Cody Karst, General Manager of the Topeka, Kansas, Best Tire Concepts, LLC dba RNR Tire Express store, has been in the rent-to-own (RTO) industry for only a year – but what a year it’s been! Under Karst’s leadership, the location has grown its customer base by more than 30 percent, has hit a milestone of over 700 customers, and has sustained profitability enough to add three full-time positions within the store.
“Cody has done a fantastic job learning the RTO business, leading a great team, and growing revenues and profits,” says Owner Terah Vail Munstermann. “We’re thrilled to have him as a leader at our company!”
Prior to joining Best Tire Concepts, Karst spent five years as a Store Manager for Sleep Number in Minnesota. He says that during his tenure there, he learned some key lessons from people who shared his people-focused, behavior-based leadership approach.
“I learned the fastest way to increase your sales is to examine the customer experience your team is providing,” Karst says. “Your main goal should be generating referrals, because they cost nothing and mean everything. Also, all metrics are directly correlated to the investment in and buy-in within the store. The output of your location is directly related to the input and the impact you make daily with your team.”
Not surprisingly, Karst spends much of his time encouraging his sales team to maximize customer interactions, developing a fierce but fair account program, and ensuring that safety and wait-time standards are upheld for customers. Day-to-day, he enjoys the vast variety of rent-to-own.
“I greatly appreciate how fast-paced the environment is and how you never have the same day twice,” says Karst. “The pace of RTO is electric, and having to juggle multiple departments within one business has helped me improve my delegation and multitasking skills, and helped me empower my people to make decisions that serve our business well.”
While he’s justifiably proud of his store’s tremendous growth over the past year, Karst says he’s proudest of the team he has helped build.
“Six of our eight team members came to us with no prior experience in tires and wheels, and they’ve been the pillars of our growth,” he says. “It’s a privilege to show up to work every day with people who have incredible pride and take ownership in what they do. My folks are open-minded, coachable, and consider accountability an opportunity for growth.”
Karst also loves rent-to-own’s close customer connections, especially being able to help his fellow community members get the tires they need and the wheels they want.
“We’ve had a few customers in tears in the showroom because we put four brand-new tires on their vehicle for as low as $5 down, and will help them with regular maintenance,” says Karst. “I love the excitement people have when their vehicle comes out of the shop with four new tires or the custom wheels they’ve been dreaming of for years.”
