Inside The Shed Industry’s Shift - PART 1

The shed industry is changing fast—and the smartest operators are meeting buyers where they are with clearer pricing, tighter operations, and the right payment tool for each customer. We open the doors to our real office conversations: how dealer-side financing is rising, why RTO isn’t going anywhere, and where the economics break if you don’t know your true cost per unit. It’s a frank look at kickbacks, consolidation, and the value of building lean habits that survive any market cycle.

We also get practical. Paint is more than color—it’s your first impression. Programs that bundle industrial-grade coatings with local stock, training, and on-site support cut rework and boost customer pride years after delivery. Pair that with integrated systems—inventory-synced websites, fast-response CRMs, clean quoting, and delivery scheduling—and you remove friction from lead to drop-off. Convenience matters as much as rate: buy-downs and 0% offers pull qualified buyers into finance at the lot, while RTO continues to unlock access for those who need no-credit-check options.

Across nearly 500 releases, we’ve watched the market grow up. The data says a large slice of sales still flow through RTO, a smaller share through true finance, and a meaningful chunk via private lenders—leaving room for on-lot finance to expand. The winners will educate customers on total cost of ownership, match payment paths to profiles, and run playbooks that are simple, transparent, and margin-aware. The real takeaway: do right by the buyer, and the business follows.

If you care about smarter financing, better margins, and tools that actually fit how you sell, hit play. Then tell us your mix—how are you balancing finance and RTO today? Subscribe, share with a colleague, and drop a review to help more builders and dealers find these conversations.

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This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Shed Pro

Pittsburgh Paints Co
Cardinal Manufacturing
RTO Smart
Velocity 360
Shed Suite

Transcript

Host Banter And Community Updates

INTRO 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the Shed Geek Podcast. Here's a message from our Studio sponsor. Let's be real. Running a Shed business today isn't just about building great sheds. The industry is changing fast. We're all filling the squeeze, competing for fewer buyers, while expectations keep climbing. And yet, I hear from many of you that you are still juggling spreadsheets, c lunky software, or disconnected systems. You're spending more time managing chaos than actually growing your business. That's why I want to talk to you about our studio sponsor, ShedPro. If you're not already using them, I really think you should check them out. ShedPro combines your 3D configurator, point of sale, RTO contract, inventory, deliveries, and dealer tools all in one platform. They even integrate cleanly into our Shed Geek marketing solutions. From website lead to final delivery, you can quote, contract, collect payment, and schedule delivery in one clean workflow. No more double entries, no more back and forth paying. Quoting is faster, orders are cleaner. And instead of chasing down paperwork, you're actually running your business. And if you mention ShedGeek, you'll get 25% off all setup fees. Check it out at shedpro.co/shed geek. Thank you, ShedPro, for being our studio sponsor and honestly for building something that helps the industry.

Shannon 1:34

Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast here in Metropolis, Illinois. Love to say sunny metropolis. It is. We got green grass coming in, but man we got water. And we are water-logged here today.

Cord 1:54

Soggy Metropolis.

Shannon 1:55

Cord knows all that all too well as he went up to uh get into the building today. We're working a Saturday. That's right. We work Saturdays over here. You know, we ain't scared. Uh and uh and Cord got soaking wet on his way in because the thumbprint on the door wasn't working. So uh yeah, it's uh well that's to my delight, and uh I get to laugh about that. But uh before we get rolling, a couple ways to uh uh just a couple things, ways to stay plugged in with us over here at Shed Geek. Uh phone number 618-309-3648. Email us at info@shedgeek.com. And of course, our uh website is shedgeek.com. Uh we, as you guys know, we have a couple of Facebook pages out there, the Shed Sales Professionals, the Carport uh sales professionals. Please go and like those groups or accept an invite from those if you see that coming into your email. And for the playing community or your playing community friends, uh feel free to share this number with them. 330-997-3055. I did hear recently where a couple uh playing community friends of mine was saying that the line was static-y, so we've got to get with those guys and kind of see, you know, we want to make sure that your listening quality is good. Uh, you do have options to save and go back and replay uh if you do listen on that call-in land line. So, by all means, you know, feel free to uh feel free to let me know whenever you see any problems like that. Hot item of the day. Well, I don't want to say who, but we get to have dinner tonight with an executive in the shed manufacturing world, and I'm very excited about that cord, but for their for their safety, we will leave them unnamed.

