Bethann Smith was born to be a pleasure industry tastemaker, and though she’ll humbly laugh when so highly complimented, her career has been nothing short of grand. A daughter and sibling in the B2B-famous Pyne family, Smith originally followed her calling as a buyer to Home Depot, where the lubricants, chains and high-powered machines were certainly far from body-safe.
Smith never imagined she’d be working with similarly titled products that would shock the average home-improvement customer. However, when the family business came calling, her new path lit up like a set of solar-powered, butterfly-shaped lawn lights from the Garden Center.
Support is one of the main reasons I excel in my role, and I give back that same support to my family and to everyone else who is employed in this company.
Now, 20 years later, Smith is a crucial, core member of the Williams Trading team. While her official title is Director of Purchasing, Smith lends her hands — and a woman’s touch — wherever and whenever needed. From working in the summer heat of the warehouse to lending anatomical expertise to women’s toy design, there’s no job too small, too big or too difficult for Smith to tackle.
In a fitting tribute that’s decidedly long overdue, we’re honoring Smith with this month’s coveted Women in Adult profile.
XBIZ: To say you’ve had an outstanding career in the adult space is an understatement. Looking back, can you sum up your experience?
Smith: Working with my family in the business my dad started has certainly been quite the experience! I’ve been with Williams Trading Co. for 20 years now, and worked my way up through the company, learning everything I could. I have a background in buying and inventory control from my previous life at Home Depot, so when I was asked to come work with my dad and brothers, I drew heavily upon that background — first as inventory control in the warehouse, to my current role as director of purchasing. You have to understand, too, that we are still a small company, and all of the buying is done by myself and my incredible assistant, Andrew Meyers, who has become my right-hand man, as it were.
My brother-in-law, John Anderson, was the buyer before me, so I had great support in learning the ins and outs of how Williams Trading Co. worked, as well as learning our ordering processes and systems. Back when I first started, we did everything manually, which was different than what I was used to. When we switched over to computerized systems, I had to learn how to translate the manual ordering process to electronic, and that is where my background from Home Depot really helped. It’s amazing getting to work with my family every day, and though we all have very strong personalities and opinions, we get along really well both as family members and as business partners. I feel like that support is one of the main reasons I can excel in my role, and I give back that same support to my family and to everyone else who is employed in this company. There truly is no “I” in “team” here!
XBIZ: What unique business strategies did Williams Trading employ to stay afloat during the worst of COVID? How did you work with your managers and staff to keep everyone on the job?
Smith: As we are in New Jersey, our governor mandated that all non-essential businesses had to shut down to get the COVID numbers down, so we did have to close our doors for two months. However, that didn’t mean that business simply stopped. The owners were in the warehouse, preparing for reopening, receiving shipments from vendors who were in states that hadn’t shut down, and cleaning everything. When employees came back, we had implemented strategies to ensure everyone was social distancing, keeping safe, and wearing masks.
That was a very long, very hot summer for us all! Like several businesses, we were short on personnel, so everyone was in the warehouse making sure orders were picked, packed and shipped. Whether it was sales and customer service representatives, or other office workers, they stepped up and did what was needed to ensure business operated as smoothly as possible. And every single owner was out there alongside them because we all operate as a team.
During the height of the pandemic, backorders were a huge issue, which meant that we had to figure out how we were going to be able to offer our customers the products that they needed. And because of that, we had to strategize and reach out to new vendors, developing new relationships to make sure that we could fulfill customer needs. Though it was hectic at the time, we did develop new product lines from lesser-known vendors, and to this day that decision to diversify has had some very positive results for us.
XBIZ: Now that we’re through most of the pandemic, how will Williams Trading return to doing business? Do you have any big plans for this year?
Smith: We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in person again [at trade shows]. At home, we have started accepting vendor meetings in the office for sales trainings. Our sales reps are making plans to travel again, and we are beginning to discuss holding our road shows again, though those might still be a ways off.
XBIZ: What unique attributes do you love the most about our niche business world? What joys do you get from the adult retail biz that you couldn’t get anywhere else?
Smith: One of the best things about this business is that, as a distributor, we have a very unique relationship with our competitors. There’s room for everyone in this industry; you can be friends with your competition and still compete with them in the business sphere. Everyone knows where the line is between friendship and business, and no one gets mad about business decisions — because it’s business, and not reflective of our personal feelings! Plus, what’s not to love about selling sex toys?
XBIZ: Can you name any influential women or personal female mentors that have inspired you over the years?
Smith: There are so many I can name since we have so many amazing women working in this industry, from sales reps to owners. However, if I have to mention just a few who have been incredibly inspiring, I will have to say Susan Colvin from CalExotics and Julie Stewart from Sportsheets because their strength and business acumen have made their companies very successful, especially in an industry that had been predominantly run by males for so long.
Lisa Hanna is another woman who has inspired me. We met when she worked at SLS, which was one of our competitors, and we hit it off so well that to this day we are close friends. Her work ethic is incredible, and now that she is with Maia Toys, I have the privilege and pleasure of working with her often. I have to also mention that Conde Aumann from Screaming O is an inspiration. The knowledge that she has of her brand makes her an incredible salesperson. And last but certainly not least, I want to mention Margaux O’Donaghue from MD Science Lab, whom I was very good friends with. Everyone in this industry loved and respected her, and I was deeply saddened by her passing.
XBIZ: You run Williams Trading alongside plenty of experienced and respected men, but what does your woman’s perspective add that is so essential to the company’s success?
Smith: A large percentage of this market is geared towards women, and being a woman, I know how female anatomy works. I’m also not afraid to try new things and be vocal about my opinion. Having a voice in this business is very important, especially as so many products are made for women, and the end users are very often female. Knowing not only how the female body works but also how we think — how to not only bring in the right products but how to pitch them to our sales team — is a crucial part of our business and contributes to our continuing success.
XBIZ: To conclude, what are your plans for the next handful of years? How will you personally see to it that Williams Trading remains an industry leader?
Smith: I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing — making sure we have the right mix of products and continuing to support the family, management and staff and employees as I have always done. That is the secret to our success — supporting each other and working together to make Williams Trading Co. the best it can be.
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
