Building LimeFlutter: A Custom CRM Platform from Research to Launch
How a research-first approach shaped a CRM platform built to compete with established players.
The Challenge
LimeFlutter approached Olushad with an ambitious goal: build a CRM platform capable of competing in a crowded market dominated by Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive — but targeting SMEs who found existing solutions too complex and too expensive.
The core challenge was not just technical. Before writing a single line of code, we needed to answer critical questions: What did SME sales teams actually need that existing CRMs weren't delivering? Where were the real feature gaps? What pricing model would drive adoption? What did the competitive landscape look like at the mid-market tier?
Without rigorous answers, building would mean guessing — and guessing in a saturated SaaS market is expensive.
Our Approach
1Competitor Intelligence
Conducted a full competitive breakdown of 11 CRM platforms across feature sets, pricing tiers, UX patterns, and positioning. Identified a clear gap: SMEs were being under-served by simplified tools and over-charged by enterprise platforms.
2Customer Research
Ran structured research across target SME personas — sales managers, founders, and ops leads. Mapped their actual workflows, pain points with existing tools, and unmet needs around pipeline visibility and automation.
3Market Entry Strategy
Defined the positioning, pricing model, and feature priority matrix based on research findings. Identified three differentiating features that no mid-market CRM had combined in a single product.
4Product Architecture
Designed the full technical architecture for a multi-tenant SaaS platform — database schema, API design, real-time pipeline data, integration framework, and scalability model.
5UI/UX Design
Built wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes through four rounds of design iteration, grounded in the workflow research conducted earlier. Prioritized pipeline clarity and reduced click-depth for core actions.
6Full-Stack Development
Executed full-stack development across the core CRM modules: contact management, pipeline tracking, deal automation, activity logging, and reporting dashboard. Delivered on Next.js + Node.js + PostgreSQL stack with cloud deployment on AWS.
Execution
The platform was built in two phases. Phase 1 delivered the core CRM — contacts, pipelines, tasks, and a real-time activity feed. Phase 2 added automation workflows, email integration, and the analytics dashboard.
Every UI decision was anchored to the research phase. Features that users said they never used in existing CRMs were removed. Friction points identified in competitive UX audits were eliminated in LimeFlutter's design.
The architecture was designed for multi-tenancy from day one — enabling the platform to scale from early adopters to enterprise accounts without re-architecture.
Results
More Case Studies
Ready to work with us?
Turn Your Vision Into Scalable Reality
Book a free consultation and let's map the right strategy for your business.