balancing life as a postpartum mum to a little boy who didn’t sleep and a business that was challenging me more than ever. But looking back, I’m grateful, because it made me a much better business owner. I have great systems in place now and a fantastic team who make me feel motivated but also safe — I know I’m in good hands, and so are they. I’ve also become so aware of the importance of having good energy around me. Honestly, it’s invaluable.
I started my business at 23, and looking back, I led with my heart a lot of the time. Becoming a mum taught me to lead with my head. Building the right team around you is crucial — a business is no different from a football team; you all have to want to win as a collective. Success also looks different for me now. I still want the business to become everyone’s go-to brand for healthy hair, but only as long as it gives me the time to be a great mum.
Now, we’re about to enter our glow-up era. We’re launching a whole new look for The Belle Brush; from the logo to the colours to the packaging. The original packaging was something we designed ourselves eight years ago with no experience. Now, we’re pouring everything we’ve learned — and everything our customers have taught us — back into the brand. We’re also developing our own haircare line, which will be one of the biggest things we’ll ever do. I stock some of the world’s biggest brands in my salon, so I won’t bring anything to market that I don’t believe can stand proudly beside them.
If I could give one piece of advice to young women starting their own business, it would be: don’t be afraid to share your ups and downs. Everyone has the same problems, just on different scales. Don’t be afraid to ask someone, “Can I pick your brain?”. Networking is just as important as opening your website, and even though I’m not the most confident person, I’ve realised it has to be done.
After more than 10 years self-employed and nearly eight with The Belle Brush, I’ve learned never to underestimate how long things take. It’s easy to look at social media and think you aren’t doing as well, but those overnight successes are like winning the lottery. Good things take time. Every project we take on, I’ve learned to multiply the time.
We’re interviewing each of our outstanding winners from this year’s IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards. To hear more about their career journeys, expert insights, and more, visit image.ie/pwc.
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