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The RTO Show "Let's talk Rent to Own"
Ever wondered how a $8.5 billion industry keeps millions of Americans lounging in style? Step into "The RTO Show Podcast" – where the mysterious world of Rent to Own furniture finally spills its secrets! Your host Pete Shau isn't just any industry veteran – he's spent 20 years in the trenches, collecting the kind of stories that'll make you laugh, gasp, and maybe even rethink everything you knew about that couch you're sitting on.
From wild customer tales to industry shake-ups that'll knock your rented socks off, Pete brings the seemingly mundane world of furniture financing to vibrant life. Warning: This isn't your typical business podcast – expect real talk, unexpected laughs, and "aha!" moments that'll have you looking at every lease agreement in a whole new light.
Whether you're an RTO pro who knows your depreciation schedules by heart, or you're just curious about how that fancy sectional ended up in your living room, Pete's got the inside scoop you never knew you needed. Tune in and discover why the furniture business is anything but boring!
Episodes
121 episodes
Leading Multi-Unit Teams Through Change with Sean Knupp
Strong teams don’t happen by accident—they’re built by leaders who put people first and still demand performance. We sit down with regional leader Sean Knupp to unpack the playbook behind consistent growth in rent-to-own: GMs who operate like o...
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Season 7
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Episode 13
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1:05:20
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RTO Legend: Chris Korst from Rent A Center
A small, scrappy industry took on courts, Congress, and headlines—and won. Chris Korst, longtime Rent-A-Center executive and counsel, joins us to unpack how rent-to-own went from “wild west” storefronts to a regulated, transparent option for mi...
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Season 7
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Episode 12
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54:05
RTO Legend: Brad Denison of Benefit Marketing Solutions (BMS)
Law can feel abstract until it touches a living room. We sit down with Brad, former general counsel turned vendor advocate, to unpack how rent-to-own won its legal identity as a lease—not credit—and why that nuance still shapes access to applia...
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Season 7
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Episode 11
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1:01:56
Wake for Warriors: Healing Veterans Through Water and Brotherhood
In this special episode of The RTO Show, Pete Shau welcomes Ray Muncy of Buddies Home Furnishings and Dave Deep, founder of Wake for Warriors. Together, they explore how a shared love of water and community turned into a nationwide mov...
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Season 6
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Episode 13
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1:04:16
RTO Legend: Kevin Quinn of Quality Rentals
A 24-year-old franchisee walks into a brand-new industry and ends up helping to save it. That’s the arc of Kevin Quinn, who went from learning how to rent a $499 VCR to leading APRO through a political and tax storm that could have erased rent-...
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Season 7
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Episode 10
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59:40
RTO Legend: Larry Carrico of Rent One
Two stores, a fire that melted the backups, and a decision that transformed an operator into a multi-state force: keep the people, codify the playbook, and own the ground you stand on. We sit down with Larry Carrico of Rent One to unpack how ac...
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Season 7
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Episode 9
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1:00:53
Health Benefits That Actually Fit Small Teams
Health benefits shouldn’t feel like a second job. We sat down with Marshall Darr, CEO of StretchDollar, to unpack a simpler model for small teams: employers set a monthly budget and employees pick and own the plans that fit their lives. Instead...
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Season 6
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Episode 12
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57:31
RTO Legend: Larry Sutton of RNR Tire Express
A nickname born from a Southern Baptist speaking style and a talent for rallying a room might sound like a fun story, but “The Reverend of RTO” is really about substance: value, trust, and relentless follow-through. Larry Sutton joins us to cha...
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Season 7
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Episode 8
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1:04:56
Behind the Scenes of RTO Video Magic with EssToo Creative
Want customers to stop scrolling and start walking into your store? We sat down with Stephen Stough of EssToo Creative, a veteran-turned-creative director who blends military-grade problem solving with story-led marketing that actually moves th...
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Season 6
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Episode 11
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58:49
RTO Legend: John Blair former Director of TRIB
A legend in rent-to-own doesn’t happen by accident. John Blair takes us from a teenage crossroads to the Marines to the front lines of building TRIB into a credible, member-led powerhouse. His story is packed with hard-won tactics and clear pri...
