Episode One | Meet Ruth Ann & Beth - Launching the TopBranch Vision
Video Transcript
Welcome to TopBranch
Beth Bender:
So welcome to the first episode of TopBranch. I am Beth Bender, and I am the co-founder and an owner of The Dove Agency. This is Ruth Ann Janson—she is also an owner of The Dove Agency and serves as president of the firm.
We’ve had this idea percolating for several years now. We wanted to bring you, as best we can, a weekly dose of ideas, thoughts, and some guests we think would be helpful for you in running your business.
One thing we understand is that your time is super valuable. You're really busy, so our goal is to keep these episodes in the 8- to 10-minute range and deliver just one or two great ideas or thoughts that you can take away with you and think about how that would help your business.
One of the reasons we felt ready to do this now—like I said, it’s been percolating for a while—is because we are both in a place where we feel, having served hundreds of clients over the past nine years, and being deeply embedded in this industry, we’ve walked through the trenches with so many wonderful creatives as well as amazing business people. We kind of felt like we were at a point now where we could, with some authority and confidence, come and speak to you guys and do that in a really authentic way.
I’m not going to take much time introducing myself. You can always visit our website to learn more about me. But I do want to give Ruth Ann the chance to introduce herself and share some of her qualifications—especially because she’ll be focusing more on the business and financial side of things.
Ruth Ann’s Financial Background
Beth Bender:
When someone’s going to be sharing financial insights with you, you might want to know a little bit about why they have authority to be telling you this stuff. So, Ruth Ann, why don’t you kick it off with why you’re equipped and capable of talking financials.
Ruth Ann Janson:
I will do that. Thank you so much. Another thing that’s kind of a bit of a backdrop on how we wanted to get started with these little snippets, if you will, I am going to talk about my financial background, but Beth is more sales and marketing leaning. So, needless to say, within the operations of our own firm, there is a bit of healthy tension between the two of us.
Beth Bender:
[laughs] Yes.
Ruth Ann Janson:
We want to bring that dynamic into this series, too. There's always that mindset of “grow, grow, grow, innovate, innovate,” but there also has to be someone saying, “Wait a second. Do we have the money for this? What kind of systems and processes do we need?”
Beth Bender:
Squashing my fun.
Ruth Ann Janson:
Exactly. So, my background: I have a pretty deep financial background. I worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and left as a Senior Manager. I was working primarily in their mergers and acquisitions group, working on deals with Fortune 500 companies and smaller private equity-backed firms. Later, I became a Senior Director at a tech company in the Boston area.
What I discovered through those experiences is that my real passion lies in the entrepreneurial space—and every design firm fits that mold. These businesses are small, with anywhere from 1 to 25 people. That’s the size of our firm as well, and it truly defines small business.
I love the need to think on your feet and to come up with creative solutions without a huge team of experts. As a business owner, you’re often solving these problems yourself. That’s the mindset we’re bringing to this series.
Why We're Launching This Series
Beth Bender:
When we think about what we want this series to accomplish, it’s not just about sharing insights from our own experience, although we’ve certainly gained a lot from serving so many clients through The Dove Agency. It’s also about the incredible people we’ve met along the way.
Whether it’s panels at High Point or the Dallas Market Center, we’re consistently in awe of the knowledge that comes out of these conversations. We know that when you’re running a small, service-based business, you’re often learning through trial and error—things you can’t get from a textbook or classroom.
We have our own war stories. And we’ve heard yours too.
Ruth Ann Janson:
Yes.
Beth Bender:
So we’re excited to start sharing and discussing all of that with you. Who knows? We might get a great question from a listener and invite you on as a guest.
This episode is just the introduction. The real content—the meat and the guts—is coming in episode two and beyond. These will be live, unedited, and unscripted.
Ruth Ann Janson:
Dog running around, lawnmowers, all the things. [laughs]
Beth Bender:
Exactly. You might hear a dog bark. I’m currently on vacation in North Carolina. Ruth Ann’s at home. Sometimes we’ll be together, sometimes apart—maybe even coming to you from a beach somewhere. But what we promise is to always show up as our authentic selves. These aren’t scripted talking points; they’re our real thoughts.
What You Can Expect from the Series
Ruth Ann Janson:
To add to that, for those unfamiliar with our firm or even the industry, the content we’ll cover spans the entire back office of a design firm—financials, marketing, sales, CRM, all of it.
Beth Bender:
Yes.
Ruth Ann Janson:
We’ll bring insights into systems—we work in over 20 different ones at The Dove Agency. We’ve helped so many designers implement strong, repeatable processes. So you can expect discussions around systems, processes, teams, and the right talent.
Beth Bender:
Absolutely.
Ruth Ann Janson:
All of these things are essential if you want to grow, scale, improve, and yes—make more money.
Beth Bender:
That’s why we’re in business. It’s not charity. [laughs]
Parting Quote: Systems vs. Goals
Ruth Ann Janson:
All right, I think we’re getting ready to wrap. Someone’s gotta keep us on schedule!
Beth Bender:
Yes. And we’re always going to do our best to end with a quote. We’ll share it and offer a quick reflection before signing off. Ruth Ann, want to start us off?
Ruth Ann Janson:
Sure! I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with quotes—some will be funny, some business-focused. I love the author James Clear, who wrote Atomic Habits. One of my favorite quotes from that book is:
“We don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems.”
That’s actually the theme of our next episode, so join us next week for a deeper dive.
Beth Bender:
Absolutely. Thanks, everyone! We’re excited for what’s coming.
Ruth Ann Janson:
Thank you!
Beth Bender:
Bye!