At some point in our lives, we will have to deal with the death of a loved one, and with it, the burden of end-of-life admin.

Paperwork, notes, photos, and a variety of other pieces of information are amassed throughout life that, once we pass away, tell a story.

However, this process of shutting down a person’s affairs after they pass can be difficult and stressful, particularly if important information is unavailable or has been lost.

Additionally, much of this information will be paper based, compounding the issue of pulling it all together without the help of the person it belongs to.

There is, then, an opportunity for technology to make this process easier and less stressful on those mourning.

Sheila Hogan, founder, and CEO of end-of-life support platform Biscuit Tin, sat down with DIGIT to discuss how her company is supporting end-of-life planning, and making her way as a female entrepreneur.

Biscuit Tin

Hogan first had the idea for her company in 2016 after her experience following the death of her parents.

They had literally a biscuit tin full of papers, notes, and photos from their life, but in no certain order and not in their entirety.

Due to this, it was difficult for Hogan to find all the necessary documentation to close out their lives.

“I’m an only child, so there was no one else to share the burden. But also no one to argue with and all the decisions were on my shoulders,” Hogan comments.

“Dad would never speak about dying. It was too taboo for him. Although I had made sure that he had a Will, he didn’t speak about what he wanted for his funeral or any of that stuff”

It was easy, Hogan added, to feel “overwhelmed” by the number of decisions required to close someone’s life once they have passed away, especially if, in life, they do not share what they want to happen.

Biscuit Tin allows a person to compile the information about their life, whether minor or important post-death, into a digital ‘vault’ only accessible by a loved one assigned by the owner of the vault.

“Every single thread that we create in our life must be neatly tied up with someone, and if it isn’t it just floats around in the ether,” Hogan says.

“Although we live in a digital world, the whole experience of death is still completely and utterly analogue.”

End-of-life admin and technology

Technology has many applications beyond the areas currently covered by Biscuit Tin.

Hogan says that her focus in the future will be to utilise technology for other areas of end -of-life, and to make her product a “one-stop-shop”.

“There are a few key things that must be done. Everybody should have a Will, for example,” she says.

If someone has any form of asset, such as financial commitments they must start considering a Will, especially after the age of 30, Hogan says. Wills are one area where technology could be utilised.

“If you’ve got a mortgage or a partner, or any assets at all you need a Will because that is the legal framework that allows for the distribution of those assets,” she says.

“There are many different life use cases for storing your information digitally and securely,” Hogan adds. “There are many tools for different isolated areas of life, but nothing that pulls everything together holistically in readiness for the death scenario that then passes all this stuff [Biscuit Tin] on to our loved ones.”

There is a ‘head in the sand’ tendency, Hogan admits, for a lot of people around death and end-of-life planning. It is often left too late which means those left behind end up with a heavy administrative burden compounding and magnifying their loss.

In many cases, the proves is left until late into people’s lives, especially in their younger years. It is only once they start to get older does it become more of a priority.

“There are a lot of barriers to thinking about this stuff [end-of-life], because you don’t ever want to think it is going to happen. Some people think that if they start to plan for consider it, it will happen to them!” she says.

“Speaking from experience, the mid to late 50’s when retirement approaches is typical” she says. “Personally, I believe leaving it to your 70’s and 80s is far too late. Even in your 50s, there is so much to consider, I would say from the age of 35 to 55, or at any point you have dependants or assets you really need to be planning [for end-of-life].

Working as a female entrepreneur

Hogan worked in tech before moving to Scotland, back in the 80s, and says she found the sector to be a male dominated profession.

However, she says, she doesn’t believe she came across any major roadblocks.

She does concede, however, that forging a career back then as a female executive was a challenging choice as the workplace environment was not as flexible as it is today. To have a family and rise to the top, you had to make a priority choice between them.

The expectation of long hours in the office with frequent travel away from family were seen as mandatory success criteria for career progression back then.

However, in 2022, times have changed Hogan says.

“I do think that naturally, regardless of male and female, the world has changed, particularly after the pandemic, because I do think people are more flexible these days,” she comments.

“Everybody recognises that our mental health and physical well being is better if we’re not tied to a desk for 12 hours a day and if we can get some work life balance,” she adds.

Tech learning in schools has been traditionally male dominated, and although STEM learning is helping to change this, Hogan believes that girls in school don’t see tech careers as exciting. “It’s not seen as funky,” she says.

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Additionally, she comments on a lack of role models in the industry, despite being one herself

“We need more of us [women in tech] doing it, and we need more people shouting about it.

She says: “All of us women in in STEM should be shouting from the rooftops about it and trying to inspire, in schools when we have a better chance. We need to create some ‘funkiness’ … now there’s a thing.”

More needs to be done to promote technology as an exciting career opportunity, she says: “I think we have got a responsibility -us older women. We should Inspire more in this field.”

Finally, Hogan says she has some advice for women looking to pursue a career in tech, as she did.

“My advice is to just do it. Take a baby step every day. Just take more action every day. And before you know it, you’ll look back and be astonished at what you have achieved.

“Don’t let impostor syndrome and a lack of confidence stop you from moving forward, just keep doing it and have the faith that you can do it.”

She adds: “I’m not in a place where I can look back and think ‘yeah, I’ve made millions’ because I’m not. I’m still in the stage where I need to work hard in this business, but I believe I will make it and I keep learning and growing – that’s the important thing”.

“Keep moving towards your goals, just believe in yourself and take that one step further forward every single day.”

Scottish Financial Technology Awards | October 6th, 2022

Biscuit Tin are on of the finalists in the Rising Star: Best New Entrant – 2022 category at the DIGIT Scottish Financial Technology Awards.

The awards are returning after a two-year hiatus on October 6th. Included is a series of awards categories designed to recognise outstanding individual and organisational achievements within the sector.

To find out more more the awards, visit www.scottishftawards.com.