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Premier Sponsor

Association of Professional Rental Organizations

APRO elevates the rent-to-own industry through advocacy and education to better serve our members.

Vendor Sponsor

Wow Brands

Designed specifically for the rent to own industry with ecommerce and lead generation strategies.

Dealer Sponsor

RNR Tire Express

Get the best value on today’s top brand name tires and wheels.

Learning Leadership Bookclub (LLB)

Book recommendation - Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek, published in 2009.

"Start With Why" by Simon Sinek (2009) argues that the most inspiring leaders and organizations — Sinek highlights Apple, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright Brothers — all communicate and operate from the inside out, using what he calls The Golden Circle:

Why – the core purpose or belief driving the organization (rarely about making money)
How – the process or values that make the organization distinct
What – the products or services actually produced

Most companies communicate outside-in: they lead with what they do, explain how, and rarely articulate why. Sinek argues the inspiring ones flip this — they lead with why, which taps into the brain's limbic system (responsible for feelings, trust, and decision-making) rather than the neocortex (responsible for rational, analytical thought). This is why people often can't fully explain why they made a decision — it "felt right." One of the best resources on how "Why?" can lead you to success.

A word from the host

When Apple Starts Leasing, the RTO Industry Should Pay Attention.

Apple just did something that should catch every rent-to-own operator's ear: it started leasing its products... read more

Latest Podcast Episodes

AI Is Rewriting Rent-to-Own Marketing Now

Half of all Google searches never end in a click anymore, and that single shift is quietly rewriting how rent-to-own stores get found. Pete Shau sits down with Wow Brands CTO Ryan Krass for a candid conversation about how AI search, shrinking discretionary income, and the rise of buy now pay later are reshaping RTO's front door. From gas price spikes hitting the bottom 40% of the economic ladder to the rise of "cheap" and "used" as the hottest search terms in the industry, this one covers what's actually changing and what store-level outcomes it demands from operators right now.

Listen to the episode

Watch on YouTube

What If Training Is Really About Trust

What if the biggest training mistake in RTO isn't a missing script, it's rushing the process? Pete Shau sits down with Nick Robinson of RNR Tire Express, a franchise trainer and Vendor Relations Liaison who came up through hands-on mentorship rather than a classroom. Together they dig into the reverse pyramid, why proofs matter more than checklists, and why you can't rush training no matter how badly a position needs filling. It's a candid, hard-earned-lessons conversation about what actually builds trust between a trainer and a new hire, and between a store and its customers.

Listen to the episode

Watch on YouTube

A behind the scenes look at next week's podcast

We rarely get to see behind the scenes of an interview on the RTO Show. Here is a small set up for an upcoming episode.

RTO Industry: News affecting the industry and maybe you too

Apple plans to lease iPhones for $17.99 a month through partnership with Klarna

Apple launched Apple Upgrade, a Klarna-backed leasing program letting U.S. customers lease iPhones (from $17.99/month), Apple Watch, Mac, and iPad instead of buying outright, with options to return, upgrade, or buy at term's end. It arrives as Apple grapples with rising device costs from an AI-driven memory chip shortage.

CNBC - Jul 28th, 2026

Major subprime retailer quietly shuts down 69 stores

Rent-A-Center quietly closed 69 stores in Q2 2026 as rising subprime delinquency rates left low-income shoppers unable to keep up with payments, according to Yahoo Finance. The closures come amid mounting criticism of the furniture-rental chain's pricing practices and broader financial strain across its subprime customer base.

Yahoo Finance - Aug 11th, 2026

Katapult Completes Aaron’s and CCFI Business Combination, Creating $4 Billion Nonprime Financial Platform

Katapult Holdings closed its all-stock merger with The Aaron's Company and CCF Holdings on August 11, creating a combined lease-to-own and consumer finance platform with over $4 billion in 2025 pro forma revenue and a proprietary dataset spanning roughly 7 million consumers. Ownership shifted heavily toward CCFI unitholders (~80%), with Aaron's shareholders at ~14% and original Katapult shareholders diluted to just ~6%.

Yahoo Finance - Aug 11th, 2026

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