Cord 3:34

Yeah, the big time. Um, you know, as we commonly talk about, um, some of the wherever that number has gotten to now, big five, big six, big seven, it feels like there are really some companies that are climbing at the moment, but we always enjoy talking to uh those guys, uh, the top executives, the top management teams of these companies, because they really have some of the best information, the best data, the best insights because of their footprint, because of what they have going on. And, you know, I'm uh of the mind, and I think you are too, that those same types of insights can apply to um every listener, right? Whether you're a dealer, whether you are a smaller manufacturer, uh, even a vendor in the industry, uh, reading those tea leaves and hearing that high-level uh insight is really just invaluable for us. So yeah, we're gonna enjoy ourselves and eat a steak dinner and uh, you know, see if a guy who has uh an E in his uh in his title, uh I guess, you know, may are we picking up the check? Is he picking up the check? Who knows?

Why A Host-Only Deep Dive Now

Advertisers, Exclusivity, And Industry Partnerships

Shannon 4:41

Oh no, who knows? We'll find out. We'll report later. Uh honestly got the chance to meet with a lot of these guys, especially the executives, and they're always so kind to pick up the check. So, uh that's typically that's typically what my experience has been. I probably owe them a debt of gratitude, if nothing else. So today we want to talk about, you know, why is why is it me and Cord? Oh no, there's not a guest. Well, we are the guest, and we're the host, I guess. But uh, you know, we've been thinking a lot about the podcast and how some of this shakes out. And of course, with you know, Steel Kings taking a breather right now, you know, and we're gonna see what that lines up in uh the next, you know, what, six months or so, and try and figure out how we want to approach addressing the steel side of this industry, which is kind of bled over into sheds and vice versa. Uh, but uh I've done monologues for a long time. Used to do like a mid-year, end year, just kind of uh, you know, taking a look at like what's ahead, what's behind. Uh, we do we want to go over the numbers, talk about some of that. And my thought was Cord, for me and you just get on here and have a conversation. And like maybe that starts with a prompt from shed sales professionals, shed haulers, shed manufacturers group on Facebook. What are the things people are talking about? What are the things that conversations uh uh you know that involve conversations taking place, you know, all across the country, on phone calls, on video chats, uh, you know, some hard questions, some things hitting the industry. Talk about the shift of the industry. And I think more than anything, man, talk about the fact that we're into year six now here at Shed Geek. You know, March was officially starting year six of creating content of at least one show per week for the last five years, sometimes up to two and even three shows a week. Uh, trying to be here uh, you know, free of charge, fun, entertaining, educational, and just for your benefit in the shed industry, which is why I think it's so important for you guys to come on the show. Uh and nowhere are we killing interviews. We're we've got tons of them lined up. We can't wait, you know, uh uh to do these interviews. It's gonna be great. I think we can do some different series of just of different thoughts, uh, you know, maybe for you know, just better for the listener engagement overall to learn about, you know, rent-owned guys talking, uh, you know, uh manufacturing guys talking, you know, uh marketing guys talking, whatever. Like let's just run those series. And probably more than anything, the most exciting thing, you know, for me this year, I feel like is the is the branching into the advertising a little bit more and creating some sturdiness around that, uh, you know, bringing on some new partners, uh, starting the exclusive opportunity for some of them. You know, we are in the industry, we cover the industry, everyone's invited on the podcast. No one is excluded from the podcast, just to be clear. We've always enjoyed talking to you, but we do have some exclusive advertisers that we promote, we push. You guys have seen some of them, you know, Joe at Velocity360, Hirshberger Lawn, the you know, PlayMor and Stryker hunting blinds, and J Money, and of course, you know, our latest partner, you know, Pittsburgh Paint, which I'm super excited about, uh, you know, bringing on a national paint vendor. And, you know, they're going through this rebrand, they're really doing some good things, and you know, I think personally, Cord, your selection of paint makes that first impression on you as a customer. But uh, you know, if you're a shed builder, you know that's just sort of part of the equation.

Cord 8:09

Yeah, for sure. Um, which I think, you know, we had Jamie and Carter on, and them introducing the true industrial and the true Shed Max to Shed program. I think it's such a benefit. Of course, they have the product side, the coatings, uh whether that be the solid acrylics and the semi-transparent urethanes, of course, all the things that that are needed in the shed industry, but it's so much more than that. You know, the way they describe it, it is it is a true shed first, industry first program that is on the service side, that is obviously on the product side, on the equipment side, um, and even on the training side, an application. Uh, we've even thrown around the idea of you putting a paint suit on and going out and one of those demos. So, you know, uh to me, the benefit here of the True Shed Max Shed Program is what they're calling it, is the fact that it is it is so focused on the needs of the industry itself.

