"Being an entrepreneur runs in our blood. Our dad was an entrepreneur, our grandfather, our uncles. I planned on it growing up. I'm just shocked because I didn't know it would come so soon!"
-Jeffery MoodyT.

Photo RTO Online

L-R Jeffrey and Chad Moody, Premier Franchisees.

"A lot of people in my family own their own business," says Chad Moody who was raised to think he too would one day follow an entrepreneurial tradition. After beginning his career in RTO with a major firm in 2003, he opened his own Premier Rental-Purchase store in Columbus, Mississippi recently with his brother Jeffery, who gained his RTO experience working for Chad during college. For the most part their launch has gone like clockwork, with only one big surprise: business boomed immediately, and within their first two months they are way ahead of expectations.

Chad looks back at what has brought him to such success and sums up his first years in the industry by saying, "It went really fast and went really well. I heard about a new RTO store opening up in town and went by and talked to them. They offered me a job on the spot. I went in as accounts manager, quickly became sales manager and then store manager – all within just eight months of my getting into the industry. My store grew nicely. My secret has always been a commitment to customer service. That has a lot to do with success. As long as I keep customers happy, my business will be good."

But the future goal of owning his own business kept nagging. And when Jeffery came on the scene to work for him, they began talking about opening an RTO store together as 50/50 partners.

"I filled in on and off for my brother in the store he managed and learned about the RTO industry," says Jeffery. "Out of college I worked in finance briefly and then was sales rep for a major waste company. But I knew all along that Chad and I would one day own an RTO business. We had started talking about it when I was finishing up with college. We had talked about it for a while."

Chad and Jeffery did their homework, researching several different RTO franchising companies, both large and small. They had specific criteria in mind as they searched. Above all they wanted a company that provided guidelines to help them out and get them open rather than a set of corporate rules. After all, they were hard core entrepreneurs at heart who just needed some help getting started, help that included getting set up with an SBA loan and support in purchasing.

"Many companies talked about what they needed. Not what we needed," says Chad, who adds that they wanted help and guidance only where they needed it. For example, when it came time to jump from operations to ownership, Chad knew he needed some handholding. "Here I am 30 years old with some good experience in the industry, but I didn't always feel I knew what to do in opening my business."

In their research, the Moodys had read about Premier Rental-Purchase and also heard about them from a colleague. Premier emerged as the company that addressed their needs and met their criteria. The type of support they offered and the way they offered it was just what they were looking for. "As I had thought about different companies and options," says Chad, "Premier was the best fit. Their president/CEO, Trooper Earle, was very instrumental in helping us get started."

Jeffery adds, "We have so much leeway in what we can do as owner of a Premier business. We can do what we want to, buy products we want to, sell to whom we want. We are not under corporate limitations. We know what works for us and our business. No one is pointing a finger to tell us what to do. It's so beneficial to work that way."

Going forward, Chad sees added value to being a Premier franchisee. "We use a number of services Premier offers on an ongoing basis – mail marketing, human resources, payroll and health insurance." The wide range of support services gives Chad and Jeffery the ability to look ahead toward opening multiple stores.

"The sky's the limit," says Chad. "I don't want to stop at one. I don't want to stop at two!"

"I've enjoyed working with Premier," says Jeffery. "I like the idea that there are other store managers and owners we can call. There are 67 other Premier dealers we can call if we need to for any other information. I'm a people person. I like RTO. I like meeting and talking with other people in the industry."

And as for owning his own business, Jeffery says, "Being an entrepreneur runs in our blood. Our dad was an entrepreneur, our grandfather, our uncles. I planned on it growing up. I'm just shocked because I didn't know it would come so soon!"

The national office of Premier Rental-Purchase is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. All Premier stores are independently owned and operated. Visit Premier's website at www.premierrents.net or call (800) 2-Premier and ask for Trooper Earle.