The RTO Show: "Let's talk Rent to Own"

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to help build the modern Rent-To-Own industry from the ground up? In this special Legends Series episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Bill French, Vice President of Rent-To-Own Sales at O’Rourke Sales Company and one of the most respected figures in RTO history.  Bill shares firsthand stories from the earliest days of rent-to-own, including how the...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to lead multi-unit teams through change in today’s Rent-To-Own industry? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Sean Knupp of Arona to unpack the leadership principles, operational systems, and mindset shifts that help RTO teams grow during economic pressure, staffing challenges, and changing customer behavior.  Sean shares practical le...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to protect an entire industry while reshaping how lawmakers, regulators, and consumers understand Rent-To-Own? In this episode of The RTO Show Legends Series, Peter Shau sits down with Chris Korst, former Rent-A-Center executive and one of the key legal architects behind modern Rent-To-Own legislation in America.  Chris shares the behind-the-scenes story of how t...

Send us Fan Mail What happens behind the scenes when an entire industry is fighting for legal survival? In this episode of The RTO Show Legends Series, host Peter Shau sits down with Brad Dennison, former General Counsel for Rent A Center and longtime industry advocate, to unpack the legal battles, legislative strategy, and customer first philosophy that helped shape the modern rent to own industr...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of The RTO Show , Pete Shau welcomes Ray Muncy of Buddies Home Furnishings and Dave Deep, founder of Wake for Warriors. Together, they explore how a shared love of water and community turned into a nationwide movement supporting veterans through adaptive water sports. Hear inspiring stories, learn about Wake for Warriors' life-changing events, and find...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to help build and protect an entire industry from the ground up? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with rent to own industry pioneer Kevin Quinn to explore the early days of the RTO business, the fight for industry regulation, and the leadership decisions that helped shape modern rent to own operations across the United States.  Kevin shares h...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to build a multistate rent to own company from the ground up and sustain it for more than 40 years? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Larry Carrico, founder of Rent One, to unpack the leadership principles, training systems, acquisition strategy, and customer-first mindset that helped shape one of the most respected independent ren...

Send us Fan Mail What if offering health benefits to your employees did not require a massive HR department or a Fortune 500 budget? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Marshall Darr, CEO and co-founder of StretchDollar, to explore how small businesses can offer flexible, affordable healthcare benefits without getting buried in traditional insurance complexity.  Marshall exp...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build a rent to own legacy that lasts for decades and still keeps growing? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Larry Sutton, founder of RNR Tire Express and one of the most respected leaders in the rent to own industry, to talk about entrepreneurship, business growth, franchise leadership, and the evolution of lease to own retail.  Larry...

Send us Fan Mail What actually goes into creating marketing videos that stop the scroll, connect with customers, and drive traffic into a rent to own store? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Steven Stahl of EssToo Creative to pull back the curtain on video production, creative storytelling, social media strategy, and the behind the scenes process of building memorable RTO...

Send us Fan Mail What can today’s rent to own operators learn from one of the people who helped shape the modern RTO industry? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with John Blair, former Executive Director of TRIB, Marine Corps veteran, and longtime industry leader, to unpack nearly four decades of rent to own history, leadership, vendor relationships, industry growth, and the ev...

Send us Fan Mail What separates a successful company from a legendary one? In this episode of The RTO Show, host Peter Shau sits down with Wayland Russell, co founder of Rainbow Rentals and current co owner of Eagle Rental Purchase, to unpack the leadership philosophy, operational discipline, and customer first mindset that helped build one of the most influential rent to own businesses in industr...

Send us Fan Mail What keeps the rent to own industry moving forward behind the scenes? In this episode of The RTO Show, host Peter Shau sits down with Dennis Shields, Executive Director of the TRIB Group, to explore how vendor relationships, buying power, logistics, and industry collaboration helped shape modern rent to own operations over the last four decades.  Dennis shares the untold story beh...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to lead a second generation rent to own business while preparing for the future of digital retail, customer experience, and modern operations? In this episode of The RTO Show, host Peter Shau sits down with Ben Leach, COO of Ace Rent to Own, to talk about leadership, family legacy, Black Friday strategy, customer relationships, and the future of the rent to own i...

Send us Fan Mail How does a small video rental store evolve into one of the most respected rent to own companies in the industry? In this special RTO Legend Series episode, Peter Shau sits down with Dan Fisher, President of APRO and leader of Magic Rent to Own, to explore the real history of the rent to own business, leadership development, customer advocacy, and the cultural evolution of the RTO...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to help shape the modern rent to own industry for more than four decades? In this special RTO Legend Series episode, Peter Shau sits down with Shannon and Cynthia Baber-Strunk to discuss the evolution of rent to own, customer advocacy, leadership, legislative action, and the real stories behind APRO’s early fight to protect the industry.  From building Baber’s in...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build a debt free rent to own company that lasts for nearly four decades? In this powerful RTO Legend Series episode, Kathy Windsor shares the real story behind National TV Sales & Rentals, the evolution of the rent to own industry, and the leadership principles that helped her family business survive economic shifts, warehouse fires, IRS battles, and chan...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to grow a single rent to own store into a 24 location operation while helping shape the future of the entire industry? In this powerful RTO Legends episode, Lyn Leach of Ace Rent to Own shares the story behind one of the most respected names in rent to own, from borrowing startup capital in 1982 to becoming an APRO president, industry advocate, and mentor to the...

Send us Fan Mail Ready to turn views into visits? We sat down with Jeraud Norman of Jeraud Marketing to get brutally practical about what actually drives people into a rent‑to‑own store: short videos with real humans, clear invitations to try products in person, and simple tracking that proves ROI without fancy software. If you’ve been posting product photos and praying for reach, this conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail What does the “Big Beautiful Bill” actually mean for rent to own businesses, tax planning, cash flow management, and long term profitability? In this deep dive episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Mike Helton and Alicia Holloway of RGCO CPA to break down the 2025 tax changes that every rent to own operator needs to understand before heading into Q4 and the 2026 tax s...

Send us Fan Mail Can a quiet, introverted salesperson become a top performer in rent to own?  In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Angelica Felix-Damas to explore how empathy, creativity, product knowledge, and mentorship are reshaping the future of the rent to own industry.  Angelica shares her journey from being the “silent girl” at work to becoming a confident sales profes...

Send us Fan Mail What separates a great employee from a great leader in the rent to own industry? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Will Jackson from R&R Tire Express to explore leadership development, feedback culture, employee growth, and the mindset shift required to move from top performer to effective leader.  From leadership training frameworks to team culture an...

Send us Fan Mail What if growing your business had less to do with working harder and more to do with thinking differently? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with entrepreneur and author John Preston to unpack the ideas behind Grow Your Business in 40 Flushes , a business strategy book designed to help overwhelmed business owners improve profit, marketing, leadership, and decis...

Send us Fan Mail What if your POS system could actually improve your rent to own business instead of slowing it down? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with Enos Barger of Revo POS to explore how modern rent to own software, integrated CRM systems, cloud based operations, and real time data analytics are changing the future of the RTO industry. From digital agreements and quoti...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when an industry conference becomes the catalyst for leadership, advocacy, and long term business growth? In this episode of The RTO Show, Peter Shau sits down with APRO CEO Charles Smitherman to unpack everything that made RTO World 2025 in Omaha one of the most impactful rent to own industry events in recent years. From industry networking and leadership development...