Scott Janney did not start CXperks because he was trying to build a customer experience platform.

He started with a simpler frustration.

During COVID, shared magazines disappeared from waiting rooms, coffee shops, offices, and other public spaces. Janney and his wife, Lauren, had been exploring the idea of opening a coffee and ice cream shop when the pandemic changed their plans. As businesses started reopening, one small detail stood out: magazines were still mostly gone.

Janney was thinking through the problem when he said what became the beginning of the company: why couldn’t someone scan a code and enjoy a magazine digitally?

That idea became Magazine Jukebox, a digital replacement for the physical magazines that once filled waiting rooms. But as Janney and his team listened to customers, they realized the opportunity was bigger than magazines.

Businesses did not just need something for people to read. They needed a better way to use the time they already had with customers.

That evolution led to CXperks, a digital entertainment and communication platform built to help businesses engage people while they wait. The platform now includes magazines, games, trivia, SMS integrations, app integrations, and other tools that help companies communicate without overwhelming the customer.

“Waiting rooms are often spaces that are untapped and it is a gold mine if you do it correctly,” Janney said. “You can’t just force feed a customer, so you have to be able to entertain a customer.”

That shift from magazines to customer experience also changed how the company talked about its value. Bronston Carroll, co-founder and chief operating officer of CXperks, said the company had to move beyond selling features and get clearer about the problem it was solving.

“A lot of times you are selling features when you’re starting off, but the real shift has been that we’re selling value first,” Carroll said.

That value is showing up across different industries. Janney said CXperks is working with hospital systems, laundromats, car dealerships, and other businesses where customers spend time waiting. The company has raised $3 million.

The path has not been clean or easy.

For Janney, building a startup means staying in learning mode for a long time. Founders are testing the strength of the product, searching for product-market fit, raising capital, making mistakes, and trying to figure out what the market actually wants.

That kind of learning has shaped CXperks from the beginning. Carroll has watched the company grow from an idea on paper into a platform with real market traction. He said startups force people to evolve because everyone is wearing multiple hats, solving problems in real time, and adjusting as the company changes.

It also means learning when to pivot.

One of Janney’s biggest lessons came from a poorly executed pivot before the CXperks rebrand. His team supported the idea, but looking back, Janney realized they may have been following his lead instead of challenging it. That changed how he thinks about leadership.

“If I’m the first one to speak, my team is going to naturally rally around me, which I appreciate, but it’s also critically damaging,” Janney said. “What I need to do is I need to hear from them, let everybody else speak, and then I come in with my 2¢.”

That willingness to learn, adjust, and listen has shaped the company’s evolution. Magazine Jukebox started as a solution for missing magazines. CXperks is now focused on a larger question: how can businesses make waiting feel less wasted?

For Janney and his team, the answer starts with seeing the waiting room differently.

It was never dead space.

It was unused attention.

Want to stay in the loop on big moments like this? From local tech events to entrepreneur spotlights, This Week in 757 brings you all the business and innovation highlights from Hampton Roads and beyond.

👉 Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/twi757newsletter