Shannon 9:12

Well, you know, you get the full suite uh of supporting products, you know, you get the high quality durable coatings, but it's more than just paint. And here's where they're really pressing in. They're pressing in on the availability with the with the true industrial uh you know, in training in local stores, uh local stock, local service. When you need a product, when you need answers, uh you need training, it's nearby. That's the key. Your local manufacturer can go over to the local store, actually get a solution. Uh, big fan of what they're doing at Pittsburgh Paint, the True Industrial and True Shed Max Shed program.

Paint As First Impression: Pittsburgh Program

Cord 9:52

Yeah. And so, you know, for anybody out there who wants to know more about that, learn more about that. Um, obviously you can reach out to them directly. I already mentioned Carter and Jamie. They've been on the podcast, go back, review those episodes, see what they have to say for themselves. Delightful guests, love those guys. Um, so we reach out to them directly, or of course, always, if you want to know more about True Industrial and the True Shed Max Shed program, uh, you can reach out to us. We want to be those connectors, um, those educators um for all of our advertisers, really for the whole industry. And honestly, Shannon, that that just goes right back into what you were saying at the beginning, the sort of style of the episode itself, it really is almost pulling back that curtain uh and insiders look. Sometimes we save a conversation and say, gosh, we have to capture this, you know, on a podcast, because the amount of conversations coming from dealers, manufacturers, vendors, what I would call industry insiders, that happens around this office every week, our ability to connect and to uh bring value by just uh kind of enlightening you know the rest of the industry as to where those conversations are going and what that kind of looks like, where the industry is headed. I mean, that is the value that we bring, right? So, you know, I know that that's you know, some people may view it as self-promotional. Well, I mean, I don't know that we're promoting anything ourselves. Uh, you know, we're talking about uh, you know, uh Pittsburgh and our partners, and obviously, you know, we offer services as well. But more importantly than that, this is really a peek behind the curtain as to the conversations, the direction that we have around the office every week, which is why I love coming into work and why this is such a unique place to be.

Service, Training, And Local Support Advantages

Shannon 11:48

Well, after doing nearly 500 episodes or releasing nearly 500 episodes, you just pull back on toward like how the industry's grown up. You hear about people like Jason Graeber at Shed Suite starting out, you know, at Graceland years ago, which is where I started in purchasing, you know, and then ultimately going on to create one of the premier point of sale systems and things like that. Well, that's the way a lot of people in this industry sort of migrate. They start out uh and then they see a problem that they need to solve for themselves, and then they're like, hey, I can sell this to the rest of the industry. Uh, and that's why we're so interconnected a lot of times. That's why you see a manufacturer who might be a competitor who also offers a solution for you. Maybe it's doors, maybe it's windows, right? Maybe it's metal, maybe it's software, maybe it's RTO software, maybe it's uh point of sale software, whatever. The industry kind of grows up in that strange way. And I think we've had a unique bird's eye view uh from the ability of traveling in probably 30 states and interviewing so many people, and there's so many left to go, that like we can kind of get on here and dispel that information out into hopefully some kind of something that makes sense. So it's not just me and Cord talking, it's not just me and him uh just having fun on a Saturday for no good reason, uh talking sheds, although that's a good enough reason to get on here and talk. We love the interviews, and look, I can't say enough about you know, a thank you. We sent out uh an email recently asking, hey, does anybody want to be on the show? We got tons of requests. I was very happy about that. Um, uh, you know, people just being supportive. We want to continue to interview you guys, whether you're a product provider, service provider, or whatever your story is, I feel like God has made you unique and your story is unique. And I think that your story is your is your testimony. It helps to tell uh about how you got here, what your experience has been, and what you where you think it's going, and like how we all just sort of interconnect as a community. Um, and that can become very tough because we're also sometimes competitors. So, we're trying to hold down the mantle of you know letting people be involved. I get it, the exclusive provider uh doesn't feel that way. But hey, look, these are guys who are supporting our process, and I think you guys can understand that. You know, they're supporting what we're doing, and they're saying, hey, this is a valuable network, and uh we want to tap into it, and we thank them for that. And because of that, they deserve this. Not to mention, I think we've done really good to like identify some of the best of the best. I mean, what you're seeing with Joe and what he's doing on Velocity CRM. I mean, like you're just not hearing any other name pop up. No offense, guys. I'm not I'm not trying to like offend anyone. I'm just hearing people give such like positive feedback for it. Right? Like we signed up to uh two striker dealers, you know, yesterday. I was really happy about that. I mean, I love David Hershberger and what the product they got up there, so that's why we enjoy partnering with these people and telling you about it, you know. Uh, I don't know. I just I you know, Pittsburgh, what a great addition.

