Building a Personal & Solo-Business CRM: My Complete Plan
Technology

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.

#customer relationship management
#saas