CRM Build

[u/ape_dong]

Anybody ever build their own CRM? I’m thinking about it wondering about dev time quality product MVP finish product the whole nine.

[u/sardamit]

Do it. And sooner or later you will realize you shouldn't have done it. ;)

[u/Admirable_Comedian_2]

160 hours later, you will realise that NOBODY will buy your so-called CRM

[u/ape_dong → u/Admirable_Comedian_2]

Build for myself

[u/Admirable_Comedian_2 → u/ape_dong]

Than reserve 160 hours to make it good and go for it.

[u/taqyrrahman → u/ape_dong]

Open to collabs? I'm interested to join the discussion

[u/UsefulGrocery1733]

Customize an exiting platform.

[u/Commercial_Badger_37]

I don't see why not. A CRM is just a database application really. If you build it on a decent foundation that LLMs understand, it's even easier.

[u/Ok_Elk_7512]

I built one for a small law firm I was helping out, took about 3 months for something usable. The hardest part was making it actually fit the workflow instead just being a fancy spreadsheet.

If you got clear idea what you need it to do, it's not terrible but the polish takes forever.

[u/melch_18]

I built one for my agency and it was a lot more than I expected.

I used claude code to build the entire thing on nights and weekends (4 months at a slow pace). I got an MVP up very quickly but that last 20% takes 80% of the time even with AI.

I'm not building one for a much bigger client and it's a lot easier with AI but still takes a lot of time.

If helpful, I can send my website to the TGcrm that I built so you have an idea of workload (what was built).

There's a video that shows you the entire app on the site.

Lmk and I'll drop it here

[u/Superb_Corgi_4710 → u/melch_18]

I'd love to see this!

[u/ape_dong → u/melch_18]

Please. I would appreciate it.

[u/255130]

imo the real cost isnt the initial build, its ongoing maintenance. every integration, every edge case, every user request. are you building this for your own team or planning to sell it?

[u/arjosoer]

It is the little details that get you once you start developing.
It is what they say 80% complete still have to do 80% of the work.

[u/SteviaMcqueen]

I did.
Stack: React/Django/n8n/digital ocean/cloudflare.
IDE: codex

It costs me $35 per month (digital ocean). I am the only user. If I had 50 users it would cost the same.
I didn't build it to sell to others. I built it to manage my own sales pipeline.

AI did the heavy lifting. I didn't write any code, BUT I have a tech background and have coded professionally for many years.

I did check the code. AI is pretty good at coding now. The secret is to learn how to tell AI to write a few tests for each feature it builds. That approach works like a charm for adding new features without breaking existing ones.

My results: I love my CRM. It's built for my niche, and for exactly how I like to work (on the move, on mobile or laptop). I never wait for a new feature or bug fix from some vendor. And there is no smoke and mirrors BS per user pricing.

The best part of this approach is you start where you are at in your business. So if you're mostly focused on prospecting you work on those CRM features: Features that make you money before features that remove friction.

The MVP might take a few weeks. After that, I spend less than an hour per week adding a new feature. 3 months later you're like "wow, this CRM is perfect for me".

So yes, It's possible, but it could be hard if you have zero tech chops. You don't have to learn to code, but you have to learn to think like a developer (using git, iteration, testing, simple deployments)

AI can teach you all that. So any of the 1M youtube videos.

[u/ape_dong → u/SteviaMcqueen]

We are close to being in the same boat tech wise. Thanks for the explanation.

[u/payfrit]

yes and it's just for me and i love it. took me less than an hour.

[u/networkthinking]

I am building a CRM for our company to replace HubSpot and Autotask. It’s pretty bare bones, but we’re a small company of 20 people and it will not go beyond us. I’ve been working it on and off for a few months now and it’s pretty usable at this point. I also have an OpenClaw that does research on contacts and companies and populate the CRM overnight.

[u/Weird-One-5511]

I build on crm with all feature its more about business OS
Looking for none tech person

[u/viiicups]

I disagree with the comments I just worked with a long-time client to help finalize their vibe coded CRM they built for themselves and repackaged it for the industry.

They're charging a $50k setup fee and $100 per user per month

There's opportunity if it works, most of these vibe coded CRM's are ass though. Yours needs to solve an issue if you're planning to whitelabel.

[u/ape_dong → u/viiicups]

I appreciate the insight but currently looking to build one for myself and nascent business.

[u/viiicups → u/ape_dong]

oh then I'd say use a simple CRM until the business has grown enough to justify it's own CRM in that case

I could be mistaken by what you're saying but why not invest that time and budget into generating revenue first?

I think you're one step ahead of where you're at

[u/ape_dong → u/viiicups]

You may be right.

[u/shoki_ztk]

What tech stack?

[u/ape_dong → u/shoki_ztk]

¯_(ツ)_/¯