Spreadsheet or CRM: when should a founder switch?

Short answer: a spreadsheet is fine for your first 20 or so deals. Switch when follow-ups start slipping or you can't remember who said what. That moment matters more than any revenue number.

Stick with the spreadsheet if

• You have a handful of live deals and you can list them from memory.
• You're still working out who your customer is, and your columns keep changing.
• Nobody else needs to see the pipeline.

There's no prize for buying a CRM early. A CRM you don't update is just a slower spreadsheet.

Five signs it's time to switch

1. A lead reminded you to follow up. If buyers are chasing you, the system has already failed.
2. You've lost track of what was said. You're searching your inbox before every call.
3. "Call me in Q3" keeps getting lost. A spreadsheet can't tap you on the shoulder in July.
4. The sheet is out of date by Wednesday. Updating it has become a job.
5. Someone else is starting to sell. Two people can't share a pipeline that lives in one head.

What to look for in your first CRM

Most founders stop updating their first CRM within weeks because it's extra typing after every call. So look for the least manual work: it should log calls and email by itself, show you who's overdue, and take an afternoon to set up. Our guide to choosing a CRM has six questions to ask.

How to move your spreadsheet across

1. Clean it first: remove duplicates and dead leads, and give stages consistent names.
2. Keep one row per deal, with a contact, company, stage, amount and next step.
3. Export it as a CSV. Most CRMs import that directly.
4. Check the column mapping before you confirm.

Viro takes a CSV on every plan: you upload it, your columns are matched to Viro's fields, and you review before confirming. From there, your calls and email keep the records up to date. See pricing or how switching works.