What’s the Best CRM for a Small Business? (And Why It’s My No.1 Business Tip!)
- Sarah Bowers
- Nov 18, 2025
- 4 min read
If you run a small business, whether you’re a photographer, designer, producer, or (like me) a professional British female voiceover artist with a broadcast-quality home studio in Oxfordshire, there’s one tool I recommend to absolutely everyone:
A great CRM.
Honestly, investing in a solid CRM is the best business decision I’ve ever made. And of all my monthly expenses, it’s the one I get the most value from. It helps me stay organised, keep track of projects, follow up with clients, and ensure my quick-turnaround voiceover service stays as smooth and reliable as possible.
But with so many CRMs out there, which one is actually best for a small business?
Let’s break it down. Below are five super popular, highly recommended CRM systems including the one I personally swear by.
What Is a CRM and Why Do You Need One?
CRM stands for ‘Customer Relationship Management’, and it’s basically your business brain.
A CRM helps you:
• Keep track of client details, projects, and conversations
• See who you need to follow up with (and when)
• Nurture warm leads without forgetting anyone
• Stay organised across busy seasons
• Maintain great client relationships, even months after a project ends
For someone like me, working as a UK voiceover artist offering fast turnarounds, a CRM ensures I’m always on top of enquiries and repeat projects… without drowning in Post-It notes and spreadsheets.
The 5 Best CRMs for Small Businesses
Below are five CRMs loved by freelancers, creatives, and small teams, with simple bullet points so you can compare them easily.
1. Nimble (My Personal Recommendation)
This is the CRM I use every single day, and I recommend it wholeheartedly, especially if you’re a solo business owner.
Why I love it:
👌 Brilliant social integration… it pulls in info from LinkedIn, email, and social platforms so you instantly know who you’re talking to.
👌 Simple, uncluttered interface… no overwhelm, no 1000 unused features.
👌 Powerful relationship tracking… it reminds you who to follow up with based on your activity.
👌 Great task + pipeline management… perfect for keeping track of enquiries, bookings, quotes, and repeat clients etc
👌 Affordable for small businesses… you get huge functionality without enterprise pricing
👌 Also, last but not least, they have a super helpful support team available 24/7 on chat who can jump on and help you navigate anything confusing such as email sequencing or any of the trickier functionality
It’s ideal for small creative businesses who want clarity and connection, not corporate complexity.
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2. HubSpot CRM
This is another super popular (and free!) CRMs for small businesses.
Key features:
👌 Robust free plan… contacts, deals, email tracking, tasks.
👌 Scalable… you can add marketing or sales tools as your business grows.
👌 Great reporting dashboards for visual thinkers.
👌 Email sequencing + templates (great for follow-up messages).
👌 Integrates with everything… Gmail, Outlook, websites, automations.
Best for: Businesses wanting a free starting point that won’t need replacing later.
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3. Zoho CRM
Flexible, customisable, and great value.
Key features:
• Highly customisable fields, pipelines, and layouts.
• Strong automation tools to streamline client workflows.
• AI insights for predicting leads and trends.
• Integrates with Zoho Books, Zoho Mail, and over 500 other apps.
• Affordable pricing tiers for small businesses.
Best for: People who love tailoring every part of their system.
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4. Pipedrive
Loved for its clean, visual sales pipeline.
Key features:
👌 Drag-and-drop pipeline you can see at a glance.
👌 Super intuitive interface for creative minds.
👌 Fantastic for follow-ups — reminders, “rotting deals,” activity prompts.
👌 Great mobile app for working on the go.
👌 Built-in email tracking and simple automations.
Best for: Freelancers who want a simple way to see where every project sits.
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The small business version of the world’s biggest CRM.
Key features:
👌 Extremely powerful for those who need advanced data and automation.
👌 Highly scalable… it grows with your business.
👌 Strong reporting and analytics.
👌 Integrates with almost every business tool.
👌 Reliable customer support and huge user community.
Best for: Businesses with big growth plans who want enterprise-level tools.
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So Which CRM Is Best for You?
If you’re a freelancer or a small creative business, you likely want something:
👉 intuitive
👉 non-corporate
👉 affordable
👉 designed to help you build relationships, not drown in admin
For me, running a busy voiceover business from my professional Oxfordshire studio, Nimble ticks every box.
But the right choice depends on:
❓how you think
❓how you communicate
❓how you track your projects
❓how automated you want your business to be
Any of the five options above will give you a huge step up in organisation and client management.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a producer booking voice talent, another freelancer, or a small business owner, a CRM genuinely changes how you work.
It keeps you professional, consistent, and organised, and helps you stay on top of projects… even during the busiest months.
It’s one of the reasons I can offer fast, reliable voiceover turnarounds and maintain strong relationships with clients across the world.
A solid CRM is on e of the things that helps me deliver fast, polished audio for clients. If you ever need a British female voiceover with a broadcast-quality home studio, you can have a listen to some of my demos here.
If you'd like to book a session or just have an informal chat about a project, you can reach me here.
+44 7771 884 128
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