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

The RTO Show Podcast is the podcast for the rent-to-own industry, hosted by Pete Shau, an industry insider with more than 20 years of experience in RTO operations, sales, leadership, marketing, and store growth.

Each episode brings candid conversations, practical insights, and real stories from the people shaping the RTO community, including operators, vendors, association leaders, store teams, industry veterans, and innovators helping move rent-to-own forward.

Pete’s conversations are built for seasoned veterans, newcomers, owners, managers, vendors, and anyone who wants to learn from the shared experiences, hard-earned lessons, and fresh perspectives inside the rent-to-own industry.

From lead generation, lead management, customer behavior, store traffic, door swings, sales process, collections, training, recruitment, and leadership development to technology, CRM integration, mobile-first shopping, Google ranking, Facebook ads, video marketing, advocacy, APRO, TRIB Group, RTO World, LegCon, and the future of the rent-to-own business model, The RTO Show helps listeners understand what is really happening in RTO.

If you work in RTO, serve the RTO industry, or want to better understand the people, challenges, trends, and opportunities behind rent-to-own, The RTO Show Podcast is your insider’s guide to the industry’s pulse.

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Guest

Ken Butler

Ken Butler is one of the most consequential figures in the history of the rent-to-own industry. In January 1974, Butler joined Aaron's as a Manager Trainee — the youngest store manager in the company's history — and spent 39 years helping transform Aaron's from a modest operation into a nationally recognized brand with more than 2,000 locations.

He developed the Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership model, which revolutionized the industry with larger stores, more selection, and lower prices, and championed the shift from weekly to monthly payments — a move that reshaped how the entire industry operates. He retired as Chief Operating Officer in 2013.

In 2012, APRO honored Butler with the Ernie Tally Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his nearly four-decade career and the revolutionary thinking he brought to rent-to-own. His story was featured in the inaugural episode of The RTO Show Podcast's Legends Series

Guest appearance on:

The Rent-to-Own Revolution: Ken Butler's Industry-Changing Journey