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What does it take to build a rent to own company that lasts more than four decades and still feels like a family business?

In this special Legends Series episode of The RTO Show, Pete Shau sits down with Mike Strong, along with Michael Strong and Angela Strong, to explore the growth of Mike’s Rent to Own and the leadership principles that helped shape one of the longest standing independent rent to own businesses in the industry. 

From sleeping in the back of the store during the early startup days to expanding into 14 locations across Kansas, this conversation covers entrepreneurship, customer relationships, employee leadership, rent to own operations, APRO advocacy, family business growth, and the future of the RTO industry. Listeners will learn how strong work ethic, community involvement, and customer first service created a lasting legacy in the rent to own space. 

What You’ll Learn:

• How Mike Strong transitioned from military service and corporate management into building a successful rent to own business
• Why relationship driven customer service became the foundation of long term RTO growth
• How family leadership and second generation ownership helped expand Mike’s Rent to Own from one store to 14 locations
• What the rent to own industry can teach entrepreneurs about resilience, customer trust, and operational growth
• How organizations like APRO, TRIB, and KRDA helped strengthen advocacy, leadership development, and industry collaboration

Episode Highlights:

• 03:44 – Mike Strong shares how he entered the rent to own industry after leaving Chrysler management
• 07:00 – What it was like starting a business during 18 percent interest rates
• 09:07 – The late night delivery culture that helped build the company in the early years
• 14:02 – The evolution from paper account cards to digital rent to own software systems
• 17:18 – The collapse of Curtis Mathis and the pivot that changed the company’s future
• 21:06 – Why products like Nintendo, laptops, and Apple devices transformed rent to own retail
• 29:15 – The advantage of serving small town and rural rent to own customers
• 34:35 – How attending customer funerals strengthened long term community relationships
• 46:34 – Why APRO and TRIB became essential to leadership growth and industry mentorship
• 01:03:06 – Mike Strong shares the “never give up” philosophy behind 44 years of success

Meet the Guest:

Mike Strong is the founder of Mike’s Rent to Own, one of the longest standing independent rent to own companies in the United States. Alongside his children, Michael Strong and Angela Strong, the family continues expanding the business while helping lead the future of the RTO industry through APRO, KRDA, and community leadership initiatives.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Relationship driven customer service
• Rural and small town rent to own market strategy
• Family business leadership development
• Community focused customer engagement
• APRO and TRIB industry networking
• KRDA leadership and advocacy
• Employee first operational culture
• “Never give up” business philosophy
• Customer needs based product expansion

Closing Insight:

“Treat customers with respect, work hard every day, and never give up. That mindset built a rent to own business that lasted for generations.”

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