A day in the life of Fiona Ritchie

We catch up with Fiona Ritchie, the creator of Scottish skincare brand Siabann and find out what a typical day involves for her.

I wake up…
at 7am, shower and have a cup of tea while checking for any overnight web orders then I have to rouse the sleeping, teenage monsters. I present my 14-year-old daughter Lorna with breakfast as I wake her because she would happily just head out without eating. I tend to circumvent my 16-year-old son Scott who sticks to a rigid routine in the morning, requiring very little thought from him or me. Our two dogs, Izzie and Lucy, are always far more thrilled to see me than the kids, who just grunt. Once I get back from dropping the kids at school and walking the dogs, I’ll make a bowl of porridge or a smoothie before driving to work in our soap kitchen, just 10 minutes away, in the Ochils.

At work…
I’ll have another cup of tea and get organised. I lay out tins and bottles and make up ingredients for products being made that day. I am responsible for creating, designing and making our range of products so I’m a bit of a one-man band in the soap kitchen. But I am lucky enough to have an amazing business partner who does all the jobs I avoid like the plague - cash flow, accounts, business planning and much form filling. She also keeps a rein on my ‘creativity’.

I got the job…
…by creating it. I started making handmade soap when the kids were wee. I fed them lovely natural organic veggies and fish and wanted to give their skin the same care and attention. My product range has evolved and grown as my children have evolved and grown.

The best part…
…is the variety and flexibility. I am able to plan my own day which means I have always been able to be around to do the school runs, helpwith homework, or work from home if the kids are sick. They are always the first priority.

And the worst part…
…is keeping my to-do lists under control. Each new list usually starts with “find yesterday’s list”.

After hours…
You never really finish work when you run your own business. Paperwork and invoicing gets done late at night, couriers get booked before bed, and emails responded to while the kids are doing their homework. We tend to rely on pasta and easy meals as inevitably one of the kids has activities in the evening too.

Downtime…
I head to bed about 11 and always take time to read and unwind for half an hour. You have to grab the ‘me-moments’ when you can – and I don’t get nearly enough of them!

In 10 years time…
I'd like to still be creating and making natural products, perhaps more bespoke items for individual customers, or advising young entrepreneurs about the joys and challenges of setting up and running your own business.