Every once in a while, we come across a use case so clever, so 🤌 perfect, that we just have to share it. No names, no identifying details—just a straight-up banger of a HubSpot solution that solved a real-world problem in the wild.
Today’s Tales from the Trails is about a team that faced a certifiably chaotic challenge: keeping track of thousands of professional certifications, each with its own rules, deadlines, and renewal requirements across multiple states. Standard HubSpot objects weren’t cutting it, workflows were getting out of hand, and spreadsheets? Well, let’s just say they were on the verge of becoming an Excel crime scene.
So gather ‘round, folks. It’s time for a story about the kind of ingenuity that makes you want to high-five a stranger and say, “Dang, HubSpot, you beautiful beast.” Here’s how they did it. ⬇️
From the author:
Let me set the stage. Our company runs a nationwide training program for skilled trades. We’re talking plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians - the folks who know how to fix the things that break right when you’re about to leave for vacation.
We were facing a problem that had our whole operations team feeling like we were trying to juggle flaming bowling pins while riding a unicycle. Our biz needs to track certifications for thousands of apprentices, across multiple trade specialties, in different states, all with different expiration timelines.
But here’s the kicker: each state has its own rules.
Some require coursework before work hours count. Some need a specific form filled out. Some have a grace period while others will throw the book at you the second your cert expires. And, of course, these rules change all the time.
The Roadblock
HubSpot’s standard objects - Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets - are great, but they weren’t gonna cut it.
- Deals? Not sales-related.
- Tickets? Eh, not quite right.
- Custom properties on the Contact record? They tried. It got out of hand faster than my Aunt Carol at a wine tasting.
It led to spreadsheet chaos. Nobody could tell at a glance which apprentices were overdue, which ones needed a nudge, and which ones were cruising toward certification bliss. We needed structured data that was both easy to report on and flexible enough to adapt to different state requirements.
The Lightbulb Moment: Enter Custom Objects + HubDB
That’s when someone on our team (who, I assume, had just downed a triple espresso) had a revelation:
- Track Certifications as a Custom Object
- Create each Certification became its own record
- Store key details: Apprentice name, trade type, issuing state, certification level, expiration date, required renewal actions, and even links to necessary coursework
- Associate Certifications to Contacts (apprentices) and Companies (training programs)
- Build a HubDB table with each state’s certification requirements
- Create a rule for each state and trade represented by a row in the table
- Update rules easily when changes occur, which means no need to hardcode messy logic into workflows
- Use Magic Workflows | HubDB ‘Fetch’ Action to Pull in Rules
- Fetch the latest rules from HubDB based on state and trade when an apprentice’s certification was coming up for renewal
- Use the data from the table to power the logic behind who gets what email and the content it contains therein
The Magic of Automation
Once this system was humming, our team went full Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. But instead of faking sick, we automated everything.
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Automated Reminders:
- 90 days before expiration? Email reminder.
- 30 days out? Another nudge.
- 1 week before? A very concerned email that might as well have been signed, “We’re not mad, just disappointed.”
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State-Specific Compliance
- The workflow checks HubDB for the latest rules, and sends the apprentice the exact renewal steps they need to follow.
- No more one-size-fits-all emails. Every apprentice gets instructions specific to their state and trade.
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Cleaner Workflow Logic
- Instead of an unholy mess of if/then branches inside the workflow, all the logic lives in the HubDB table.
- When we need to add a new state or update a rule? No touching the workflow - we just update HubDB!
The Triumph
A few months in, it feels like we're still doing a victory lap (metaphorically speaking… but also maybe literally—no one knows for sure). Our compliance rate has shot up 23% just from the automated reminders alone. More apprentices are getting their certs on time, fewer are scrambling at the last second, and the operations team?
For the first time in years, we can finally see the full picture at a glance.
One of our directors said (and this is a direct quote): “This has changed my life. I no longer wake up at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat wondering who’s about to lose their certification.”
Folks, that’s the power of custom objects + HubDB + Magic Workflows done right.
The Takeaway
Here’s the thing. Sometimes, standard objects in HubSpot get you 80% of the way there. But when you hit that “Why isn’t there a place to store this specific thing??” moment, don’t just sigh and open another Google Sheet. That’s the time to consider custom objects.
And if your rules or reference data are changing all the time? Let HubDB handle it.
- No messy workflows
- No constant updates
- Just clean, structured automation that keeps your data fresh and your team sane
If you’ve ever felt like you’re trying to wedge a square peg into a round database hole, custom objects + HubDB might just be your secret weapon.
From the Instrumental Apps team:
If your data has been running wild like a toddler hopped up on birthday cake, it might be time to rein it in. You’ve got options.
Until next time, keep blazing trails, keep solving problems, and keep making HubSpot work for you. We love to help when we can.