If I Must

Have you ever run into someone and you can’t for the life of you remember their name?

Maybe someone you talk to regularly when you’re out walking your dog, or a coworker, a neighbor, a classmate, a business prospect, another parent at a PTA meeting.

You remember certain things about them, or conversations that you’ve had, or distinct features that they have, but their name will just not materialize with all the other things that you’ve got going on in your life.

That’s why I created - If I Must.

I run into people all the time that haven’t quite made it into my friend group, but they are definitely a good acquaintance, and when I see them, I’m like, “Heeeyyy… Buddy”. I feel so dumb. Why will my brain not bring up this basic information immediately?

I thought I was in a special club, but apparently I’m not. It seems there are a lot of people out there that have trouble remembering people's names as well. I see it all the time when I’m out walking my dog. We remember the dog’s name, but not their owner’s.

After getting frustrated with myself, I decided to just start writing people’s names down in the notes on my phone. Their name, their dog’s name, physical attributes, then topics in conversation like origin, job, etc.

After a few months, the list of people was way too long, and I just started losing track of people because it was too cumbersome to scroll through all the names and info.

I thought to myself, I just need to make an app for myself to make this easier, so I did.

Basically, If I Must is a fast, lightweight, super simple, non-intrusive, flexible database for being a better person and actually remembering all the people you run into while in the wild.

Eta is May 2026 for the iPhone app. More details and instructional videos will be loaded once the app is live and available for download.

ETA MAY 2026