Pulling Back The Curtain On Industry Conversations

Cord 14:51

Yeah, and we, you know, I mean, obviously all those are our uh advertisers and exclusive providers and everything else. But the reality is as we do these kind of connections and things just behind the scenes. I mean, this is this is what the week looks like. You know, of course, for those guys, it's a more of a direct outreach and direct promotion. Um but like, you know, even just this week with um uh you know finding some uh wholesale dealers for a manufacturer out there in the Knoxville area, um, you know, I feel like there's probably three different things that got connected, you know, uh not just not just for that manufacturer, but just different business items, things that people are looking for, you know, just really trying to help. Um, you know, and so, you know, I think that is the guiding principle around here. Certainly, that is what I have uh I already knew it, but I I've come to know it even more, uh and it continues to be true. So, keep reaching out to us. I mean, I'm not saying that every single um question we just have a direct answer for, but more often than not, we know the person, or I say we, Shannon knows the person personally who does have the right answer. Um, and so we can move the needle on those things. But you know, Shannon, uh I know you want to talk about the numbers, and we've had some really good weeks and some really good engagement and everything else. But I have to say, the most genuine way to just say, you know, is this the type of conversation uh are we recording the type of conversation we have around the office is um you know, we've been pushing finance and pushing the idea of finance in the industry for a long time. Of course, Jay Money, uh Joel Oney over there, um, you know, is a partner of ours, and we believe not only in him, but in that idea, the idea that um you know getting uh uh finance penetration into the industry makes for a healthier industry uh for several reasons, whether that be um, you know, the basically you throw the logistics of RTO out the rent out the window, it's more enforceable from a collections perspective, everything else like that. But so when we hear that it looks like, sounds like that uh one of the players uh in the RTO space, one of the big players, seems to be headed in that direction. I really just want to know what you think about it, Shannon.

How The Shed Industry “Grows Up” And Interconnects

Finance Vs RTO: Consumer Value Lens

Shannon 17:20

I think it's great. I mean, I think it's overall, um I think it depends on your perspective. I remember going to a Bible, uh like a Sunday school Bible study one time, and we were going through a book, uh, this is like this 15, 16, maybe 20 years ago. Um and the title was called Perspective. And we spent a whole you know, several Sundays, uh the whole book talking about what perspective you come, uh you see the worldview from as a Christian, right? So, like I think that you can do the same in business. And like, what is your perspective? Are you is your perspective from a dealer? Is your perspective from a manufacturer? Is it from a customer? Is it is it uh from the RTO side or a product or service provider? And I think the question there is like maybe not as much like what do you hope to gain, but how do you hope to help? Like, what is the best way to help? You know, and sometimes that means helping yourself. We've talked about here with advertising, like, you know, we have to keep the lights on, right? So, like we have to, you know, charge, you know, it's the same way you have to charge for, you know, with a customer. But what RTO has done is, you know, it's really unbalanced, in my opinion. You know, I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing. Uh, I think I would probably come down on the side of trying to balance it out more. So take whatever you want from that. But you know, we provide RTO services, you know, very excited about this year and what we're gonna be doing on that. Um and uh and trying to find unique ideas, but I think that as finance gets more look, finance is more popular than rent to own in most cases, you know, just not in the shed industry. I mean, typically speaking, you know, if you're you know getting a home loan or wanting to build a new shop, oh, and by the way, we can help you with that too. If you're looking for connections, look, we are trying to be connection central over here and connect you to whatever it is that you need. You know, we we've been able to like have a good network and hopefully it works for you. But um so my thought is this, you know, Cord, that ultimately if you're if you're in business and you hang your shingle out and you say, I'm in business to do this thing, I'm a lawyer, I'm a graphic designer, like I am a uh a welder. Whatever it is, is your perspective to focus on what's best for the customer or to what or to focus on what is best for your business. And the truth is, it's not in the best interest of the RTO companies to adapt an actual finance program because now it competes with that upper enchanton of like customers who probably have a higher FICO score and could qualify, but the convenience of being at a lot and just purchasing uh a shed on RTO or not having to put it through their credit or put it on a 90-day same as cash and you know, whatever it is, uh it just it becomes more beneficial than just going down to your bank and getting a loan. Now, we can get into a different perspective, which is the educational system in America probably doesn't do a very good job of teaching finances, right? You never learn about taxes when you're in school, you learn about mitochondria and uh photosynthesis, right? You know, but nobody tells you got to pay taxes when you get older. And the reality is you just don't know about financing, how it works. And it and so there's a whole different conversation there that maybe we should do a podcast on, you know, the basics and have somebody come in and describe those. But rent owned, it's not in their best interest, really, to bring in a finance partner or to offer a finance service. But I'm very happy to see that they're adapting that, you know. Uh um, I think that's if you look at it from the perspective I think I'm coming from on this episode here is to is to talk about what benefits the customer the most. And I think, you know, a $5,000 shed that doesn't cost $10,000 on rent, but instead costs, you know, uh a $7,200 on finance saves them money. You know, now it does it take away from the RTO provider or the RTO investors? Of course. But like how do you really keep finance out?

