Marshall Smith

OPERATIONS & SCALING BUSINESSES

Marshall Smith

From concept to activation, Marshall Smith provides business owners with operational knowledge and support so they can focus on their clients, services and product. 

Big brands have turned to Marshall time and again to help them grow managed assets and radically improve business operations. In fact, he helped increase AUM by 223% in a 5-year period as the COO of a Los Angeles-based SEC Registered Investment Advisory (RIA). During this high growth period, he oversaw operations, accounting, technology, compliance, HR, trading, new business, billing, sales, office maintenance, and expansion. More specifically, in this role, he vetted and installed all critical systems to enhance operational efficiency; managed an annual budget process to forecast operating profit within +/- 5%, provided HR management resulting in a 95% employee retention rate, created and managed firm-wide sales goals resulting in a 12% revenue increase in 2018 and more.

Marshall’s impressive work history also includes founding Practical Activation, an operations consulting practice that helps startups and large established businesses, especially those in financial services and Fintech, build out their operational infrastructure, systems and processes. 

As a co-founder of Steamwork Ventures, Marshall delivers big-brand operational prowess to high-impact startups poised for growth.

Marshall at a Glance:

• Fractional COO for multiple companies
• Active angel investor and due diligence committee member with Tech Coast Angels-Los Angeles 
• Mentor at Preccelerator
• Increased AUM by 223% for one RIA firm and 66% for another, in a five-year period
• Also found spending time with his daughter, wife, and dog at the beach or park, watching sports, practicing yoga, hitting the slopes on his snowboard or playing in a weekly basketball league.