Ongoing

alfons: A Self-Developed CRM and Business Application for Small Enterprises

Solo Developer, Designer and Product Owner·2015·Ongoing·1 person·3 min read

A fully self-developed, commercially distributed CRM and lightweight ERP application for small businesses — conceived, designed, built, notarised and marketed by one person, from data model to desktop app.

Overview

alfons is a relational CRM with integrated light business management — covering contacts, quotes, invoices, correspondence and GDPR compliance — built on FileMaker Advanced and distributed commercially to small enterprises as a Mac and Windows desktop application. The project was driven by a personal ambition: to take a software product through every stage of development entirely alone, from concept to market.

Problem

Small businesses need a CRM that handles real-world workflows — quotes, invoices, contact management, document generation and legal compliance — without the complexity or cost of enterprise software. Existing solutions were either too generic, too expensive or required ongoing subscription dependencies that small operators wanted to avoid.

Constraints

  • Solo development across all disciplines: concept, UX, data modelling, coding, testing, notarisation, marketing and support.
  • FileMaker Advanced as the sole technology stack, requiring deep platform expertise.
  • GDPR compliance had to be built into the data model from the ground up, not retrofitted.
  • Cross-platform delivery (Mac and Windows) from a single codebase.
  • Commercial distribution required notarisation and code signing for both platforms.

Approach

Full product development from first principles: relational data model design, UI concept and implementation, business logic coding, GDPR feature integration, packaging for Mac and Windows, notarisation, website and commercial distribution. Currently extending the application with iOS compatibility.

Project deliverables

Build on FileMaker Advanced rather than a web stack.

FileMaker offered rapid, robust relational database development with native cross-platform desktop deployment — appropriate for the target audience of small businesses who needed a reliable local application without cloud dependency.

Responsibilities:
  • Web-based SaaS application with a modern JavaScript stack.
  • Use an existing CRM platform and customise it.

Include GDPR compliance features as core functionality, not an add-on.

Small business operators in Germany and the EU face real legal obligations around personal data. Making compliance accessible and integrated removes a significant barrier and adds genuine commercial value.

Responsibilities:
  • Leave GDPR handling to the user and document recommended practices.
  • Implement GDPR features in a later version.

Pursue commercial distribution rather than keeping it as an internal tool.

The discipline of building something others will pay for — with notarisation, support, documentation and a public website — was central to the personal goal of taking a product through every stage of its lifecycle.

Responsibilities:
  • Keep as a personal productivity tool without distribution.
  • Release as open source without commercial intent.

Design disciplines

  • Database
  • App deployment
  • Marketing
  • UI

Result & Impact

  • Mac, Windows, iOS (in progress)
    Platforms
  • Commercially distributed and actively maintained
    Status

alfons demonstrated that a single person can take a software product from concept to commercial distribution across all disciplines simultaneously. The project built deep competence in relational data modelling, cross-platform deployment, legal compliance integration and product management — and continues to evolve with an active user base.

Learnings

  • Owning every aspect of a product — from data model to support inbox — builds a fundamentally different understanding of software than specialised work ever could.
  • GDPR compliance is an opportunity to build user trust, not just a legal obligation — designing for it from the start is far cheaper than retrofitting.
  • Commercial distribution, even at small scale, imposes a discipline that internal tools never require: the product has to work for someone else, every time.
  • FileMaker Advanced is a capable platform for commercial software when used with architectural rigour — its reputation as a quick-and-dirty tool is undeserved.
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