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Nancy Costello shares her entrepreneurial journey so far
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Founder of three always-on businesses — The Belle Brush, InvisiBelle Hair and Belle Hair Salon, Galway — Nancy Costello relies on simple, well-run systems to manage day-to-day dealings. She shares how she learned to lead with her head over her heart, trust her instincts, and remain grounded in her decisions.
Nancy Costello, last year’s IMAGE PwC Young Businesswoman of the Year, is the founder of a three-strand business — specialist haircare, brushes and hair extensions — via The Belle Brush, InvisBelle and the Belle Hair Salon in Galway. Her brand ranks among the top 10 on TikTok Shop Ireland, with over 10,000 units sold, driven by a strong understanding of digital-first retail and community-led commerce.
A standout growth channel has been TikTok Live, now one of the fastest-growing channels for the business, enabling direct-to-consumer sales streamed live from the company’s warehouse in Galway. Nancy is passionate about modern retail, lean operations, and building scalable brands by meeting customers exactly where they are.
Beginning the Belle Hair brand in her final year of college, Nancy reached a point where she realised that she either had to make something out of her passion, or get a “real job” elsewhere. It was at that point that she decided to do as much as she physically could for the business.
Growing up, Nancy was very self-conscious about her hair. Her confidence changed completely when she got hair extensions and began to learn how to look after her locks. “Knowing how much that change affected me, and that I could give that feeling to other people, is where the drive comes from,” Nancy tells us. “I feel incredibly privileged to be in a job where the sole focus is helping someone feel better about themselves.”
What strategies have you employed to turn viral moments into sustainable, long-term growth rather than one-off spikes? Especially with TikTok Shop and live selling.
Viral moments are great, but I’ve always been more focused on what happens after the spike. For me, the priority is having the basics right first: stock, fulfilment, customer service, and clear messaging so that when attention comes in, the business can actually handle it.
With TikTok Shop and live selling, I treat every viral moment as an entry point rather than the end goal. Live selling, in particular, fills my cup in a way that surprises me. When I step onto a live, it genuinely feels like I’m stepping back onto the salon floor.
Because I know my customer so well — what she needs, what she struggles with, and what actually makes her life easier — I never feel like I’m selling. That understanding sits at the heart of the business. Everything we develop is built around solving real hair problems, and I know the products work because I’ve lived those pain points myself.
You’ve mentioned leading with your heart earlier in your career and learning to lead with your head after becoming a mum. What’s been the biggest leadership lesson from that transition?
Earlier in my career, I led almost entirely with my heart. I cared deeply, trusted quickly, and took responsibility for everything myself. Becoming a mum forced me to be more intentional with my time, energy, and decisions, and that naturally changed how I lead.
The biggest lesson has been realising that being a good leader doesn’t mean carrying everything. Leading with my head has meant setting clearer boundaries, making harder decisions sooner, and building a team I trust to take ownership rather than relying on me for everything.
I’ve also learned that not everyone’s opinion deserves a seat at your table. Motherhood made me stronger in myself. I trust my instincts more now and that confidence carries through the business. When you’re clear and grounded in your decisions, the team feels it too.
Tell us about your team and how you efficiently collaborate and communicate on a daily basis. What role do digital tools and agility play in making that possible?
The only way I can describe my team is epic. I’m incredibly grateful for them and so proud of their growth and achievements. As a small business, seeing what we’ve been able to build together, especially over the last two years, has been the most fulfilling part of my job. This is all of our first time doing this, and we’re figuring it out together.
Digital tools play a huge role in keeping us aligned. Eimear, my business partner, is the system queen, and that has given the business a really solid backbone. We’re constantly putting systems in place for everything, and that in itself is a skill and a necessity. The next couple of years are focused on scaling. Everyone needs a Belle Brush in their life, and having the right systems in place is how we make that possible.
As an existing Vodafone for Business customer, what are your favourite features they offer and how do they support you specifically at The Belle Brush? What business systems and tech infrastructure are essential in your day-to-day business?
We’re a business that’s always on. From the salon phone and internet for clients, to the leadership team’s phones and the connection we need to go live, everything we do depends on being connected. Vodafone for Business gives us that reliability. It means our phones work, our internet is strong, and we can go live without worrying about technical issues. That solid setup allows us to focus on running the business instead of troubleshooting.
Day-to-day, our business relies on simple, well-run systems to manage communication, stock and customers. Having reliable tech underneath it all makes everything run more smoothly.
How do you balance innovation with quality control, especially as you consider expanding into your own haircare line and refreshed branding?
We’re very intentional about innovation. We’ll never be a brand with hundreds of products just for the sake of it. If something isn’t needed or we can’t genuinely make it better, it won’t launch. As we look at expanding into our own haircare line, quality control comes first. Every product has to solve a real problem, perform properly, and make haircare easier. If it doesn’t meet that standard, we’re happy to take our time or not launch it at all. Protecting trust matters more than releasing something new. If we put our name on something, it has to be something we truly stand behind.
As an ambitious female entrepreneur, what challenges have you faced and what do you think supports such as Vodafone, as a more-than-mobile provider, can do to empower other female entrepreneurs?
The challenges now are about balancing everything: getting enough sleep, being responsible for a little human, running a house, and still showing up as a wife, a friend and a daughter, alongside running a business. Challenges come in chapters.
What helps is how connected we are now. Being able to work, communicate and stay close to people so easily makes a real difference. Something as simple as my two-and-a-half-year-old being able to video call his granny and chat away shows how much technology can support both business and family life.
What’s next for The Belle Brush?
What’s next for The Belle Brush is pouring everything into our own haircare range, something that’s been in development since 2016. Coming from a salon background, I could never put a product into the world unless it was genuinely better than what’s already sitting on shelves.
Everything is being made from scratch, with ingredients you can feel the difference from after one use. The aim is to make haircare easier by stripping it back, no complicated routines or unnecessary steps, just the basics done properly. It’s incredibly exciting, and we genuinely can’t wait to bring it to life.
Photography by Nathalie Marquez Courtney
With Vodafone, your business can work from anywhere. Visit vodafone.ie to learn more.
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