★ PRESENTING SPONSORS ★

Supporting Sponsor

Capital Concierges

We have over 150 Banks & Lenders offering a wide range of business loans

Business Term Loans, Revolving Lines of Credit, New Business Start-Ups, Commercial Real Estate, Loans with NO Money Down and More

Thomas Murphy 800-897-1409

Tmurphy@CapitalConcierges.com

Vendor Sponsor

wowbrands

Designed specifically for the rent to own industry with ecommerce and lead generation strategies. Set up your consultation today!

Dealer Sponsor

RNR Tire Express

Get the best value on today’s top brand name tires and wheels. Interested in a franchise opportunity? Reach out today!

Turn your Rent to Own Charge-offs into cash! Landmark will purchase your account today. You can sell accounts up to 5 years from the Charge Off date! $250,000 Remaining Balance on Rent: Minimum File

Learning Leadership Book Club - LLB Presents

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek

Summary:

Leaders Eat Last argues that great leaders put their people's well-being ahead of their own comfort, creating a "Circle of Safety" where employees feel valued and protected so they can focus on outside challenges instead of internal threats. Sinek explains that healthy cultures balance the "get it done" chemicals (endorphins and dopamine) with the "bonding" chemicals (serotonin and oxytocin), and warns that distance from the people leaders affect makes it too easy to chase short-term numbers at the expense of trust. For the RTO industry, where results depend on collections, retention, and customer relationships, this means leaders who coach instead of blame, show up in the stores, and invest in training from day one will see lower turnover, better account performance, and more loyal customers. In short, take care of your people and the results follow.

A word from the host - The RTO Blog

The Case for Mentorship

There is a shortcut in life that most people never take. Not because it's hidden. It is standing right in front of you. But because it requires something that doesn't come naturally to a lot of driven people. Humility. The willingness to say, I don't have all the answers. I could use some help. That shortcut is a mentor.

Latest Podcast Episodes

How to Spot Future RTO Leaders on Your Team with Erica St. Charles

Meet Erica St. Charles, Regional Manager at Arona Home Essentials in Michigan, who went from hotel management to RTO in 2014. She became the company’s first regional manager promoted without serving as a GM, and she won back-to-back Region of the Year awards in 2024 and 2025. Erica leads hands-on, even loading trailers in the rain, and spots future leaders by watching how they stay calm under pressure and treat teammates. She builds her bench by giving delivery and sales staff new tasks before any opening exists. She coaches underperformers by separating “can’t do” from “won’t do,” and she urges ambitious employees to say what they want. Her advice: build relationships with the whole team, not just the GMs, and always speak up.

Listen to the episode

Watch on YouTube

Joe Ignace of Velocity 360 on Sales Science and Increasing Close Rates in RTO

We talk with Joe Ignace, CEO of Velocity 360 CRM, about where dealers lose sales after the lead comes in. A former door-to-door salesman who treats selling as a formula, Joe argues that follow-up speed matters more than lead volume. Since no rep can respond to every lead within 60 seconds, Velocity 360 automates texts, voicemails, and emails, then hands off to the salesperson once the lead replies. His data shows Facebook leads closing at 2.4%, 3D configurator leads at 20.2%, and inbound calls at 55%. One store never followed up on 80% of its quotes. He recommends tracking five key numbers to tell a marketing problem from a sales problem, getting visibility into every rep’s calls and texts, and calling leads instead of texting endlessly. Velocity 360 serves sheds, outdoor structures, and furniture dealers, not traditional RTO yet. Book a demo at velocity360crm.com.

Listen to the episode

Watch on YouTube

Special event from the last 2 weeks:

Grand Opening of an RNR Tire Express in Vero Beach, FL on October 3rd, 2026! It was great to see the community come together and support one of RNR's newest locations.

RTO Industry: What we're reading over here

Rent-A-Center/Acima Leasing/Brigit Data Breach: Ademi LLP Investigates Claims for Possible Damages Suffered by Customers
MILWAUKEE, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ademi LLP is investigating potential data privacy claims arising from a data breach involving lease to own company Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPBD), which operates as Rent-A-Center/Acima Leasing and Brigit. We are investigating whether Upbound maintained reasonable safeguards to protect personal information.

Please contact them for more information.