Cord 21:45

I mean I don't know whenever it makes so much sense to the consumer.

AD-CARDINAL MANUFACTURING 21:53

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AD-RTO SMART 22:56

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Cord 23:51

And I think the aim, um, we had heard some uh again, one of these background conversations that happens. You know, we had heard uh a couple weeks ago that um it seems like about 20% of sheds by this person's best guess are financed privately, private financed separately from the actual location. Um you know, so they're going to a bank, they're going to their own, you know, private lender of whatever regard. But I can tell you from being in the uh power equipment, uh small ag, so comp compact and subcompact tractors. I can tell you that you can pull those type of people, those type of customers over into a finance program at the dealership just because of the convenience. Um, a lot of them are already going to plan on you know paying off early. A lot of them are very uh receptive to the like the buy down programs, the programs that would offer 0% for 12 months. Um, but you know, that really brings me to the other side of this and to your point. How does this affect and I know some of these relationships are a little different, of course, you've been an RTO rep, but how does this affect the manufacturers who are receiving a benefit from having uh RTO?

Mule 9069 And RTO Smart: Sponsor Spots

Dealer-Side Finance Convenience And Buy-Downs

Shannon 25:17

We must be in we must be in sync as I'm writing stuff down here. You know, your question is like permeating on my mind before you asked the question because uh I you know I want you to finish, but I'm guessing where you're going is like, you know, what I wrote down, finance versus RTO. We almost need like a little bell to ring. Ding ding ding. You know, uh the reality is um, you know, we we've in some ways we've been maybe even taught, you know, the way RTO has been so competitive, we've almost been taught, you know, uh uh something different than the way the rest of the world works, in specifically to when if we're gonna talk about like RTO premiums. If we're gonna talk about kickbacks, you know, uh whatever you want to call them. Um and then you know, we bought, we had to get a new furnace here, you know, and uh well we got a new furnace. It was really, you know, I was excited because he said, hey, there's a finance option here. And I was like, well, let's just see, you know, where it shakes out. Maybe we'll pay for it, maybe we'll finance it. And then come to find out whenever he sent me over the options on the finance, it was deferred interest for 12 months. And like, I was like, hey, why burn through 14 grand, right? Why burn through it? I can pay this at you know, a thousand dollars a month, and there's deferred interest as long as I pay it off. I don't incur all the interest. Now it cost, it cost uh uh uh the provider, you know, it cost the person who sold me to use that program. It cost them something. You know, that finance program said, you know, whatever it is, they come in. You you've heard of all the big ones. There's you know, 15 names out there. Synchrony seems to lead the pack, you know, on a lot of that stuff. But you know, it usually costs you something. Uh, if you're if you're selling furniture and you go get a new furniture set, you know, and you say, I want to finance that. Well, that that that furniture shop is paying to get you into that better rate. And we have just the opposite in the rent to own side. We're getting paid because people want business so much that they're willing to pay a manufacturer whatever, uh you know, 3%, 5%, I've heard up to 9%, you know, kickback to be like, use me, don't use the other person, or you're seeing a diversion from that cord where you're seeing like rent-to-own uh purchasing, you know, manufacturing locations to stop the bleeding of some other uh uh rent-to-owned provider coming in. And I won't use the word stealing because I don't think it's stealing, I think, but providing uh a different solution or maybe even a better solution that would make them want to switch. Well, now if you're vertically integrated, you own that location. But I mean, how are we gonna own them all? I mean, like, you know, is so so there's a there's a whole big conversation that probably deserves a three-hour conversation. And really, I'd love to get have there's some guys I'd love to get their thoughts on. Like some of these RTO providers, I'd love to get their thoughts on a round table almost and be like, hey, what do you what do you think? As long as everybody stays civil and uh Yeah, right, right. You know, it would be interesting to get their thoughts.

