Porous Pave has been a leader in the permeable paving industry for over 19 years, but behind the scenes their business was held together with a labyrinth of spreadsheets and a filing system that could best be described as "folder-ception". Every quote, calculation formula, and customer detail lived on someone’s laptop, buried in layer upon layer of desktop folders with names like “FINAL_final_ACTUAL_QUOTE_v3.” The real kicker? Only one person, the owner’s son Connor, could decipher the system. Despite their industry success, Porous Pave had hit a growth ceiling with stagnant sales for the last 5 years.
When we first spoke, they were skeptical about the need for a CRM. They didn’t fully see the value, and their initial response was, "We’ve always done it this way."
But everything changed when I asked two simple, yet critical questions:
👉What happens to the business if something happens to you or your dad?
👉What happens if your laptop is lost, taking all your customer information, quote data, and deal history with it?
That moment was pivotal. They realized that a CRM wasn’t just a convenience, but rather a necessity for the longevity and sustainability of their business. With that, they decided to move forward with HubSpot Sales Enterprise.
Once we dug in, it became clear that their biggest hurdles weren’t strategy or demand - they were buried in disconnected spreadsheets, manual quoting workarounds, and data that was nearly impossible to surface when needed.
Opaque & Isolated Calculations – Connor was the only one who understood how to calculate material needs - a process that often felt like solving high school word problems to figure out how much of each product was required for a project. The entire system was deeply manual, buried in spreadsheets, and nearly impossible to hand off to anyone else.
Here's an example from one of their old spreadsheets:
Disconnected & Hard-to-Find Data – All customer data, quotes, and project information were stored in folders within folders on personal laptops. Not only was nothing backed up to the cloud, but finding anything required sifting through layers of files, making reporting and organization nearly impossible, and adding a higher level of risk if a laptop was lost or broken.
Cumbersome Quoting Process – Quoting required multiple steps: calculations in one spreadsheet, inputting those numbers to another spreadsheet, and then cloning and sending some other template to the client. This process was slow, error-prone, and inconsistent.
Lack of Sales & Customer Visibility – They had no clear understanding of their end users, installers, or architect/referral network and no conversational or contextual history to reference. They also couldn’t track trade show leads, making follow-up an inconsistent afterthought.
At the end of the day, the tools that once worked were now working against them. To grow and move forward, they needed a system that could keep up.
Once Porous Pave recognized that their current systems were holding them back, we got to work. Our goal was clear: eliminate their reliance on Excel, bring buried data into the light, and build a scalable, easy-to-use infrastructure in HubSpot that the entire team, not just Connor, could rely on.
Using HubSpot Sales Enterprise, we focused on three core features to bring this vision to life:
Because their business didn’t quite fit into HubSpot’s standard object setup, we built a custom structure that actually reflected how they work day to day.
Jobs – For project planning, fulfillment, and material requirements
Purchase Orders – To track supply, shipping, and job-level fulfillment
Samples – To track conversions and optimize future outreach
Architects, Installers, Customers – To manage relationships, referrals, and industry-specific reporting
These objects were then connected through automated workflows. For example, once a deal is marked "Closed Won," a new Job record is automatically created with the total required materials copied over from the deal. Then each Purchase Order associated to a job dynamically subtracts shipped materials in real time, giving visibility into what's needed, what's already been shipped, and what's still outstanding. This ensures they always know what materials are required to complete each project on time and can manage fulfillment proactively.
Next, we tackled one of the most complex challenges of the project: turning Connor’s brain, and ten heavily formula-driven spreadsheets, into a scalable, automated system inside HubSpot.
We rebuilt their entire estimation logic using dynamic calculated fields, incorporating:
Conditional logic across five distinct product types
Adjusted calculations for three thickness options, eight color choices (which can be combined), and four binder types
Automatic material estimation based on square footage and all other variable inputs
To make it even more user-friendly, we added emoji callouts next to the key input fields that drive calculations, making it easy for reps to know exactly what needs to be filled out to trigger accurate estimates.
Here's what they see on the Deal:
And here is what's going on behind the scenes of just one of these fields:
With the foundational logic and automations in place, we turned our attention to quoting. Gone are the days of cloning spreadsheets, copying inputs from one sheet to another, exporting PDFs into disorganized folders like “Quote_Final_v7”, and sending inconsistent and brief emails with attached quotes.
We implemented custom quote templates that pull from the deal record and eliminate the need for Excel templates or manual entry, and taught the team how to use the embedded Copilot AI to facilitate client outreach and ongoing communication.
The system now:
Just six months after implementing HubSpot, Porous Pave experienced its first major growth spike in five years: a 65% year-to-date increase in sales!
But the true business impact goes far beyond the numbers:
The business is no longer dependent on one person or one laptop. Core processes, from quoting to fulfillment, now live in HubSpot, giving the entire team visibility, consistency, and the ability to scale without operational strain.
Tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. Quoting is fast, automated, and standardized. Teams aren't losing valuable time waiting for Connor's inputs. Fulfillment planning is tied directly to real-time deal data, eliminating the need for spreadsheets and manual tracking.
With faster response times, centralized data, and consistent follow-up thanks to Copilot's support, customer relationships have improved across the board. Contractors get timely, accurate quotes and contextual conversations, even months after initial outreach.
For the first time, the team can track which samples convert, which accounts drive the most value, and how tradeshow activity ties directly to revenue. They now operate on measurable insights, not just instincts.
And best of all, Connor was finally able to take a real vacation!
Porous Pave didn’t just get a CRM; they got a system that mirrors how they actually do business and a framework to help them grow better. As their team grows, new employees can step into a system that’s intuitive, automated, and transparent - not buried in folders or formulas.
The implementation has reshaped their daily workflows, strengthened internal collaboration, and created a culture of shared ownership around customer success. It’s also given the team the confidence and operational maturity to pursue major opportunities, like working with FIFA on installations for the next World Cup!
But don't just take my word for it, here's Connor's perspective:
"Over the last 5 years, we had not seen much growth in our sales, and we didn’t fully realize the crucial piece we were missing until now... Zoya’s work has made our processes more modern, organized, and user-friendly for everyone in the company. The transition has been seamless, and we’ve seen a 65% increase in sales YTD! More importantly, it finally feels like we have a true handle on our customer relationships. We no longer feel like we’re losing touch with them, and they no longer feel neglected. Zoya’s expertise and dedication have made a huge difference for us, and we’re incredibly grateful for the lasting impact she’s had on our business."
We’re continuing to support Porous Pave with quarterly portal reviews, optimization sprints, and ongoing reporting enhancements. As they expand their sales and fulfillment operations, we’re helping ensure HubSpot scales with them - providing a system that doesn’t just support their business, but actively helps it grow.
Porous Pave’s journey wasn’t just about adopting new software - it was about reimagining the way they operate. What started as hesitation around investing in technology turned into a complete transformation of how they run their business. By replacing disconnected spreadsheets with an automated, scalable system, they now have an operational engine that protects their data, accelerates revenue, and optimizes fulfillment and supply planning.
At Zestey Growth Partners, we don’t just implement CRM systems - we future-proof businesses with smart, scalable solutions that drive efficiency, growth, and long-term success. If your company is struggling with outdated processes, let’s talk about how we can help you not just adopt technology, but truly optimize your business for the future.