Siera Smith

Since she was 11 years old, business has defined Smith’s life. It’s in her DNA. Following in the footsteps of her father, a life-long entrepreneur that started, scaled, and managed a variety of small businesses, Smith jumped into any role needed to help the businesses succeed, as she continues to do so in her career.

At Upright Labs, Smith focuses on the growth of Upright Labs and its clients. As the Director of Operations and Implementation, she is an integral part of Upright’s Services consulting team by implementing, managing, and executing on service contracts and projects. With a focus on e-commerce, operations, and sustainability, Smith develops maximum efficiencies, data-driven insights, and revenue-generating objectives to meet customer needs. For Upright Labs, Smith is responsible for enhancing brand awareness and lead generation, streamlining business operations for scalability, and the overall growth of the company.

Previous to joining Upright Labs, Smith was a senior consultant at Elevate Growth Consulting Group, bringing entrepreneurs’ dreams to life by launching, re-optimizing, streamlining and scaling business operations for a variety of clients to include but not limited to: e-commerce platform, health centers, fitness, and sports centers, collision repair, waste management, technology start-ups, and more. Equipped with diverse experience that spans across the many functions of a business, Smith is able to dissect a business, learn what it needs most, and fulfills those needs to drive growth.

Prior to Elevate, Smith served as Chief Operating Officer of WebMax, a fintech start-up in the mortgage software space. As Smith rose from Director to Vice President, to COO, she brought the company from 8 employees to over 25, obtained over half a million in SBA financing, reeled in over one million with angel and institutional investors, and launched an array of company initiatives. While overseeing the angel round of raising capital, Smith prepared the pitch deck that won over investors’ minds – and checkbooks. Moreover, she planned, down to the last penny, how each investor dollar would get deployed to fuel company growth. From marketing budgets to performance reports, recruiting talent, and software installations, Smith architected the company’s growth. As Smith built each business function and department out, she established optimal processes and operating procedures that would ensure scalability for the business and its clients. She also established the brand nationally with over 50 written publications and monthly speaking engagements. In addition to day-to-day execution, Smith focused on strategic planning, driving revenues, and goal-setting.

Previous to joining WebMax, Smith was the Special Events Coordinator at the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey and served on its ISO management team; planning and executing over 250 corporate events, conducting process and procedure improvements, and implementing marketing campaigns and social media initiatives. In her time there, Smith connected with a myriad of small business owners, learned about their passions and struggles, and through the chamber, created an ecosystem to help them succeed.

Smith has a Master’s in Business from Rutgers University and was on the executive board for the Rutgers MBA Association. Smith serves on the Marketing Committee and the advisory board for the South Jersey Young Professionals Association, as well as the advisory board for the Downingtown School District and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Lockheed Martin.

Smith received a Bachelor’s of Communications and Public Relations from Stockton University; summa cum laude and with program distinction. She was the founding president of Stockton’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter and a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. She is also the co-founder of Higher Paws, a charitable e-commerce apparel company that supports local animal shelters in the Philadelphia region. In 2018, Smith was voted “Elite Women In Business” by Mortgage Professional of America.

In her spare time, Smith loves spending time with her family, two cats, and two dogs. Siera has been training and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for six years and is an active runner. She also loves snowboarding, traveling, learning, and hiking. One of her favorite quotes that she once heard at the Gazelle’s Scaling Up Conference was, “if you’re not standing on the ledge you are taking up too much room.”