Build Your First Custom Object

Step by step

Building A Pet Object

We'll use the pet example from the video. Tap Next to walk through each step in order.

Step 1

Open Objects

Go to Settings, then click Objects. Click the button to add a custom object (the blue button in the top right), then begin.

Your new object will show up under Custom Objects once it's created.

Step 2

Name It, Singular & Plural

The singular name is one record, like Pet. The plural name is the group, like Pets. Use everyday words your team already says.

Property and Properties. Vehicle and Vehicles. Pet and Pets.

Step 3

Choose The Primary Field

The primary field is the main identifier for each record. For a pet, that's the pet name. For a property, the address. For a mortgage file, the borrower.

Pick something people will recognize at a glance.

Step 4

Decide If It's Unique

Check "Mark primary field as unique" to prevent duplicate records during imports, workflows, and form submissions. A unique field can be changed to non-unique later, but not the other way around.

Keep your fields very simple, but very effective.

Step 5

Icon & Description

Pick an icon, like a dog for pets, and add a short object description so your team knows what it's for. Then create the object.

Use the three dots next to any object to edit it, add custom fields, or delete it.

Step 6

Add A Custom Field

From the three dots, add a custom field. We added a dropdown called Male / Female with two options. Select the Pet object, then save it into a group, like Pet Info.

Always double-check the object you selected. A pet field belongs on the Pet object, not on contacts.

Ideas by industry

What Should Your Primary Field Be?

The primary field is what you'll see first on every record. Here's how it plays out in different businesses.

🐶

Pets

Primary field: pet name. Then add fields like breed, male or female, spayed or neutered, and vaccination dates.

🏠

Properties

Primary field: the property address or street name. Then add status, price, bedrooms, or listing number.

💰

Mortgage Files

Primary field: the borrower. Then add the co-borrower and the loan details related to that file.

🚗

Vehicles

Primary field: the vehicle name. Then add make, model, year, and status on the lot.

Key terms

Definitions

Tap any term to expand it.

The singular is what you call one record (Pet). The plural is what you call the whole list (Pets).

The main identifier on every record, like the pet name, the property address, or the borrower.

A field that blocks duplicate values, which keeps imports, workflows, and form submissions clean.

A detail you track on a record. Field types include single line text, multi-line text, number, phone, dropdown, and more.

A named set of related custom fields, like Pet Info, so everything about the object stays together on the record.

Help me do it

Things To Do

Finish these before moving to the next lesson. They only take a few minutes.

0 of 3 done

Go to Settings, then Objects, and create one custom object for your business with a singular name, plural name, and primary field

Decide whether your primary field should be unique, and check the box if duplicates would cause problems

Add one dropdown custom field to your new object and save it into a clearly named group

⚡ Tips

Plan your fields before you click anything. List every detail you want on the record, then pick a field type for each.
Dropdowns keep answers consistent. Use one whenever there's a set list of choices, like male or female.
Watch the pop-up when you save a field. Put it in the right group, like Pet Info, and on the right object.
Company-level details, like an EIN number, belong on the company object, not on your custom object.
Clicking "create and add custom field" creates the object and takes you straight into adding fields.

Check yourself

Quick Knowledge Check

Answer a few quick questions to lock in what you just learned. Miss one and we'll show you the right answer.

0 of 4 answered

For a Pet object, the plural name would be ____.

What does marking the primary field as unique help prevent?

For a property manager's Property object, which is the best primary field?

When you add a new custom field for pets, which object should you select?

Help me apply it

Try This With Your Favorite AI

Copy a prompt below and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever AI tool you use. Fill in the bracketed details and it'll help you build your own version for your business.

🛠️ Design My Custom Object

You are a CRM setup specialist helping me design one custom object before I build it in my software. My context: - My business type: [describe your business] - The thing I want to track: [for example pets, properties, vehicles, projects] - The questions I need to answer quickly about each one: [list 3 to 5 questions] Design the object for me: - Singular name and plural name - The primary field, and whether it should be marked unique (explain why in one sentence) - 5 to 8 custom fields, each with a field type (single line text, multi-line text, number, phone, dropdown, date, and so on) - For every dropdown field, the exact list of options - One group (folder) name to keep these fields together Rules: keep it simple but effective, no software brand names, show the fields as a clean table, and stay under 350 words. Finish by asking me: "Is there any detail on this list you'd never actually fill in? Let's cut it before you build."

🔍 Check My Fields For Problems

You are a data quality reviewer checking a list of custom fields before I add them to my CRM. Here are the fields I plan to add to my [object name] object: [paste your list of field names, one per line] My context: - Who fills these in: [me, my team, or my customers through a form] - How often each record gets updated: [rarely, monthly, weekly] Review the list and tell me: - Which fields should be dropdowns instead of free text, and suggest the options - Any fields that really belong on the contact or company instead of this object - Any duplicates or fields that overlap - Anything missing that I'll probably wish I had later Rules: bullet points only, one sentence per point, no software brand names, under 300 words. Finish by asking me: "Want me to rewrite the final field list in the order it should appear on the record?"