★ PRESENTING SPONSORS ★

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 Book Club - LLB

Book recommendation - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

In RTO, your results are only as strong as the leadership behind them. Whether you're running a single store, managing a region, or building a franchise system, this book gives you the principles that separate managers who just hit numbers from leaders who build teams that keep hitting them.

You'll learn the core principles of successful leadership, including vision, influence, responsibility, and commitment, and how to apply them on the showroom floor, in the delivery truck, and on the collections route. The book shows you how to set goals for yourself and your team, and how to keep your emotional balance when the tough stretches hit: a slow month, a spike in skips and stolen merchandise, or a key employee walking out the door.

Each law is backed by practical, inspiring examples from John Maxwell's own experience, and they translate easily to the daily challenges of an RTO operation.

Maxwell has gone through every word of this book and updated it for the next generation of leaders. He added new insights, folded in lessons learned since the original edition, and replaced dated stories with fresh ones that fit today's business world.

What he didn't change are the leadership truths that have helped people become better leaders for the last quarter century. It remains one of the best leadership books you can buy, whether you want to:

Learn leadership on your own,
Develop as a leader alongside your team or peers, or
Teach leadership to others as a mentor.

For store managers, district and regional leaders, franchise owners, and anyone coaching the next wave of RTO talent, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is essential reading for understanding what it takes to lead well and win in this industry.

A word from the host

"We all serve the same customer. So why do we act like strangers?"

Rent-to-own got its start back in the 1970s, and in the decades since, it has grown into something much bigger than any one storefront. First came furniture and appliances. Then tire and wheel. Then sheds and small buildings. Now we have VRTO, virtual rent or lease to own, reaching customers in places the original pioneers never imagined.

Latest Podcast Episodes

Credit Is Splitting In Two And Rent To Own Benefits

Why do shoppers take longer to decide and deals feel harder to close? Credit is splitting in two, and the bottom of the K is your customer. Pete Shau walks through banks tightening subprime standards, what the Fed's loan officer survey shows, the BNPL crackdown and loan stacking, and why steady jobs mean customers have income but no access. Rent to own stays open when other doors close. Learn three moves to make now: lead with "no credit needed," train your team to welcome shoppers who were turned down, and play offense.

Listen to the episode

Watch on YouTube

Why Your Next Customer Is Still Sitting at Home

A three-year delay in moving out sounds small until you see what rent to own sells: first bedrooms, first washers, first living rooms. Pete Shau explains how the average move-out age rose from about 23 to 26, why housing costs drive it, and why that backlog of household formation could become a tailwind for operators who build real customer relationships now. He also shares what he hopes to learn at the NSRA conference in Knoxville, then covers four fourth quarter numbers and four moves for the next 90 days to protect renewals and reduce returns.

Listen to the episode

Watch on YouTube

Great time at the NSRA event in Knoxville, TN - September 21-22, 2026

This September, the National Shed Rental Association gathered in Knoxville, Tennessee around the theme "Becoming: Curious, Courageous, and Clear." It was my first time attending, and I wanted to see how the shed side of rent to own runs its business and what sets it apart. I was not disappointed.

Shed RTO serves the same customer as traditional RTO, with the same monthly payment structure and the same no credit needed promise. The product and the delivery model look different, and I came ready to listen and learn.

What stood out most was the culture in the room. Operators were willing to share information openly. They help each other, and the sense of unity was inspiring. People were generous with what they know, and that kind of collaboration makes an industry stronger.

Traditional RTO and shed RTO have run in parallel for a long time without talking to each other nearly enough. I left convinced that both sides have plenty to learn from one another, and I plan to keep that conversation going on The RTO Show.

RTO Industry: What we're reading over here

Upbound Group Names Scott Young as COO and Dev Chakraborty as Head of Brigit

Upbound Group created a new Chief Operating Officer role, filled by former PayPal executive Scott Young, and named ex-MoneyLion and Credit Karma leader Dev Chakraborty as Head of Brigit. CEO Fahmi Karam says the moves will help Acima, Brigit, and Rent-A-Center operate as one connected enterprise.

Business Wire - September 22, 2026

House Bill Would Reshape CFPB Funding, Rulemaking, Supervision and Enforcement (includes a GAO study of BNPL)

House Republicans led by Rep. Andy Barr introduced HR 10184, which would move CFPB funding to congressional appropriations, narrow the "abusive" standard, and limit penalties for good-faith compliance. It also sets federal earned wage access rules and directs the GAO to study buy now pay later and report to Congress within one year.

Cooley LLP via JD Supra - September 15, 2026

New York City Urges State to Crack Down on "Buy Now Pay Later" Debt Traps

New York City's consumer protection agency is urging the state to tighten buy now pay later rules, especially "Care Now Pay Later" medical financing. The agency says BNPL borrowers in the city skew young, low-income, and already in debt, and it is suing Brooklyn dental providers over these products.

NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection - September 21, 2026

Klarna Rolls Out Live Call Verification to Fight Fraud

Klarna launched Call Status Detection in the Nordics, letting customers confirm in the app whether a call from Klarna is real. Verified calls show green and unverified calls show amber, as impersonation scams cost Europeans over 4 billion euros a year.

FinTech Global - September 15, 2026

Bank of America Corp DE Acquires New Stake in Upbound Group

Bank of America bought 294,594 shares of Upbound Group (UPBD), a stake worth about $6.25 million. Institutions now hold about 90% of the stock, analysts rate it a consensus Hold with a $28 target, and Upbound beat Q2 estimates at $1.07 per share and declared a $0.39 quarterly dividend.

MarketBeat - September 28, 2026

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