# A small business story, rooted in family

> NextMe began when brothers James and John Yi saw the pain of managing customer flow at their mother’s small business. Today it helps thousands of teams.

Source: https://nextmeapp.com/story/

Our story

NextMe’s origins began when brothers and co-founders James and John Yi observed the pain points of managing the customer flow at their mother’s own small business. While just 8 and 10 at the time, the Yi brothers saw an opportunity to help service-based businesses solve their dreaded wait times and make waiting more meaningful. Flash forward a few decades and many learnings later, NextMe is now helping thousands of teams across over 30 verticals retain more revenue, improve reviews, and craft delightful waiting experiences for their customers...

![A childhood photo of James and John Yi sitting with their mother, Anna, in front of a flower bed](https://nextmeapp.com/_astro/yi-family.CzhLXKJO_Z1jzR3C.webp)

## In the press

-   Chicago Tribune
    
    > “What did she always say about the power of pennies? John Yi broke eye contact as he tried to remember the lesson his mother would tell him and his brother when they were kids...”
    
    [Read the full article](https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/blue-sky/ct-nextme-app-john-yi-bsi-20160908-story.html)
-   BizBash
    
    > “As kids, we greeted customers, managed wait times, and kept things organized when the salon got busy. We even created small pop-up experiences for customers while they waited, offering simple add-on services to add more value and retain guest interest. Looking back, we were experimenting with experiential marketing long before we knew what it was...”
    
    [Read the full article](https://www.bizbash.com/event-tech/industry-innovators-2026-john-yi)

![Anna smiling in her beauty salon, with a hood hair dryer and a salon chair beside her](https://nextmeapp.com/_astro/anna-beauty-salon.CM_MeaZV_Z1SFqFl.webp)

Anna in her beauty salon.

## A mother’s advice

Anna, their single mother who immigrated from Korea, taught the brothers the importance of customer service at an early age when she started her own small business – a beauty salon located in the basement of a high-rise building in Chicago.

While their mother was busy with customers at the salon, the Yi brothers would help out at the front-of-house and manage her waitlist of customers. They were responsible for everything from greeting customers at the cashier to up-selling complementary goods and services to customers to help their mother make some additional income - including their own dog walking service.

![James and John Yi with their mother, Anna, in a portrait taken for the Chicago Tribune](https://nextmeapp.com/_astro/yi-family-chicago-tribune-portrait.DtzgZFA1_Z1drUON.webp)

## Our mission

NextMe’s mission is simple – to help teams make waiting more meaningful for everyone.

Similar to how the Yi brothers helped their mother’s small business, NextMe is passionate about helping the service industry leverage software to create amazing first impressions and in-person experiences that nurture lasting customer relationships.