Kickbacks, Unit Economics, And Vertical Moves

Cord 28:25

Well, it goes to the baseline economics of the industry, you know. Um, it goes to the theme of what we've been talking about and what we've been seeing, which is um consolidation, gains in efficiency, right? It starts to become um, you know, where do you reclaim that margin, or do you, you know, or do you uh effectively say that well, we're not going to reclaim the margin, so we're gonna have to make it up in volume so that we have the total net, you know, the bottom line at the end of the year is the same. Nobody wants to go backwards. And so you really start to question some of some of the fundamental uh you know, way that the industry operates as some of these things start to penetrate, which to your point, I think it's only natural that they will, and this particular um, you know, company that we've heard of kind of taking that up whole cloth, it sounds like it is a good bellwether of that. Um, you know, so again, this is to me, it is a signal to grow lean, it is a signal to control cost, it is a signal to know your unit economics from day one or as early on as you can possibly understand what those unit economics are, because this industry is growing up and it's growing up fast, and there's going to be a premium out there, not only to the customers, if you can compete on price in in, you know, as the new world um, you know, continues to evolve, uh, but also for companies that would then want to come in and look at uh effectively you know purchasing a manufacturer um and purchasing more or less their footprint in a territory, those companies that are operating on good, lean, low-cost principles with simple, straightforward solutions um that are very um cost effective from the get-go. Um, I think this is an exciting time to be some of those companies that are growing lean right now. And it's a grind. I know some of you are grinding through it, but keep pushing because it's the payoff is there.

Lean Operations And Consolidation Pressure

Shannon 30:39

And you talked about you know self-promotion earlier that you know this just seemed like a perfect time to do that. You know, that's why we partnered with Joel. You know, Joel has 28 years of professional banking, you know, behind him. You know, he really led the march, you know, two years ago with upgrade and was like, you know, getting that that can kick down the road sort of thing. And we were discussing back then about how eventually, you know, finance would find its way a little bit more into the fray, uh, naturally, but you know, you've got to have you've got to have a customer segment that really uh is attractive to uh somebody who's offering unsecured loans, you know, because you know, finance or uh rent own is just the opposite of that, right? It's no credit check, you know. So you can imagine, you know, the debt to income or the FICO scores that you're gonna get on a lot of that. And uh this is where you end up in a conversation with people that's very deep. You know, why didn't that that get approved? You know, it's like, well, you know, that person had a 500 credit score. They're probably more of a candidate for rent own, which is a perfect reason uh why rent owns not going away anytime soon. Like it's a really good tool for a lot of people to get, and they would they wouldn't otherwise be able to get into a shed, you know, or uh whatever they're rent-owning. They wouldn't be able to have access to that because of possibly poor credit, strained credit, you know, uh and someone's taking the risk and giving them an option to do that. So I think it's here, I think it's more the balance, right? Like we have this really high balance of uh rent to own low of finance. Is it because that people aren't in the in in the space yet, or is it because the consumers are not as an uh attractive as a bunch for a finance company, um, especially with an unsecured loan? Well, I think that's because we've kind of taught the public in rent to own that like come in, no credit check. There are actually people that like have really good credit scores, have plenty of money in the bank that still rent to own that believe, and you think, how's that possible? But believe that rent to own is hurting or helping their credit in some way, and they're just not aware because they maybe they're just not like uh knowledgeable about how finance works because it works very simple to something like a simple interest loan, right? But finance is its own baby, it's its own thing, and it has its own opportunity, and hopefully it becomes more competitive. So, I think it's good because the more competitive it gets, it does drive down the opportunity to get those FICO scores into the five and six hundreds, which is not really attractive for probably too many banks out there.

