In a special Women’s History Month feature, Fox 5’s Julie Donaldson sat down with our Founder and CEO, Corrine Heck, to discuss the grit, grace, and "superpowers" required to build a global tech brand from the ground up.
Ten years into the journey of Details Flowers Software, Corrine opened up about the lessons she’s learned while navigating a male-dominated supply chain and how she turned her early business weaknesses into the industry’s greatest strengths.
The story of Details Flowers Software didn’t start in a software lab; it began on the front lines of the floral industry in Central Florida. Corrine spent years as an event designer, facing the daily chaos of spreadsheets, manual calculations, and logistical hurdles. She realized that while she loved the artistry, the business side was lacking the digital tools necessary to scale.
After years of searching for a solution that didn't exist, she took a "wild idea" and decided to develop it herself. Today, that leap of faith has transformed into a platform that helps florists in 18 countries manage their events with professional precision. As Corrine noted, the journey from a hobby to a global career was built on the persistence of asking the right questions and finding other women to help catapult the vision to the next level.
When Corrine first stepped into the tech and investment world, she was often the only woman in the room. While the supply chain and investment sides remain heavily male-dominated, Corrine’s own data tells a different story: 87% of Details customers are women. Rather than seeing this industry disconnect as a hurdle, Corrine views being "underestimated" as a strategic advantage.
"Often those places where we're most underestimated, I think we can rise to the occasion and exceed expectations," she told Fox 5. Because she lived the life of her customers, she brought a level of empathy and insight that data alone couldn't provide. She wasn't just pitching software; she was representing the voices of thousands of florists, proving that being the "woman in the room" is a position of unique power.
One of the more fascinating moments of the interview was the mention of the themes of the book The Art of War for Women. When Julie brought up the text’s perspective on feminine leadership, Corrine connected those concepts to her own experience. She explained how her career has been defined by identifying her innate strengths—empathy, compassion, and a relentless attention to detail—and strategically applying them to leadership.
In a world that often tells women to "toughen up" to succeed in business, Corrine argues the opposite. She believes these "soft skills" are actually an entrepreneur’s greatest strengths. By refining these gifts over the last decade, she has built a 15-person, woman-owned team that leads with heart while maintaining a high standard of professional excellence.
Corrine’s honesty about her early days as a business owner is what makes her story so relatable. She admitted that at first she struggled with financial transparency and expense tracking—a common "weakness" among many creative entrepreneurs.
"When you lose money, you realize that weakness can't last for long," she joked. Instead of ignoring the problem, she built the solution. By creating software to address her own profitability gaps, she strengthened the entire floral supply chain. When florists on the front lines are profitable and staying in business, the growers and suppliers benefit as well. Her biggest struggle became her company’s greatest value proposition.
Success is rarely a straight line, and Corrine is a firm believer in the concept of "failing forward." She shared that as an entrepreneur, falling flat on your face is almost a rite of passage. The real "superpower" isn't avoiding the fall; it's the recovery.
By being persistent and refining her "pitch" every time she faced skepticism, she learned how to communicate a vision that was initially foreign to many. She encourages other women to embrace the journey of self-discovery that comes with these challenges, noting that you discover who you truly are when you're forced to pick yourself up and try again.
When asked about "balance," Corrine offered a refreshing take. To her, success isn't about reaching a state of perfect equilibrium; it's about excitement. "Success for me is that I want to be excited when I wake up to go to work, and I want that same excitement when I head home."
As she looks toward the next ten years, her focus is on global expansion and family. With her two daughters already working in the business, she is focused on mentoring them to fill her shoes one day. Beyond her own office walls, she is also dedicated to her work with Seed Your Future, an organization focused on getting youth interested in horticulture. By providing access and mentorship to the next generation, Corrine is ensuring that the floral industry remains vibrant, diverse, and successful for years to come.