The Interview
I sat down with Zach Errant, co-founder of Curate, to understand how a software company breaks into an industry that most people would never think to disrupt: the floral and event planning business.
The Problem Nobody Was Solving
Traditional florists and event planners were doing everything manually. Proposals were built in Word documents or spreadsheets. Inventory was tracked on paper or in their heads. Cost management was a nightmare. The standard processes were tedious, repetitive, and completely unscalable.
Curate identified this gap and built software that automated proposal creation, inventory tracking, and cost management specifically for the floral and event industry. The insight wasn't that software was needed in general — it was that this particular vertical had been completely ignored. That's the niche.
Why SaaS Works in Overlooked Verticals
Zach's framing on this was sharp: successful SaaS companies find industries where "standard processes are tedious" and automation is absent. The opportunity isn't always in the biggest markets. Sometimes it's in the markets everyone overlooked because they seemed too small or too specialized.
When you reduce overhead costs and free up time for small business owners who are already stretched thin, you create immediate, tangible value. That makes selling easier. That makes retention higher. That's what enables a small team to grow a real business.
How They Built It
Curate was bootstrapped before raising $500K in seed funding. The founders focused on building immediate value and proving product-market fit before approaching investors — and when they did approach VCs, they were looking for mentorship and resources, not just a check.
What They Actually Track
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Marketing performance
Sales pipelines and funnels
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)
Churn rates
Product-specific usage metrics
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Daily reviews of these numbers drove every decision. Nothing was left to gut feeling.
The Culture That Made It Work
"You can't build a great product that solves real problems without a great team." Curate hosted industry events to stay close to customers, which gave them direct feedback loops. They ran by the principle of "keep it simple, stupid" — a discipline that's harder than it sounds when customers keep asking for more features.
Scaling Without Losing the Personal Touch
As the company grew, maintaining direct customer communication became harder. The personal experience that defined their early relationship with customers had to be preserved intentionally. Systems, not just good intentions.
What's Next for Curate
The plan was to expand beyond florists to caterers, rental companies, and entertainers — building an agnostic suite of solutions for the entire event industry with a la carte purchasing. One niche was the beachhead. The broader event industry was the real market.
Takeaway for Anyone Starting Out
When you're joining an early-stage company, demonstrating hustle, cultural fit, and startup experience matters more than having the original idea. Show that you can execute, that you understand the mission, and that you'll do what it takes to make the thing work. That's what gets you in the door.