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A personal CRM for friends and family
Businesses would never rely on memory to look after their most valuable relationships. Somehow we all do exactly that with the people who matter most.
What a personal CRM actually is
A personal CRM is a private record of the people in your life. Not a network, not a feed, and not a contact list you never open. It holds the handful of things you would be upset to forget: the dates, the rhythm of contact you want to keep, and a couple of lines of context about what each person is going through.
Why a work CRM does not fit
- It is built around deals, stages and revenue, none of which apply here
- It assumes a team, so everything is shared by default
- The admin cost is far higher than the relationship reward
- Nothing in it nudges you to phone your dad
A personal CRM strips all of that back to one person and one purpose: showing up on time for the people you love.
What to keep in it
Dates worth protecting
Birthdays and anniversaries, with reminders early enough to still post a card. Cherishly nudges you a month, a week and a day ahead by default.
A contact rhythm
Weekly for a parent living alone, monthly for a close friend, quarterly for the wider circle. The app tracks when you last spoke and shows who is overdue, so drifting apart stops being invisible.
Small, useful notes
The grandchild's name, the operation date, the holiday they were nervous about. Two lines turn "how are you?" into a conversation that proves you listened.
Privacy is the whole point
A record of your relationships is one of the most personal things you will ever write down. In Cherishly it stays yours: your account only, no publishing, no social layer, nothing sold on. You can export or delete everything whenever you like.
Keeping the admin small
The reason most personal CRMs get abandoned is data entry. Import from your phone contacts or a spreadsheet, add dates in plain language such as "Mum's birthday is 3 March", and let sensible defaults do the rest. Ten people is enough to feel the difference in a week.
Frequently asked
What is a personal CRM?
A personal CRM is a private place to keep the people in your life: their important dates, when you last spoke, and notes about what matters to them. It borrows the idea of a sales CRM, but the goal is relationships rather than deals.
How is a personal CRM different from a work CRM?
A work CRM tracks pipelines, revenue and teams. A personal CRM has one user, no pipeline and no reporting. It only needs to answer two questions: whose date is coming up, and who have I not spoken to in too long.
Can I not just use my contacts and calendar?
You can start there, and many people do. What contacts and calendars do not hold is context, such as the last time you called, the rhythm you want to keep, or the note that their operation is in March.
Is my personal CRM private?
In Cherishly, yes. Your people, dates, notes and photos belong to your account only. Nothing is published, there is no social feed, and nothing is shown to advertisers.
Is there a free personal CRM?
Cherishly is free for up to ten people, with no trial countdown. Cherishly Plus is £3 a month for unlimited people.
Try it with one person
Add the birthday you are most afraid of missing. It takes about twenty seconds, and the free plan holds up to ten people forever.
Start free