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Season 7
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Episode 7
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51:02
RTO Legend: Wayland Russell of Eagle Rental Purchase
A small team launched six stores in a month, refused bargain-bin products, and built a public company that outperformed the category—by betting everything on culture, quality, and customer dignity. Pete sits down with industry legend Wayland Ru...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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53:32
RTO Legend: Dennis Shields of the TRIB Group
A handful of dealers pooled their leverage in 1983 and changed rent-to-own forever. That spark became TRIB, a buying group that now unites 198 member companies and negotiates real-world programs with the brands that power our showrooms. We sit ...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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53:02
Ace Rent to Own COO Ben Leach on Black Friday Sales and family
What happens when a second-generation leader takes the mic and the wheel? We sit with Ace Rent to Own COO Ben Leach to unpack how a family legacy becomes a modern operating system built on people, service, and smart use of technology. Ben share...
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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59:48
RTO Legend: Dan Fisher of Majik Rent to Own
A family video store with 400 movies. A heavy VCR lugged home for the weekend. An $800 camcorder bought on a personal credit card so a loyal customer wouldn’t be let down. That’s where Dan Fisher’s rent-to-own story begins—and how a small exper...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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45:59
RTO Legend: Shannon and Cynthia Baber-Strunk
A customer says, “I’ll never own the laundromat,” and everything changes. That moment turned rent-to-own from a product on a shelf into a service with purpose for Shannon and Cynthia Baber Strunk—two industry legends who built, defended, and ev...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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48:10
RTO Legend: Kathy Windsor of Nation TV Sales & Rental
A family credit line, a few sturdy appliances, and a belief that people deserve dignity—that’s where our conversation with Kathy Windsor begins. From Texas beginnings to a Missouri legacy, we trace how National TV Sales and Rental grew on disci...
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Season 7
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Episode 2
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51:05
RTO Legend: Lyn Leach of Ace Rent to Own
A flip chart, a promise to a father, and a tiny Omaha storefront lit the fuse for a 24-store rent-to-own legacy grounded in dignity and service. We sit down with industry legend Lyn Leach to unpack how a consumer-first mindset—friendly collecti...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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57:10
Show Your Face, Adjust Your Sound, And Watch Store Traffic Climb
Ready to turn views into visits? We sat down with Jeraud Norman of Jeraud Marketing to get brutally practical about what actually drives people into a rent‑to‑own store: short videos with real humans, clear invitations to try products in person...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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46:18
The Big Beautiful Bill: Discussing RTO’s Finance and taxes with RG Co. CPA's
What if your business is worth less (or more) than you think—because buyers don’t pay for sentiment, they pay for cash flow? We sit down with CPA Mike Helton and senior tax manager Alicia Holloway from RG & Co. to decode the “big, beautiful...
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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1:40:56
What a Quiet Salesperson Teaches Us About RTO’s Future
A shy new hire walks into rent-to-own, gets labeled “the mute girl,” and ends up becoming a trusted salesperson customers ask for by name. That arc—uneasy beginnings to confident service—is the heartbeat of our conversation with Angelica Felix ...
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Season 6
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Episode 7
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47:02
From Cleats to Clipboards: Building Effective Leaders
When high-performing employees become leaders without proper training, everyone suffers – the promoted employee, their team, and ultimately the customer experience. Will Jackson, Team Development Director at RNR Tire Express, knows this reality...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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1:13:51
"Grow your business in 40 flushes!" with book author John Preston
What separates successful business owners from those who struggle despite their technical expertise? John Preston tackles this question head-on in this eye-opening conversation with Pete Chow on the RTO Show, introducing his unconventional busi...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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53:33
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What if your POS system actually made your business better?
What happens when a data analytics expert decides the rent-to-own industry deserves better software? You get Revo POS—a ground-breaking point-of-sale system that's completely reimagining how RTO businesses operate.From the moment you ex...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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1:10:57
"Hello Omaha!" with APRO CEO Charles Smitherman, PhD, JD, MSt, CAE
When Charles Smitherman accidentally booked the wrong hotel for a Nebraska meeting, he stumbled upon what would become one of the most celebrated RTO World venues in recent memory. Omaha surprised everyone with its vibrant downtown, beautiful r...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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35:22
Franchise Success: The Inside Scoop with Mitchell Lee
What does it really take to succeed in the rent-to-own franchise world? Mitchell Lee, Senior Director of Franchise Sales at Buddy's Home Furnishings, pulls back the curtain on this profitable but often misunderstood business model.The c...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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52:19