In 2011, Fiona MacEachern was a police officer working nights — driving her children into Glasgow to meet her husband on his commute home, going to work at 6pm, finishing at 4am, and wondering how much longer the family could sustain it. She and her husband had been home brewing for fun and realised the beer was genuinely good. Something had to give.
She took the plunge, left the job, and started Loch Lomond Brewery.
Today, the business produces 6,000 hectoliters of beer a year, has a team of 15, runs its own taproom, and has grown into Levenbank Distillery — producing gin, vodka, rum and its own boutique whiskey barrels. In this episode of Scale HER Up, Fiona joins Brenda to share what 15 years of building something truly yours actually looks like.
The nail in the coffin — and why there's never a perfect time
For Fiona, the decision to leave employment wasn't driven by entrepreneurial ambition alone. It was childcare.
"I had two in primary school and one at nursery, and I had no backup. I was working from 6 at night till 4 in the morning. It just wasn't good for them — and there was no sight of it getting better."
The business gave her the flexibility her family needed. Her youngest was three when Loch Lomond Brewery started. Her children grew up doing their homework in the brewery office, helped along by an employee who became something of an honorary homework assistant. It wasn't easy — but it was theirs.
Learning to let go
Fiona describes herself as someone who started out wanting to hold on to every job — production, sales, deliveries, customer relationships, everything. The shift from doing it all to leading a team of 15 didn't come naturally.
"I had to slowly let go of production because I couldn't be in production, in the office selling, and speaking to customers. That was a horrible lesson to learn — because the office isn't my favourite place."
It's a challenge that comes up again and again with founders. The thing that makes you great at starting a business — doing everything yourself, knowing every customer by name — becomes the thing that holds you back as you grow. For Fiona, the turning point was recognising what she was actually best placed to do.
"If there's no money coming in, my staff don't get paid, my suppliers don't get paid. Those are the most important jobs."
Building through the hardest moments
In the last 18 months, Fiona has been undergoing cancer treatment — and she kept showing up for work.
"Every medical person tells you to be at home resting. I would've went stir crazy."
On chemo Fridays she stayed home. By Monday she was back. She was clear that this isn't the right choice for everyone — it depends entirely on the person and the role — but for her, the routine, the continuity and the connection with her team was what got her through.
"Being at work was my support network."
It's a reminder that business and personal life are never truly separate. What carries you through the hard times in business and in life is often the same thing: people, purpose, and showing up even when it's hard.
The power of industry community
One of Fiona's most important support structures has been SIBA — the Society of Independent Brewers. A community of people in the same industry, facing the same challenges, who are willing to share everything from ingredient tips to honest conversations about how trade is going.
"If you run out of an ingredient, you'd be on the phone to one of your near brewers going, 'Have you got this? Can I borrow it?' And it's reciprocal. It really is."
For any business owner, finding that community — whether it's a trade association, a peer group or a mentoring network — can make an enormous difference. You don't have to figure it all out alone.
From beer to spirits — a natural next step
The move into distilling wasn't a leap — it was a logical progression. Beer and spirits share the same starting process. Loch Lomond Brewery already had most of the equipment. Adding a still and the right licensing made Levenbank Distillery a natural next step.
To fund the expansion, they crowdfunded — raising £250,000 from several hundred investors who received shares and a discount card for the business. They also sell individual whiskey barrels to customers, who can choose their cask type, watch it being filled, sign it themselves, and either sell it back, have it bottled, or pass it on. It's boutique by design.
"We don't intend to do lots and lots of whiskey barrels. We intend to keep it quite boutique, quite small."
Advice for any woman starting or scaling a business
Fiona's advice is direct:
"Don't have self-doubt. Be honest and open with yourself. And is it something you'd be happy doing seven days a week? Because it is seven days a week to start with."
And on the fear of failure:
"If you do it and fail, that's a good thing. Not doing it is not a good thing — because you've never achieved your full potential."
Any regrets? One: she'd probably be close to retirement by now if she'd stayed in the police. Everything else? No. What they've built, they've worked for. And that, says Fiona, makes all the difference.
About Fiona MacEachern
Fiona MacEachern is the Managing Director of Loch Lomond Brewery and co-founder of Levenbank Distillery. She started the business in 2011 after leaving a career in the police force, and has grown it from a home brewing hobby into a 15-strong craft drinks business producing beer, gin, vodka, rum and boutique whiskey barrels. The business also runs its own taproom, open at weekends.