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Banking Partner Insights And Credit Realities

Cord 35:23

Well, and it's not the it's not the best um RTO customer either. I mean, they're reliable in the sense of like where you're getting a reliable psycho or whatever, but generally if those people are taking an RTO option, they're paying off early. And we see this in the north all the time. Um, you know, the people that we talk to who are in New York and Pennsylvania, um, Ohio, Indiana, across the Midwest, you know, those people always tell us that, you know, of course, RTO is a portion of their business, but frankly, they usually have 12-month payoffs, which is not the most profitable uh way for RTO companies to operate either, right? And so, you know, in any case, um, yeah, it it's going to it's going to start to reshape what those percentages look like. We got from you know from a fairly reliable source that if you just took all of the RTO contracts in the country, you'd be looking at probably 50% or all sales in the country, you know, about 50% of all sales uh nationwide would be RTO sales. And then you're talking about maybe 15% currently, and it's probably closer to 10 or 8 that are on a in-house finance of some variety, uh, a true FICO credit sale, you know, finance transaction. Uh and then you have about 20% uh worth of unknown lender origin, 20 to 30 percent even. And so like you start you know whittling those numbers down, and then you're down to 15 or 20 percent true cash buyers. And so, you know, bringing that into a model that actually fits the makeup um uh you know of the consumer base uh makes sense and it will, you know, it will make the industry healthier, but it will also put pressure on some of those providers. But you know, I do I agree with you. We should probably have uh some guests on uh and talk about you know just exactly how that is going to continue to shape. Uh so maybe I'll set you up again, Shannon. Maybe it's a good time to, uh, since we're talking about numbers, maybe it's a good time to talk about uh our numbers. We've had some good weeks, and I know that you were looking back through those, shuffling them around on your desk as we were getting ready to start the podcast. So, I don't know if you want to touch on that at all or what your sort of perspective is. I know that it's felt great around here. Um like we can we can feel the listens, we can feel the participation. Um, so tell me tell me how you feel about it.

Market Mix: RTO Share, Finance Share, Cash

Velocity360 And Shed Suite: Sponsor Spots

Shannon 38:04

Well, it's almost like year one again, you know, that excitement that I had around year one, even back whenever I was, you know, in again investing into this, kind of like you talk about rent owned and finance. Now I was investing into this, you know, with no uh no known uh uh have expectations of what I would receive. I invested into it, got a website, bought the equipment, you know, did the thing, but it was like a labor of love, right? And it that turned into, you know, that first question was like, hey, can I advertise with you? It was like, sure, let me figure that out, right? And then, you know, like I was a long way away from the conversation about media kits and things like that when I was just trying to get started. And like um never really developed one until this year because it's just I've never really pushed the advertising more what just kind of came natural. I mean, yeah, we want to get people and we like the uh the exclusive providers because that that's more security long term or whatever. Um but you know, the thing is, you know, it ebbs and flows like everything else. And you know, you start to wonder, you know, have I, you know, am I am I boring or you know, are we not bringing good conversations to the table? Uh, you know, uh has my has my name taken a hit or something like that? You never know. You go through a lot of stuff in your head, uh, you know, and that can that can put you in a season of sulking and melancholy and almost just kind of like, uh, you know, I'm almost not I'm not excited about what I do anymore. And I think I went through a bit of a season of that in year five, uh trying to figure out what long term was. And then, you know, so many different things broke. You know, going to man up camp, I think was an awesome thing for those of you guys who want to know more about that. It's actually right there in Courier Mills where the Cardinal Mules are made. There's a fellow who owns a uh a roofing business in our area that's you know doing amazing in a in a multi-state area, and he created this man up program where uh you know guys uh can come for the weekend uh in October and uh just you know uh worship and camp and cook and yeah, all the things. And uh and uh I think that helped to start a break, but it's really been the subsequent relationships thereafter with some of those guys in church, some of those guys in small groups, some of those guys in text threads, uh and yourself, Court. You know, you've been just excellent. And my wife, I mean, I can't say enough good, you know, for Deanna, you know, that she runs the show around here. You know, if you were in the office, uh she is works faster and more efficient than any of us. Um but you know, it's just one of those things where like the you know, everything came together and all of a sudden the numbers started hitting. And here we are at the end of year five, and we just went through our best seven-week stretch in in listens, downloads, and views uh than we have since we've started. So here we are going into year six, and uh that's reinvigorated me as well, too, to just remind me that you know, you go through seasons, you know, just like if you're a shed seller, shed manufacturer, rent-owned company, and you're struggling, you know, you don't struggle forever. It's a season. And you just got to remember that. You know, there's a time for everything, Ecclesia Ecclesia. Yeah, okay. I'm not even gonna try to pronounce Ecclesiastes. Thank you. Seemed like that was just the hardest thing to get across the table. Um, uh, but it talks about, you know, a time, uh a time for everything. Man, we are just thankful. We're thankful that you guys have tuned in to listen, that you feel like we and the guests we have on here have something to say. I mean, I can't help but encourage you guys to stay engaged on the website, stay engaged on the newsletter. I mean, there's clickable links there, there's blogs on there. Go to our newsletter, check it out. You can read that through these details just like a magazine. You know, you can read through these details of what these people are talking about in their blogs. Click on their links, buy something from them, show us a little love, you know, if nothing else. We don't charge anybody for the show. Show us a little love. Tell them you heard about it, uh, heard about uh uh um them on the Shed Geek Podcast. The Shed Geek Podcast was able to connect you guys. That's really at the heart of what I want to do is professional networking. I enjoy that and communication more than I enjoy rent-owned, marketing, finance, all these things. I just enjoy getting in front of people, building a relationship, talking, and I miss that. And I feel like year six is gonna be, you know, it's gonna be more of that. I think we're bringing that back to the table. We're focusing on what the people want to talk about, what they want to hear. And uh really we're doing it with like just a better spirit rather than that like beat down, you know, gosh, am I have I lost my, you know, have I lost my flavor kind of thing. Dude, I'm just I just feel back. I don't know how to explain that cord.

