Tampa’s Larry Sutton has been a member of APRO for over 20 years as well as a member of the Hall of Fame and has experienced quite the journey. Dreaming big, Sutton transitioned from rental dealer to founder and CEO of multimillion dollar franchise RNR Tire Express and Custom Wheels.
Larry attributes his success to combining passion for doing what he loves and carving a niche in the growing and underserved tire and custom wheel market. On Wednesday, February 15, his successes were highlighted on an episode of CNBC’s
Blue Collar Millionaires, a show narrated by Tim McGraw that features “ordinary people overcoming difficulties to transform their dirty jobs into ‘filthy riches.’” The new season, which started January 4, celebrates America’s most inspiring self-made successes: the working-class men and women who’ve managed to build fortunes with nothing but mud, sweat, and tears. During the episode, Sutton shows viewers what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur and the importance of being passionate about what you do.
One of Larry’s associates was a fan of CNBC’s
Blue Collar Millionaires and submitted Larry as a candidate for the show. Within weeks Larry received a phone call from the production team and within a couple months he was greeted by a productive crew at his home in Tampa, Florida. Larry says he was a little hesitant at first because once the footage was shot he would no longer have any editing rights but after some research he felt confident about moving forward with the project. He spent two days filming both at RNR stores and his home. He said that over the course of 48 hours the crew really became family. At one point, they joined the Sutton’s and RNR crew for dinner at Larry’s house and at the end of the day, Larry couldn’t be happier with the experience and the outcome.
Since the show aired in February, there has been the highest number of new franchisee interest in RNR’s history with over 400 inquiries and more on the way. RNR’s protocol, after preliminary financial clearing, is to bring in prospective franchisees for what they call “Discovery Day”. Franchisees are given a tour, along with a briefing of the company culture and values. Larry says they have gone from holding one Discovery Day a week to two a week for the foreseeable future. “You couldn’t buy this kind of exposure and advertisement. We are more than thrilled with the result of show,” expressed Sutton.
The biggest benefit, since the show aired, was the positive light it shed on the Rent-to-Own transaction. “They really captured that our industry is in the business to help people. All kinds of people from all walks of life,” said Sutton. When asked if he would do it again Larry replied without hesitation, “are you kidding?”
New episodes of CNBC’s Blue Collar Millionaire air on Wednesday’s 10P ET/PT, however, reruns at various times as well. Chances are you can still catch Larry’s episode.
Click here to view a preview of the episode.
To learn more about Larry’s appearance on the show, visit
http://bit.ly/2ocDBn8.
For more information about RNR and its franchise opportunities, visit
www.RNRfranchise.com.
About RNR Tire Express & Custom Wheels
RNR Tire Express & Custom Wheels is a national franchise retailer of quality tires and custom wheels offered with convenient, no credit hassle payment plans designed to fit each client’s unique budgets. Established in 2000 by rent-to-own veteran, Larry Sutton, RNR has grown to almost 100 locations in 22 states. The brand recently ranked as the No. 1 category leader for tires & wheels in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2017 Franchise 500 list and took home two spots on Tire Business’ 2015 Annual Report coming in at No. 15 for total revenue and No. 18 for total locations. RNR Tire Express & Custom Wheels is seeking qualified multi-unit franchisees to expand even further nationally with prime markets available throughout the country. For more information about RNR, or to inquire about franchise opportunities, visit
www.RNRfranchise.com.
