Improving a rent-to-own (RTO) business does not always require finding the next big idea. Sometimes the greatest opportunities come from making better decisions, staying close to the work, and consistently improving what already matters.
During Tissot Talk: Open the Doors to Your Next Level at RTO World 2026, Mike Tissot, Owner of Countryside Rentals Inc. dba Rent-2-Own, shared lessons gathered throughout his career in rent-to-own. His presentation began with a framework built around decisions, opportunities, ownership, retention, and standards, then expanded into 29 ideas about leadership, employees, customers, operations, and growth.
Across those ideas, Tissot returned repeatedly to a common principle: leaders can improve performance by creating clarity, staying connected to frontline operations, and consistently executing the fundamentals.
RTO Leadership Strategies Start With Clarity
One of Tissot’s early lessons was “never let them wonder or wander.”
The first part applies to employees wondering how they are performing. Tissot encouraged leaders to communicate expectations and feedback clearly instead of assuming employees know where they stand.
At Rent-2-Own, one tool for creating that clarity is a monthly “traffic light” meeting. Leaders identify a red light, the issue causing the most concern; a yellow light, something requiring caution or attention; and a green light, something working well that the organization may want to replicate.
Tissot connected the “wander” portion of the lesson to keeping employees focused on the work that matters. For managers, that means moving beyond simply working alongside employees and actively managing and coaching them.
Stay Close Enough to See What Is Really Happening
Tissot described another leadership principle as “fly low.”
The idea is straightforward: leaders need enough direct exposure to stores, employees, and daily operations to understand what is actually happening. Tissot discussed personally leading new-hire orientations and asking employees what they have encountered during their short time with the company that does not make sense. He said the question has surfaced observations leaders can learn from.
He also shared lessons he learned while helping set up a new store. Participating directly in the work gave him a firsthand view of operational details and inventory decisions that might otherwise have remained less visible from a leadership position.
“The lower we fly, the more we learn,” Tissot said.
For RTO leaders, staying close to the work can provide information that reports and meetings alone may not reveal.
Study Success, Not Just Problems
When a store struggles, leadership attention naturally follows. Tissot argued that high-performing stores deserve close attention, too.
“Success leaves clues,” he said.
Rather than assuming a successful location has everything under control and directing attention elsewhere, Tissot encouraged leaders to examine what that store does well. He recommended using an after-action review to identify the behaviors and practices contributing to strong results and determine what other locations can learn from them.
That approach connects with another practice Tissot emphasized: keeping score. He encouraged leaders to make important goals visible, track progress, and give teams a clear understanding of what they are working toward.
Keep Improving the Fundamentals
Tissot also cautioned experienced RTO professionals against becoming bored with the repetitive parts of the business.
“Talent and potential mean nothing if you can’t consistently do the boring things when you don’t feel like doing them,” he said.
Instead of becoming distracted by the next idea, he encouraged leaders to continue improving the work that drives the business. He later reinforced that point by telling attendees to “fall in love with the problem, not the idea.” A leader who becomes attached to one tactic may overlook the actual cause of the problem they are trying to solve.
Tissot closed his presentation with a similar emphasis on sustained improvement. Rather than waiting for a home run or a “magic bean,” he described looking each year for ways to grow through better products, processes, or people.
For RTO leaders looking to reach the next level, his message points back to the work already in front of them: set clear expectations, learn from frontline employees, study what successful stores do differently, keep score, and continue improving the fundamentals.
APRO members can watch the full Tissot Talk: Open the Doors to Your Next Level replay to hear all 29 of Tissot’s lessons from RTO World 2026.
About Rent-2-Own
Countryside Rentals Inc. dba Rent-2-Own is a rent-to-own company serving customers across Ohio and Kentucky. Founded in 1985, Rent-2-Own offers furniture, appliances, electronics, computers, mattresses, tires, outdoor equipment, and other household products through flexible rental-purchase agreements. Rent-2-Own has been an APRO member since 1985.
