Sierra Pollard

Creating Community Over Competition

story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER         photos courtesy of WOMEN OF THE LOWCOUNTRY

 

Community over competition. That is in big bold letters across the Women of the Lowcountry website, which goes on to say, “Our goal is to provide a powerful platform where women can gather to find support, consultation, and inspiration, empowering them in the realms of innovation, business, and entrepreneurship.” That goal could only come from a woman focused on building community, connections, and confidence for the women around her. And that woman is Sierra Pollard.

Sierra Pollard was born and raised in Florida, graduating from high school there. After she graduated, her parents moved up to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and they continued to live between Bluffton and Hilton Head for the next several years while Sierra went off to college.

“I have always been super creative, but also very analytical,” Sierra says. Sierra’s mother is “a businesswoman, through and through,” while her dad is an athlete, working as a tennis coach. “I was always going back and forth between wanting to be a business owner and wanting to be on Broadway,” she laughs. She attended the University of Florida, getting her bachelor’s in Digital Business while living in Bluffton.

“I was working with several cool start-up companies in Bluffton at the time, and someone suggested I go back to school and learn about product design, so I could help these start-ups better market their products.” She started graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University and now has a master’s degree in Product Innovation. While there, Sierra got to see the ecosystem and how supportive start-up companies were of one another. She knew that was something she wanted to bring back to South Carolina. “I moved back and started my second business called Winnovation Agency.”

Sierra fell in love with the structure of helping people, leading her to teach. She is currently a PhD candidate in Curriculum Development from Liberty University. She currently is a resident of both Florida and Bluffton, South Carolina, driving back and forth each month. She works as a Product Innovation and Design Thinking professor at the University of Florida, and she works with their local entrepreneur group in Gainesville.

When Sierra started her first business in 2017, she was leaning on so many different people in many different areas. There was not one spot where all resources that she needed could be found. “That led me to want to be able to provide women with a place where they could find any resource, whether they were looking for partners, other start-up businesses, or clients.” She was looking to create an all-in-house event. “I began to talk to women in the community and realized that women are just so busy. Some events happen weekly or monthly, and it just becomes too much. I wanted to plan an annual event, just one day a year, where you could find every resource in one room filled with other women you can network with.” For five years now, Women of the Lowcountry has hosted the annual Women’s Summit.

“My parents imparted to me the value of community, and that is something I have carried with me. We lean on our community. Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head all are unique in how they come together, locals and migrants alike. I love being able to visibly show that community to women.”

It can sometimes be difficult for women to find that community, especially when, as Sierra says, they tend to put themselves second or last to everyone around them. “Women are so focused on everyone else because we are caretakers. Sometimes we forget to care for ourselves. That is a big thing for me. I want women to recognize themselves in the community that they are building.”
The annual Women’s Summit is a one-day event that provides women the opportunity to make connections, network, potentially get the push to start their business, or just make new friends. “It was important for me to hit all the key points in one day!” The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The guest speakers come from all different backgrounds to make sure that every single woman will walk away having heard something perfect for her. There is also a sponsorship showcase, where each of the sponsors can share their resources and what their company has to offer to the women who attend.

Last year was an exciting year for Sierra as it was the first year they were able to give away the Winnovator Scholarship. A portion of the proceeds from the Women’s Summit goes toward the Winnovator Scholarship, which is granted to a high school girl who is graduating and preparing to go to a trade school, college, or university. These girls, who may need a little extra help, can apply through an anonymous letter, sharing how they have invested in giving back to the community. The committee votes on the anonymous letter, and they are then able to grant the scholarship for that girl. “We had projected that we would be able to give away our first scholarship during year five of the Women’s Summit, and we were able to give it away during our fourth year,” Sierra says. “I think I cried for a week because I was so excited!” Last year, the scholarship went to a local May River girl, who is now attending Clemson and pursuing a career in nursing.

The upcoming 5th Annual Women’s Summit is taking place on March 7, 2025, at Berkeley Hall. “This will be our largest event thus far!” The guest speakers are Heidi Daly, Raquel Padgett, Bonnie Habyan, and Kimberly Sundt, as well as Sierra herself. Along with these speakers, this year there will be an “ERAS Panel,” which will feature a speaker from each previous year of the Women’s Summit. These speakers include Lisa Sulka, Susannah Winters, and Melissa Epstein. “We have women from all different aspects of business and life.” There truly is a valuable take away for every woman.

At the event, there are three speakers, lunch, two more speakers, and then the sponsorship showcase as well as music and raffles throughout the day. There are plenty of meetings, greetings, and networking taking place throughout the event.

Sierra’s parent company, Winnovation Agency, is focused on women in innovation. Sierra was accepted into the inaugural class of the Innovation Academy, the country’s first innovation program ever. When Sierra went to grad school, she got her master’s in Product Innovation, receiving an award for being the first person to ever graduate with an undergrad and graduate degree focused on innovation. “I knew that’s what I wanted to focus on, and that I wanted to focus on innovative ways to focus on yourself.”

Winnovation Agency has now worked with a lot of different start-ups and many larger companies, including Hargray, Hallmark, HBO Max, and Starz. “That was so fun. Once you start working in that realm, you meet so many people. The network is so important to me.”

While Sierra loves Florida, Bluffton holds the most space in her heart. “The community there really wrapped around me after college. It just became so important. Everybody was so supportive of me and my family. I know that people are going to say hello to me at the coffee shop, and I’m going to feel that genuine community feeling.”

Outside of her work, Sierra has a black Labrador named Bella that she adores. “I’m one of those funny dog moms,” she laughs. She also loves to stand-up paddleboard when she’s home in Bluffton and reupholster furniture while home in Florida. She credits her mom for being her inspiration for everything. “She is the heart of who I am and who I want to be.”

When asked what she would like women to know about the Women’s Summit, Sierra said, “Whether you know who you are or you don’t know for sure, come anyway. Join our community and be as authentic as you possibly can be, and you will be welcomed in.”

To learn more about Women of the Lowcountry and the Women’s Summit, visit www.womenofthelowcountry.com.