Northern Markets And 12-Month Payoffs

Cord 42:54

I just feel back and I feel like myself more, you know, you know, and I think we're both aiming at uh along with all those things, um, you know, to keep people engaged and have those conversations and be able to reach more people in the way that they are consuming um, you know, the content itself, all those things, but then also uh getting back to the road. Um we've had so much fun, you and I uh up in Millersburg, um, you know, and uh out uh we took kind of a long way around um you know going and coming home and then the expo, same kind of thing, and stopping and seeing people. And so, you know, reach out to us because you know um we want to we want to come and uh see you in person uh and visit and have a meal and do all those things because this isn't just about you know transaction. It's not just about um you know, it's not always about business. It doesn't have to, you know, obviously we want to do good business and we want to uplift the whole industry. A rising tide lifts all boats, as we said. all the time, but it's also uh about the smaller moments, right? You know, it's about um learning things about people uh and their childhood and their upbringing and why they love what they do. Um you know I mean I think that's honestly you know what fuels me and you both is really just understanding people and getting to know people. Um and then you know obviously we want to work with people as well but it's just so much fun. I don't know that there are happier people in the world than me and you driving through the hills to Millersburg.

Show Momentum, Community Gratitude, Year Six

Shannon 44:32

Well I'm gonna tell you too you get out to Virginia and you get to Paul Yoders and his wife fixes you some homemade bread and me and Court are clawing at it with our bare hands uh in the truck as we're driving out. Don't judge me because I'm telling you that was and then you get some of that Amish peanut butter on top of it and you're just in heaven. I mean honestly that like those moments are to me what become the memories that we talk about around here uh and it much less than oh we landed that big deal now are we excited for these opportunities you know you've heard that phrase your attitude will determine your altitude and you talk about the attitude shift here about what uh six weeks ago at Shed Geek and like two major opportunities come in where we may be in the manufacturing uh and you know what we're just gonna tease you with that we're gonna leave that there uh uh and just you know there may be opportunities for us to get into some other things and we're like well thank you we want to do those things I mean uh whether it's connecting people with lenders whether it's connecting I mean if you're a shop manufacturer and you're like hey I need a bank we can connect you with that uh if you're looking to sell mergers and acquisitions are a real thing guess what our consultants are we haven't really launched it maybe to be out before we did the podcast we brought on like four or five clients so far but we haven't really like hit it hard you know uh with consulting we haven't even really yeah we haven't even really talked to people about what that is I don't even know that we have it on our website yet so we're just slow playing it because we learned our lesson you know on marketing we we're doing marketing again we're back we're fully engaged we're starting to bring on clients we're doing it much different this time we're much wiser this time around Cord about intentional uh sort of intentional growth and can and controlling the customer experience.

STAY TUNED 46:21

Hey, thanks guys for listening to part one of two of the Shed Geek podcast we will be back next week for the conclusion of our conversation.

OUTRO 46:30

Thanks again Shed Pro for being the Shed Geek's studio sponsor if you need any more information about Shed Pro or about Shed Geek just reach out. You can reach us by email at info@ shedgeek.com or just go to our website www.shedgeek.com and submit a form with your information and we'll be in contact right away thank you again for listening as always to today's episode of the Shed Geek podcast thank you and have a blessed day