
Building a Personal & Solo-Business CRM: My Complete Plan
Most CRMs were built for sales teams, big companies, and complicated pipelines. I’m building something very different - a simple, human-focused CRM designed for one person: you. It’s meant for small business owners, freelancers, and even anyone who simply wants to maintain better relationships - friends, clients, family, mentors.
There comes a moment in every adult’s life where you realize something important:
your brain has officially stopped keeping track of people.
Not in the dramatic “Who am I? Where am I?” way. More like: “I’ve known this client for 8 months and still forget if it’s two ‘n’s or one in their name. And as someone who works with clients, meets new people often, and occasionally tries to maintain friendships, I eventually reached the breaking point. So I started building something I wish existed:
A Personal & Solo-Business CRM — the relationship sidekick for humans with overworked brains.
Not a corporate tool.
Not a sales pipeline monster.
Not something your manager forces you to use.
Just a clean, friendly tool that helps you remember people, improve connections, and stop looking like a goldfish with a smartphone.
Let’s talk about it.
Why Create Yet Another CRM?
Because the others are built for:
teams with 40 sales reps,
dashboards full of anxiety,
terminology like “Forecast” and “Quarterly Alignment,”
and onboarding flows that feel like university courses.
Meanwhile, I just want something that helps me remember:
who someone is
what they like
when I last talked to them
what I promised
and what’s coming up next
The existing CRMs were overkill — bloated, overwhelming, and aggressively unsexy.
It’s like trying to fry an egg with a flamethrower.
I wanted a CRM that felt like a helpful assistant, not a spreadsheet in a suit.
So I’m building one.
The Mission (In Human Words)
To build a tool that helps you:
Strengthen relationships without stress
Be thoughtful without effort
Keep your business pipeline tidy without drowning
Stay connected with the people you like
Stop forgetting birthdays, anniversaries, and important dates
Actually follow through on promises
A CRM that makes you feel organized, not judged.
Meet the Feature Set (AKA the fun stuff)
Let’s walk through what this CRM actually does — with personality.
👥 The “People” Page — Your Personal Universe of Humans
Think of this as your digital Rolodex.
But not the old-school, dusty kind your grandparents had.
This is a clean, organized, delightful list of:
Clients
Leads
Friends
Family
Smart people you met once and want to remember
That one guy who gave you a business card in 2018
Each contact card includes:
Name
Profile photo
Tags like “Friend,” “VIP,” “Client,” “Gym Buddy,” or “Guy with Corgi”
Last contact date
Next reminder
Quick view of company or relationship type
Searchable. Filterable. Instant.
No drama.
👤 Contact Profile — Your Superpower Page
This is the page.
The page that makes you feel like you suddenly developed an incredible memory.
Each contact has their own personal hub featuring:
1. Snapshot Info
Who they are
Relationship type
Tags
Company (if relevant)
Contact details
Time zone (because calling someone at 2AM is rude)
2. “About Them” Summary
Write what you know about them:
“Met at conference.”
“Loves minimal design.”
“Hates email. Prefers WhatsApp.”
“Allergic to nuts.”
“Always running late, bless them.”
3. Likes & Dislikes (the fun section)
This section is criminally underrated in most CRMs.
Record:
favorite foods
hobbies
pet names
TV shows they like
coffee preferences
things they dislike
things they hate (these matter)
4. Important Dates
Everything your brain drops:
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Client contract renewal dates
“Met on this day”
“Project started”
“Project ended”
Never forget these again.
5. Interaction Timeline
A chronological history of your conversations:
calls
meetings
texts
project updates
emails
coffees
“ran into them at the mall”
Each interaction logs:
date
type
summary
attachments (later)
linked tasks
This alone is life-changing.
6. Tasks Related to This Person
If you owe them something (or they owe you something), it lives here.
🗓 Today Dashboard — Your Daily Command Center
This page cares about only one thing:
what matters today.
It shows:
Today’s tasks
Today’s reminders
Upcoming important dates
People to reconnect with
Recently added contacts
Recent interactions
It’s like your personal morning briefing, minus the military vibes.
“You have two follow-ups, one birthday coming, and you haven’t talked to Alex in 90 days. Just FYI.”
🧠 Interaction Logging (AKA Relationship Notes)
This is where the magic happens.
After every call, meeting, or message, you can quickly record:
what you discussed
what they liked or disliked
next steps
emotional vibe
new facts about them
anything you don’t want to forget
Example:
“Had a call. Wants a redesign. Knows someone who could be a good lead. Corgi’s name is Muffin.”
Future You will genuinely love Past You for doing this.
📋 Tasks & Reminders — But Not the Stressful Kind
Most task apps scream at you.
This one gently taps you on the shoulder.
Tasks can include:
Follow-ups
Check-ins
Client deliverables
Prep for meetings
Personal reminders
Gift reminders
Admin stuff you keep forgetting
Every task links to a person (optional), so nothing falls into the void.
You also get:
priorities
due dates
recurring reminders (like “check in every 90 days”)
task categories
a clean task list page
friendly notifications (eventually)
📆 Calendar — A Chill View of Your Life
The calendar doesn’t try to be Google Calendar.
It’s more laid back.
Shows:
birthdays
anniversaries
contract renewal dates
task deadlines
follow-up dates
meetings (if logged manually)
It’s for awareness, not pressure.
🏷 Tags — Your Secret Organizing Weapon
Tags let you group people however you want:
“VIP Clients”
“Friends”
“Leads”
“Family”
“Gym”
“Networking 2024”
“Potential Projects”
Filter contacts instantly without thinking too hard.
🔎 Search — Find Anyone, Instantly
Type anything:
names
companies
tags
notes
keywords
Boom — found.
📱 Mobile-First Experience
Even though it's a web app, it’s designed like a mobile app:
Bottom navigation
Big tap areas
Quick swipe-friendly UI
PWA support
Offline shell (later)
Stupidly fast interaction system
You can use it anywhere: between meetings, in Ubers, at the gym, during awkward conversations when you need to “check something real quick.”
💡 Bonus Future Features (Because Why Not)
AI summary of interactions
AI “relationship health” suggestions
Potential lead suggestions
Import/export from phone contacts
Email integration
WhatsApp quick actions
Quick voice notes
Not today. But eventually?
Oh absolutely.
Why This CRM Matters
This CRM isn’t about sales.
It’s about connection.
It helps you:
remember people
communicate better
follow through
build trust
maintain relationships
avoid embarrassing “who are you again?” moments
It’s a human tool for a human life.
And honestly?
It’s the tool I wish I had five years ago.
So I’m building it now.