Switched from a dedicated CRM to a simple spreadsheet and it worked better for my small biz

I run a small landscaping company in Phoenix with just me and two part time guys. Last year I spent 400 bucks on a fancy CRM system to track leads and jobs and it was an absolute nightmare. Took me 3 weeks just to figure out how to log a simple estimate and I lost 2 customers because I forgot to follow up in that confusing mess. Finally I ditched it and went back to a Google Sheets setup I built myself with color coding and automatic date reminders. The spreadsheet takes me 5 minutes to update each day and I can see everything at a glance. My follow up rate went from maybe 60 percent to 95 percent in the first month. Has anyone else had a tool make things worse instead of better like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_riley19d ago

The spreadsheet approach is honestly smarter for MOST small operations because you're not paying for features you'll NEVER use. A simple color coded system with conditional formatting does the same job as those expensive alerts and reminders. It's like when people buy a tricked out truck for hauling mulch when a basic pickup would do the same thing.

robertgreen19d ago

The Riley's truck comparison is spot on. It's a breakfast buffet when you just want eggs.

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