Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast Recap—a rundown of key lessons from top operators, founders, and execs shaping the future of auto retail.
Today’s guests are Kelly and Rob Ruth of Bob Ruth Ford.
Married 24 years, Rob and Kelly built the dealership together while he worked bell-to-bell, 78-hour weeks, and she ran the household solo, raising their kids largely on her own.
Behind every dealer working 78-hour weeks is someone holding everything else together.
For the first seven or eight years of their marriage, Rob left at 7:30 in the morning and came home at 10 at night, every Saturday included.
"I was a single mom the first seven, eight years of our marriage."
— Kelly
The reason it worked is because it was a deliberate division of roles where each person understood what they were responsible for, and committed to it fully.
Growing the company was Rob's way of buying back his time.
The decision to expand was about reaching a point where the business could run without everything running through him.
"I think for me that was a big driving force of why I wanted to grow our company. So I could have some time to myself and a little bit more freedom."
— Rob
Getting there took until his late 30s (about a decade into ownership) which is the timeline most operators don't talk about when they describe the path to delegation.
The hardest thing and the best thing was learning to let go.
Rob came up in an environment where the general manager was the center of everything. That model works for a while, then it stops.
"I've talked about this before, but [my dad] barely finished high school, just kind of worked his way. Hard work was the thing, and you get into that GM role, and it was like… you're the man. All things go through you. And I think you can do that for a certain amount of time, but it's not sustainable for the future."
— Rob
The version of the business that exists today, with Rob working remotely from Florida and developing people instead of doing everything himself, only became possible once he was willing to give up the daily control he'd built his identity around
Moving to Florida forced the delegation that Rob couldn't do voluntarily.
There's a version of this where Rob gradually steps back and builds systems over time, but what actually happened was that he bought a house in Florida and wasn't at the store anymore.
"I found that when I was here, I was actually able to get a lot of work done. I'm working on the business instead of working in the business."
— Rob
When your hands are physically tied, delegation becomes the only option, and the business tends to reveal pretty quickly who was ready and who wasn't.
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The toughest season was the transition after his father passed.
When Rob's father died, the process of buying out the company took about two and a half years. Rob knew this was a moment for patience, not pressure.
"That was our toughest season… Kelly may have wanted me to do things a certain way, where typically I'm very persistent and would apply pressure, [but] I knew this was a time for patience for me."
— Rob
Coming through that season together is what made the decision to buy out the company feel like a reset, but also what made it clear that another 20 years like the last 20 wasn't the plan.
Kelly's biggest contribution was perspective Rob couldn't see himself.
Being behind the scenes, her role was quieter, but the impact was specific and direct.
"She's always given me perspective… She looks at things differently for me and that perspective has made me change course a lot of times. So, she's always been my right-hand man.”
— Rob
The emotional intelligence piece (how to say something to an employee, how to navigate a relationship, how to see a situation from the other side) came from her, not from the business.
Her belief in him was the fuel more than any safety net.
When asked what it felt like to build something without obvious early traction, Kelly's answer was this…
"I've always believed in Rob. Always. I've never had a doubt that he wouldn't take care of us, me, and our children. I never ever doubted it. If the man even now had to work 80 hours a week, he would do it."
— Kelly
That mindset, they explained, lets someone take risks without a safety net, which is what’s needed at times.
The dopamine of daily wins is what Rob misses most about being in the store.
Running the business remotely from Florida is more strategic, more sustainable, and better for the organization. It's also less fun.
"I missed the instant gratification. Isn't it crazy that like we like humans are just chasing a feeling? Think about this for a second."
— Rob
The slow gratification of strategic work, like projects that take three to six months to show results, is the trade-off for having the freedom and the time, and it's one Rob is still getting used to.
Freedom, over any material gains, is the point in their case.
After their oldest daughter got very sick with Lyme disease and needed special treatments, the conversation shifted from what money buys to what it makes possible.
"The freedom to be able to do that is huge. The freedom to say, I want to go see my daughter in PA and I'm going to book a ticket for tomorrow and do that is is important is important to us."
— Kelly
What they mean: The material things wear off in 25 or 30 days. The ability to respond without asking whether you can afford to - that's the thing neither of them grew up with, and the reason they keep building.
Giving kids a head start without creating entitlement is the hardest problem success creates.
Both Rob and Kelly came from nothing. Their kids, though, grew up differently, with college funds and down payment help. During the podcast, they admit the question of how much to give without taking away the hunger that made their parents successful is one they're still working out.
"I think kids will appreciate things when they earn them themselves. I mean, nothing was handed to me and that made me great. Her dad's the same way, you know. Would have I have liked things differently? Absolutely.”
— Rob
The answer they've landed on so far: cover college, help with a first down payment, and let them figure out the rest, because the struggle itself is what built the version of them their kids are now trying to replicate.
