Mrs Smith is managing director of Essential Resources, a company which publishes classroom and educational resources predominantly for primary and secondary schools.
From those early days in the laundry, which she described as "a matter of necessity" - with four children under the age of 8, it was a quiet haven - the business has grown to employ 28 full-time and part-time staff.
The company was formed in 2000 by Mrs Smith and her Christchurch-based business partner Geraldine Sloane, who is publishing director.
The pair had known each "for years" and when Ms Sloane talked about going out on her own in the publishing business, the two women decided to do it together.
The company's head office - printing, sales and marketing, some editing and design - is in Invercargill, with publishing based in Christchurch.
The product range comprises more than 400 titles with new releases each term adding up to about 80 new titles per year.
Last year, Essential Resources was a finalist in two categories in the New Zealand International Business Awards - best exporter under $10 million, and most innovative approach to international business.
While their customers knew who they were, they were otherwise normally "well under the radar" and making the finals of the awards "created a little bit of presence", Mrs Smith said.
It was the first awards the company had entered and it had been a worthwhile process. The intention was to benchmark themselves and see where improvements could be made and it was a thrill to make the finals, she said.
Both women remained hands-on in the business, with Ms Sloane working with a range of designers, editors, educators and authors in New Zealand and overseas, and Mrs Smith managing the team who worked in sales, marketing and distribution.
The pair, who wanted to help make teachers' lives easier, were "completely driven" to continually bring the best possible content and publications that would make a difference in the classroom.
In the early days, they did everything between them - even down to taking orders over the phone and dispatching books - but now they had a "great team" involved in the business.
Most of the company's growth was coming from the export market - exports account for 65% of total turnover - and while the potential was substantial, they were taking it "one step at a time".
Exports to Australia, the company's major export market, tripled in 2005 and again in 2006 and continued to grow rapidly.
The next major market was the United Kingdom and there were also customers in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Once the business had "kind of taken over the whole house" it was time to move out, and the company had since had two moves in the city. After outgrowing its first offices, it is now in a purpose fitted-out building in Spey St.
Mrs Smith said she was "really lucky" to be surrounded by a team of such talented people. Shifts were worked across 20 hours to support the various overseas time zones.
