Name: Teresa Hill
What’s your current role/title?
I am the Vice President of Operational Support at Buddy’s Newco LLC, dba Buddy’s Home Furnishings.
Years in RTO: I have been in the RTO industry for 25 amazing years.
What did you do before RTO?
Before RTO, I was a manager with the Limited Corporation overseeing a high-volume, big-box, retail apparel location.
What do you do in a typical day or week?
Operational support touches a lot of different departments and has several areas of responsibility. A typical week will usually include working with our franchise team on store acquisitions, renewals, new territory sales and leads. I engage with our service department to ensure they have the resources needed to service electronics and appliances, and I plan company meetings and events. I also interact with Enterprise to manage our company’s fleet program, and I work continuously to evolve our training and operations programs.
How did you find your current position?
The Buddy’s leadership team recruited me.
What are the benefits of working in rent-to-own?
One of the biggest benefits of rent-to-own is the interpersonal relationships you develop working weekly or monthly with customers. Another benefit is being able to impact the local communities by getting involved and giving back. The RTO industry is all about relationships.
How do you manage work/life balance with your role?
I do my best to give 110% while I’m at work, allowing me to focus on my family, friends and other endeavors when I am away from the office.
What do you predict will change in our industry in the next five years?
If this year has taught us anything, it has taught us the power of ecommerce. I see our industry continuing to find new ways to continue to transition to online platforms using sales-chat features like live video chats and online showrooms. I also think the future will see a majority of non-televised advertising taking place via social media.
How did you prepare for your role in RTO?
I believe the business and accounting courses that I took in college and my previous management experience helped prepare me for my various roles in RTO.
What do you love most about your job or employer?
I love the Buddy’s team, or should I say my Buddy’s family. Some of the people I work with I have known for more than a decade, and others I have gotten to know over the last seven years with Buddy’s. No matter our background, roles or time together, we all work towards making Buddy’s better. I work with wonderful people at the corporate office and exceptional franchisees and vendors.
To reach out to Teresa Hill, you can add her on Facebook and LinkedIn.
A Day in the Life in RTO is a series dedicated to highlighting the variety of careers in the rent-to-own industry. Each feature focuses on an individual in RTO and answers a series of questions about their day-to-day responsibilities and career path.
To be featured or suggest someone to be featured in the next edition of this career series, please email us at info@rtohq.org.
