I’m going to go on a rant, so please accept my apology in advance. We have more technology available to us today than at any point in the history of our business. We have websites working 24 hours a day. Facebook and Google can put our products in front of[Read More…]
Columnists
The Three Jobs in Every Contract
The question I get more than any other in this business is some version of “should I start my own rent-to-own company?” It’s a fair question. It also has an annoying answer: it’s more complicated than it sounds and nowhere near as black-and-white as most people asking it assume. The[Read More…]
Beyond the Numbers
Every company, dealer, manufacturer, driver, and employee in the shed industry has valid opinions. “This building style sells better.” “My customers only want this color.” “We’ve always stocked these sizes because they’re the most popular.” Those observations aren’t wrong. In fact, they’re incredibly valuable. They come from years of experience,[Read More…]
From Data to Decisions
One of the most important things a business leader needs is confidence. Confidence is different than arrogance. It is much more than the loud announcement that says, “I know what I’m doing.” The confidence of competence is a quiet certainty that comes from knowing what is happening in your business[Read More…]
Starting Over
Starting over takes a kind of quiet bravery. Not the loud, cinematic kind that people celebrate, but the kind that settles like a knot in the pit of your stomach. It is the kind that keeps you awake at night wondering if you are making the biggest mistake of your[Read More…]
What’s In A Name?
What’s in a name? More than most business owners realize. One of the most valuable assets your company will ever own isn’t sitting on your lot, parked in your driveway, or stored in your warehouse. It’s your brand. Your company name, logo, reputation, website, and the trust you’ve earned with[Read More…]
One Game, Five Scoreboards
The meeting always starts the same way. Sales are down. Marketing says the leads are fine. Sales says the leads are garbage. The agency blames the algorithm. Google reports that conversions went up. The CRM says they didn’t. And the owner sits at the head of the table wondering how[Read More…]
Self-Help Repossession and Breach of Peace
Getting a shed back after a customer default is one of the toughest parts of the rent-to-own business. The faster and cleaner you can do it, the better off you are and the fewer headaches you create. Of course, you want to work with your customers on getting their accounts[Read More…]
Beachy Barns: Built By Example
Driving through the farm country around Plain City, Ohio, you’ll see what you’d expect. Narrow back roads, clumps of trees, the occasional farmhouse and barn with a handful of livestock, and lots of crops. But along one of the roads, you notice something peculiar. Rows of peaked, shingled roofs. You[Read More…]
Using AI in Your Shed Business
One techy founder. A marketing and sales team made up of AI agents. The promise? A shed company that outsells, out delivers and outsmarts the competition down the road with forty traditional sales lots. That is likely the pitch you are hearing right now—or at least some version of “a[Read More…]
