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CASE STUDIES

How BePrepared has helped people like you

Read some real world examples of how the BePrepared app has helped every day people avoid pain and confusion.

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When COVID hit
most people weren't prepared

John was prepared for anything – and it saved our business.

June 2020

“John was a blue sky guy – he could always see trends emerging before anyone else. He was constantly making projections, using financial forecasting and forward planning, so if the business ever hit a rough patch, we were always still on solid ground. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance,” said John’s wife and business bookkeeper, Suzy.  A talented marketer and event organiser, John was enthusiastic about what BePrepared offered him and his business – one of BePrepared’s early adopters.  “He was always one step ahead of the competition – always thinking ‘what if?’ It was like a personal goal, a challenge he set himself, so he was ahead of the rest,” Suzy said. “When I heard he had signed up for the BePrepared App, it didn’t surprise me at all. In his eyes, it was the perfect product – he even loved the name. He told me how it would add an extra layer of security for the business and keep everything we needed in one place, ‘just in case.’ “Sadly, we didn’t realise how soon we would need it.” John and Suzy’s business was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Event management was one of their major income streams, and unfortunately, also one of the first activities to go. And as their business catered specifically to the food and beverage industry, it was a double blow. It was an incredibly stressful time for John. He worked long hours, pouring over his business plans and projections to try and work out how they could pivot and survive. With a team of 10 employees to support, the situation was bleak, even after the government’s rescue packages rolled out. He was struggling to see a way out and had started to let his staff team go. With a history of heart disease in the family, John knew he was at risk, but supporting his family and his staff team was incredibly important to him. Despite Suzy urging him to slow down, and some alarming warning signs, he pushed on. Tragically, just before restrictions were eased late last year, John suffered a massive heart attack and passed away suddenly, leaving Suzy and their two adult children shocked and grieving. In the days following John’s passing, in amongst the haze of grief, Suzy found enormous comfort knowing that everything she needed to know about their business affairs had been carefully and methodically stored away by John using the BePrepared App.  “John was such a thoughtful and amazing man,” she said. “He had created a whole suite of folders covering every area of the business; all financial records, valuations, stock inventory, his business plans for the future and details of key contacts, clients and suppliers.”. John had also created a special folder to store Wills and legal/ownership documents and special instructions for Suzy in the event of his passing. John had also begun to collate some personal photos and files for his kids, a task that Suzy can now continue to build on after John’s passing. Suzy is now preparing to bring her son and daughter into the business and keep John’s dream alive.  “If we had not had that information, and the financial records we needed stored safely away, I don’t know what we would have done,” Suzy said. “I know that John would be so incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve, and it’s all because he took the time and made that effort to be prepared.”
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Bob and Joan created a digital time capsule that will live forever.

December 2020

“We desperately hoped – as everyone did – that first lockdown would be the end of it. But as case numbers exploded across Melbourne last July it was clear there was a long, long road ahead, and weeks, maybe months until we could be together again,” said Derek.

Derek’s parents, Bob and Joan were the ‘perfect grandparents’ as far as Derek and his wife, Kylie were concerned. Not only were they fun, fit and always up for adventure – even in their 70s – they were also tech-savvy. Derek’s dad was fascinated by gadgets and all things digital.

“Mum and Dad were so close to the kids – Ethan, 5 and Kelli, 3. Even though they were still living in my childhood home in East Gippsland, we were there to visit Nan and Pop at least every couple of weeks. 

“I wanted them to move closer to us as they got older and the country property got harder for them to manage, but with all their friends nearby, they were settled and happy there.

“Because we couldn’t see them every week, when the kids arrived, they quickly got into technology. They loved using Skype for family chats and story time – every couple of nights, Nan and Pop would read a bedtime story to the kids. They both had iPhones and loved taking photos and using FaceTime, too. 

“During lockdown, even though we still had ways to be ‘face to face’, we couldn’t see them in person and it was tough on the kids. They missed them terribly. It was difficult to explain to such little people why they couldn’t go to see Nan and Pop. And I could see the toll it was taking on Mum and Dad, too.” 

Then one day Bob and Joan told Derek they were making a time capsule for the kids using the BePrepared App. Stuck at home alone for days on end, they had decided it was the perfect time to go through all their cupboards – and had made some discoveries.

Bob and Joan found boxes of old documents and letters, old photo albums and even slides. Bob could see that some of the documents and special photos were fading. He wanted to preserve them for the future and convert them to digital copies. Joan had also been tracing their family tree, but it was all on paper.

“We wanted to make sure our grandkids knew about our early days together – the stories about when they first met and went to live on the country property,” said Bob. 

“I was quite blown away by the creativity. Dad started taking photos of all the old documents and found a software program to convert the old photos and slides. They created a digital record of their married life and their family. They even wrote special letters to the kids to read on their 21st birthdays. That was confronting, but I’m glad they did it,” said Derek.

Bob and Joan also took the opportunity to add a special section for Derek containing their Wills, Power of Attorney and legal documents for ownership of their property. “It just seemed the right time to put everything in one place, for when Derek needs to settle our affairs. Now I am relieved he won’t ever have to look through my messy office to find these documents – they are all safely stored online in the App,” said Bob.

After months of work, the Darrell Time Capsule was created – a set of folders full of precious family history, all safely stored for the future. Even better, Bob and Joan’s whole family now has access and are now adding their own photos – a permanent, safe digital record of special family memories.

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