I Built 5 Production-Ready CRM Templates in Days Using One Boilerplate and AI
How a single Next.js starter let me ship React CRM, SaaS CRM, Freelancer CRM, Real Estate OS, and Non-Profit CRM — all in record time
There’s a weird thing that happens when you have a solid boilerplate.
You stop thinking about whether you can build something. You start thinking about who you can build it for.
That mental shift changed how I work. And in the past few weeks, it led me to ship 5 fully production-ready CRM templates — each targeting a different niche, each with its own demo, its own design direction, its own audience.
Here’s how it happened, and what I learned.
The Boilerplate Behind Everything
All 5 templates started from BuildSaaS — a Next.js 14 starter I built and have been refining over time.
BuildSaaS comes with the hard parts already wired up: authentication, Supabase integration, a component library, theming (dark/light + multiple color palettes), and a file structure that scales. Every project I build on top of it starts with a 70% head start.
The remaining 30% — the domain-specific screens, the data models, the UX flows for a specific user type — that’s where AI changed the game.
The AI-Accelerated Workflow
Here’s the actual process I followed for each template:
1. Define the user persona — Who uses this CRM? What’s their daily workflow? What data do they track obsessively? A freelancer’s CRM looks nothing like a real estate agent’s CRM, even if the underlying components are the same.
2. Design the data model — Prompted Claude to generate Supabase migration SQL tailored to the domain. Clients, projects, deals, properties, donors — each template has its own schema that makes sense for the niche.
3. Scaffold the pages — With the component library from BuildSaaS already in place, building out 9+ pages per template became a composition exercise, not a creation exercise.
4. Theme it — Applied 3–4 distinct themes per template (dark/light + accent variants) so buyers can ship something that looks like theirs, not like every other SaaS tool.
5. Document it — Readme + setup guide per template so any developer can go from download to running demo in under 10 minutes.
What would have taken months solo took days. That’s the compounding effect of a good foundation + AI as a coding pair.
The 5 Templates
1. React CRM Template
The general-purpose one. Clean, minimal, works for any business that needs to track contacts, deals, and follow-ups.
Demo → crm-template.buildsaas.dev
Get the Template → https://shreyvijayvargiya.gumroad.com/l/inkgest-saas-admin-template
2. SaaS CRM Template for Indie Hackers
Built for SaaS founders managing trials, MRR, churn, and customer health scores. The pipeline view is designed around subscription stages, not generic sales stages.
Demo → crm-saas-pi.vercel.app
Get the Template → https://shreyvijayvargiya.gumroad.com/l/saas-crm-react-template
3. Freelancer CRM Template
For independent consultants and freelancers. Tracks clients, projects, invoices, and availability — the things a freelancer actually cares about, not enterprise sales pipeline jargon.
Demo → freelance-crm-template.buildsaas.dev
Get the Template → https://shreyvijayvargiya.gumroad.com/l/freelancer-crm-template
4. Real Estate OS CRM Template
Property listings, lead tracking, deal stages, and client communication — all in one view. Designed for agents and small brokerages who are still living in spreadsheets.
Demo → realestate-crm-template.buildsaas.dev
Get the Template → https://shreyvijayvargiya.gumroad.com/l/estate-os-real-estate-crm-template
5. Non-Profit CRM Template
Donor management, campaign tracking, and cvolunteer records. Most CRM tools are overkill or too expensive for nonprofits. This one is scoped exactly to what they need.
Demo → non-charity-crm-template.buildsaas.dev
Get the Template → https://shreyvijayvargiya.gumroad.com/l/non-charity-crm-template
What Every Template Ships With
Each of the 5 templates includes:
- Next.js 14 — App router, server components, the modern stack
- 15+ UI components — Tables, modals, sidebars, kanban, charts — all pre-built
- 9+ pages — Dashboard, contacts, pipeline, settings, and more
- Supabase migration SQL — Run one command, your database is ready
- 3–4 themes — Dark/light + color variants out of the box
- README setup guide — From clone to running in minutes
No boilerplate wiring to do. No “figure out the auth” tax. Just customise and ship.
The Real Insight
The strangest part of this whole experience wasn’t how fast I could build. It was realising how much of a “unique” product is actually just a configuration.
A CRM for a real estate agent and a CRM for a SaaS founder share 80% of their DNA. The contacts list, the pipeline view, the notes, the activity feed — it’s all the same component. What’s different is the terminology, the data model, and which features get prioritised in the navigation.
Once you have a strong enough foundation, the differentiation cost drops dramatically. AI takes you the rest of the way.
That’s the bet I made with BuildSaaS. Turns out it pays off.
Top comments (1)
Helpful.