Why I Built One CRM to Manage All of My Businesses (And Why I'll Never Go Back)

Jul 11, 2026 6 min read

There wasn't one dramatic moment that made me decide to build my own CRM.

It happened slowly.

One frustration at a time.

One limitation at a time.

One monthly payment at a time.

Looking back, I think that's why this story matters.

It wasn't about software.

It was about running businesses.

For Seven Years, I Used the Same CRM

Let me begin by saying something that might surprise you.

I'm thankful for the CRM I used for seven years.

It helped me organize customers.

Track leads.

Manage opportunities.

Remember follow-ups.

Without it, my businesses would have been much harder to manage.

It taught me how valuable a CRM could be.

But over time...

It also taught me what I wished was different.

Every business owner has those moments.

You click a button and think...

"Why is it done this way?"

Or...

"Surely there has to be an easier way."

At first those thoughts were occasional.

Eventually they became almost daily.

Then My Businesses Began Growing

One business became two.

Then another project.

Then another idea.

If you're an entrepreneur, you probably understand.

Most entrepreneurs don't stop at one dream.

We see opportunities everywhere.

Each business had its own brand.

Its own customers.

Its own website.

Its own email address.

That's how professional businesses operate.

At least they should.

Then I Hit the Wall

One day I decided I wanted to send emails from another business.

Nothing unusual.

Just another professional email address.

I assumed it would take a few minutes.

Instead...

I discovered I would need another subscription.

Another $97 every month.

Not for another CRM.

Not for another team.

Not for another company.

Just to send email from another business.

I remember sitting there staring at my screen.

Then I literally said out loud...

"Nope."

That wasn't frustration.

That was clarity.

Growth Shouldn't Feel Like a Penalty

That moment changed how I thought about software.

Why should growing my business make my software more expensive?

Shouldn't software encourage growth?

Shouldn't it celebrate entrepreneurs?

Shouldn't it remove obstacles instead of creating new ones?

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became.

Small business owners deserve better.

I Started Making a List

I didn't immediately decide to build a CRM.

I simply started writing.

Every time something frustrated me...

I wrote it down.

Every time I thought...

"I wish it worked like this..."

I wrote that down too.

The list kept growing.

Multiple businesses.

Multiple professional email addresses.

Better reporting.

Simpler automation.

Integrated websites.

Landing pages.

Email marketing.

Appointments.

Forms.

Sales pipelines.

Everything working together.

After a while, I noticed something.

I wasn't writing complaints anymore.

I was writing blueprints.

The Question That Changed Everything

One evening I looked at my notebook and asked myself a simple question.

"If I could build the CRM I've always wanted...what would it look like?"

That question changed everything.

I stopped thinking like a customer.

I started thinking like a builder.

Every feature had to answer one question.

"Would this genuinely help a small business owner?"

If the answer was yes...

It stayed.

If the answer was no...

It didn't belong.

I Didn't Want Another CRM

The world doesn't need another CRM.

There are already plenty of them.

Some are excellent.

Some are incredibly powerful.

Some are beautifully designed.

I wasn't trying to compete with everyone else.

I was trying to solve my own problems.

Ironically...

Those turned out to be the same problems thousands of other business owners were facing.

One Login. One Platform. Multiple Businesses.

This became one of my biggest goals.

I wanted to log in once.

Not five times.

I wanted one dashboard.

Not five dashboards.

I wanted one subscription.

Not five subscriptions.

I wanted one CRM capable of supporting multiple businesses, multiple brands, multiple websites, and multiple professional email addresses without making me pay another monthly fee every time I expanded.

To me...

That just made sense.

Everything Should Work Together

Another thing always bothered me.

Nothing talked to each other.

One company handled websites.

Another handled forms.

Another handled appointments.

Another handled email marketing.

Another handled reviews.

Another handled automation.

Another handled customer management.

Every month there was another invoice.

Another password.

Another integration.

Another opportunity for something to break.

I kept asking myself...

"Why can't this all live in one place?"

That's exactly what Best Local Lead CRM became.

Built by Someone Who Actually Uses It

One thing I love about this journey is that I'm not building software for someone else.

I'm building software I use myself.

Every feature matters to me because I depend on it.

Every improvement makes my own businesses better.

Every time I think...

"This would save me time..."

I know it'll probably save someone else time too.

That's a different way of building software.

It's not driven by shareholders.

It's driven by experience.

Affordable Because I Remember

I haven't forgotten what it's like to watch every monthly expense.

Insurance.

Fuel.

Payroll.

Advertising.

Internet.

Phones.

Subscriptions.

It all adds up.

That's one reason I made a decision early on.

Best Local Lead CRM would be priced fairly.

Powerful software shouldn't only be available to large corporations.

Small businesses deserve enterprise-level tools without enterprise-level pricing.

That's why we offer Best Local Lead CRM for just $37 per month or $297 annually.

I wanted business owners to spend their money growing their businesses—not funding unnecessary software upgrades.

More Than Software

When people ask me what Best Local Lead CRM is, I usually smile.

Because I don't think it's just a CRM.

It's everything I wished I had seven years ago.

It's organization.

It's automation.

It's websites.

It's forms.

It's email marketing.

It's reporting.

It's appointment scheduling.

It's customer management.

It's one connected system built around the way entrepreneurs actually work.

Most of all...

It's peace of mind.

From My Desk

If you've read several of these articles, you've probably noticed something.

I don't write like a software company.

Because I'm not.

I'm a business owner.

Just like you.

I've forgotten to follow up.

I've misplaced notes.

I've paid for software that became more expensive every time I wanted to grow.

I've searched through emails trying to remember conversations.

I've switched between multiple platforms just to complete one task.

Every frustration became a lesson.

Every lesson became an idea.

Every idea became another feature inside Best Local Lead CRM.

I didn't build this CRM because I wanted to start a software company.

I built it because I wanted to stop fighting my software and start growing my businesses.

My hope is that when you use Best Local Lead CRM, you'll feel exactly the same way.

Not like you're learning another complicated system.

But like you're finally using the CRM you've always wished existed.

Ready to Manage Your Business Instead of Managing Your Software?

Whether you own one business today or dream of owning several tomorrow, your software should help you grow—not charge you more every time you do.

Best Local Lead CRM was built by a small business owner who spent seven years learning what worked, what didn't, and what entrepreneurs truly need.

One login.

One platform.