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

Send us Fan Mail Danny and Pete make the case that the most successful stores aren't run by one great manager — they're run by two people who complement each other's blind spots. They call it the one-two punch: one person leans creative and sales-driven, the other leans structured and efficiency-focused. Think Han Solo and Chewbacca, peanut butter and jelly, or in RTO terms, sales a...

Send us Fan Mail This episode was requested by GM Radimus Robles of CPL Group, and Danny and Pete deliver a straightforward roadmap for what to do when you've had a rough year and need to get back on track. Step one is the honest audit. Pete goes analytical — pull your trend reports, find the specific months where things slipped, and identify the root cause. Danny goes inward — look at your l...

Send us Fan Mail Danny and Pete dedicate this episode to the full arc of closing a sale — from the first greeting to the fifth follow-up attempt. The through-line is simple: every customer walks in with their guard up, and your job is to bring it down before you ever talk about a product. It starts with the greeting. Get their name immediately and use it often. Danny's approach is to skip the...

Send us Fan Mail What separates the managers who hit their numbers from the ones who keep falling short? In this episode, Danny and Pete break down their personal approach to goal setting — and it goes a lot deeper than writing a number on a whiteboard. They dig into why most people are actually chasing the wrong goals, how to structure your ambitions so they build on each other over time, and wha...

Send us Fan Mail Danny and Pete close out Season 1 with a look back at everything they built — 15 episodes, a sponsorship, merch, a giveaway winner, and listeners as far as Missouri, Texas, Nebraska, and Idaho. They recap each episode briefly, from the pilot and RTO 101 all the way through Black Friday prep, managing your sweet spot, standing out from the crowd, training, and the fault-admitting f...

Send us Fan Mail   As Season 1 wraps up, Danny and Pete pull back the curtain and get honest about where they've fallen short as leaders. The theme is accountability — specifically, how both of them have bent their own standards for top performers and what they're committing to fix heading into 2023. Danny's central admission is that he's been widening the plate. He borrows the...

Send us Fan Mail Danny opens with the numbers: according to Edge Point Learning, 20% of US workers leave within their first 45 days, and that figure jumps to 50% in retail. But companies with a strong onboarding program see 91% of employees stay at least a year, and 69% stick around for three. The why behind training isn't just culture — it's the bottom line. Before any training begins,...

Send us Fan Mail Danny and Pete dig into what actually separates a memorable local rent-to-own store from the competition — and it starts with personality. Charisma and relatability aren't just nice-to-haves, they're the foundation. People choose to do business with people they like, and no amount of promotion covers for a bland presence. From there, the conversation gets creative. Beyon...

Send us Fan Mail This episode tackles a question every rent-to-own manager should be honest with themselves about: what customer count or revenue level do you actually manage best? Danny and Pete call this your "sweet spot" — the range where you're performing at peak efficiency before the volume starts working against you. Both hosts agree that customer count is the better benchmark...

Send us Fan Mail Danny and Pete are back together for this one, and the energy is high — because Black Friday is about ten days away and both of them live for this time of year. For Pete, it's his 18th year in rent-to-own and it still feels like a first date. For Danny, the fourth quarter is the make-or-break moment that defines the whole year — not just for sales, but for setting up the foll...

Send us Fan Mail Pete hosts this episode solo while Danny vacations in Mexico, bringing on guest Teddy Kirvin — a 12-year rent-to-own veteran who started at Rent-A-Center in Goose Creek, South Carolina in 2010. Since then, the industry has taken Teddy across the country, through Buddy's Home Furnishings on both coasts of Florida and eventually to his current role as Regional Sales Manager for...

Send us Fan Mail Ask any experienced rent-to-own operator what separates a thriving store from a struggling one, and eventually the conversation comes back to the same position — the delivery tech. In this episode, Pete Shau and Danny make the case that the rent-to-own delivery driver is one of the most undervalued, underestimated, and underinvested roles in the entire RTO industry, and that fixin...

Send us Fan Mail Taking over a rent-to-own store as a new general manager is one of the most challenging transitions in the RTO industry — and most new GMs walk in without a real playbook. In this episode, Pete Shau and Danny draw from their combined experience across more than a dozen rent-to-own store takeovers to give new and aspiring RTO store managers the honest, practical advice nobody sat d...

Send us Fan Mail The rent-to-own industry has always been built on relationships — but the place where those relationships now start has changed dramatically. In this episode, Pete Shau and Danny break down exactly how RTO stores and operators can stop leaving customers on the table by ignoring the most powerful and trackable tool available in rent-to-own digital marketing today: social media. Thi...

Send us Fan Mail You've made the call to replace. Now comes the harder part — finding the right person to fill that seat. In this episode, Pete Shau and Danny pull back the curtain on how two veteran RTO district managers actually conduct interviews, and why most hiring managers are asking the wrong questions. With nearly 30 years of combined experience conducting interviews, attending job fa...

Send us Fan Mail Nobody talks about this part. The long hours, the missed recitals, the stress you carry home without realizing it, the relationships that bend — and sometimes break — under the weight of a demanding career in rent-to-own. In this episode, Pete Shau and Danny get real and personal about what life in the RTO industry actually costs you outside of the store. This topic was suggested...

Send us Fan Mail Growing a rent-to-own customer base isn't just about getting people through the door — it's about what happens before, during, and long after that first visit. In this episode, Pete Shau and Danny deliver a practical, no-fluff playbook built from nearly three decades of combined RTO experience that every store manager, account manager, and district manager needs to hear....

Send us Fan Mail The hosts agree: there's no universal time frame. Some decisions are clear within a week. Others take 90 days or two years. The key distinction Danny draws is "will do" vs. "won't do" — a training issue can be fixed; an attitude problem usually can't. Pete's approach leans on data and documentation, while Danny leads with instinct and energy...

Send us Fan Mail In this fired-up episode, Pete Shau and Danny challenge every rent-to-own operator, store manager, and district manager to tear off the mental ceiling they've placed on their own potential. Inspired by Dan Fisher, Pat Hartman, and Ray Adams of Magic Rentals and their legendary Two Million Dollar Club session at RTO World 2022, Pete and Danny break down what it actually takes...

Send us Fan Mail RTO World 2022 Recap: Hello, Indy! The RTO Show Podcast | Hosted by Pete Shau & Danny In this lively recap, Pete Shau and Danny take listeners inside RTO World 2022 , the rent-to-own industry's premier annual conference held August 10–12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. From educational sessions and leadership panels to rooftop ballrooms and bike cab rides through downtown Indy,...

Send us Fan Mail In this foundational episode of The RTO Show Podcast , hosts Pete Shau and Danny break down everything you need to know about the rent-to-own (RTO) industry — from how rental agreements work to the real-world benefits that set RTO apart from traditional retail. Whether you're a first-time customer curious about rent-to-own, an industry newcomer, or a seasoned RTO professional...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The RTO Show. I'm Pete Shau, and if you've spent any time in the rent-to-own industry — whether you're behind the counter, running a store, managing multiple locations, or leading from the home office — then you already know: this business gets in your blood. I've spent over 20 years in this industry. From store management at Rent-A-Center to multi-u...