📱 When My Teen Lost Her Phone… and I Found a Wake-Up Call for My Business
Last Thursday, I took a well-earned day off to treat my daughters. The original plan involved sunshine and outdoor fun — but the weather had other ideas (cheers, thunderstorms). So we pivoted: bowling, pizza, chips, and a chaotic arcade.
Everything was going great until it wasn’t.
🎳 One strike later… the phone vanished.
After our final game and a spontaneous photobooth moment, disaster struck. My eldest daughter, Sophie, realised she’d lost her phone. Cue tears. Cue panic. Cue me rummaging through bins like a woman possessed.
And look — losing your phone is stressful at any age. But when you’re 13 and your Snapchat streaks, TikTok account, WhatsApp chats, and email are all at risk?
It’s the teenage apocalypse.
We turned the bowling alley upside down. No luck. Sophie’s entire digital life had vanished, and I found myself not just consoling a sobbing teen, but silently spiralling through my own crisis:
What if this had been my phone?
Or worse — my work laptop?
Could my business survive the shock?
And that, my friends, is when this mum had a serious business epiphany.
🧠 Is Your Business Ready for a Digital Disaster?
If you lost your device today — be it your phone, tablet, or laptop — how quickly could you bounce back? Would your business even know what to do?
Let’s break it down with a few too-real questions:
Could you access your emails?
Do you remember your login details for anything?
Could someone step in to help if you were unexpectedly hospitalised, on holiday, or chasing a runaway child through an arcade?
If your answer to any of those is “ummm…” — then keep reading.
🛡️ 5 Things You Need Before You Lose Access
1. Password Manager = Lifesaver
Tools like LastPass, 1Password or Bitwarden let you store all your logins safely — and share them with your team if needed.
Bonus: you won’t need 36 sticky notes or “password123” anymore.
2. Create Simple SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
No one needs a full-blown operations manual — but having a few clear, step-by-step guides for tasks like replying to emails, invoicing, or accessing key tools means someone else could step in if needed. I highly recommend Scribe Chrome Extension for this, It basically writes SOPs for you.
3. Store Everything in the Cloud
If it only lives on your laptop, you will regret it someday.
Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive = peace of mind. Plus, they don’t panic when the photobooth eats your device.
4. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (and Save the Backup Codes!)
Yes, 2FA is a pain.
But it’s nothing compared to trying to convince TikTok support that you’re really you after your teen swaps SIM cards with you.
Always download the backup codes. Store them somewhere safe and accessible.
5. Train Your VA (or Hire One 👋)
No one wants to be the bottleneck in their own business. At Office Wrens, we help small business owners like you get their digital ducks in a row — so if something goes wrong, your business can still glide on smoothly.
🔑 How to Recover Login Details If You've Lost Your Device
Let’s say you didn’t do any of the above (yet). The device is gone. The panic has set in. What now?
🕵️♀️ Step 1: Check Your Password Manager
If you’ve set one up, go to the website version from another device and log in. No master password? Recovery options should help — assuming you still have access to your email or biometrics.
🔁 Step 2: Use “Forgot Password”
Click “forgot password” on the site or app. You’ll likely get a reset link to your email.
But wait — can you still access your email?
📩 Step 3: Recover Your Email First
Your email is the gateway to everything.
Use recovery options like:
Backup email addresses
Text verification
Security questions
If all else fails, contact support and prepare to beg (politely) with ID proof.
📱 Step 4: Check Other Devices
You might be logged into things on your iPad, old phone, or even your smart fridge (no judgement). If so — change passwords and set new recovery info ASAP.
🤝 Step 5: Call in Trusted Help
If you’ve shared logins with a VA or trusted team member via a secure platform, they may be able to help you recover accounts or provide access from their end.
💬 Final Thought (And a Gentle Nudge)
Sophie’s lost phone was a temporary crisis (New phone to be purchased before she goes back to school).
But in business, being locked out of your tools, accounts, or systems for even a day could cost you clients, revenue, or your sanity.
Don't wait for a photobooth-level disaster to sort this out.
If you need help getting your business “disaster ready,” we’d love to help. From setting up password managers and SOPs, to helping you delegate and document the critical stuff — Office Wrens has your back.
Even if TikTok doesn’t.
Ready to prepare your business for the unexpected?
Let’s chat, Book a Call here!
