In this seven‑minute interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Joseph (Joe) Stepke, a representative of Acima Credit, which provides no‑credit‑needed financing solutions to retail businesses. Joe explains that the most rewarding aspect of his work is helping retailers grow by enabling customers to purchase needed items without traditional credit checks. He discusses the importance of work‑life balance, referencing Stephen Covey’s “emotional deposits” concept and emphasizing family time. When asked about other potential guests, Joe recommends several leaders—Ira Bowman, Erica Warfield, Nick Dorsey, Curtis Tompkins, and Tina Oliver—highlighting their contributions to helping others. His core advice to retail leaders is to adopt financing options, especially in the post‑COVID environment where credit scores may be low, to increase sales and support customers’ immediate needs. Joe shares his first jobs, recalling his time as a paperboy and a brief stint as a stand‑up comedian in Florida, illustrating his passion for making people laugh. The episode concludes with his contact information: joethefinanceguy.com and his LinkedIn profile.
Chapters
This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
I'm Joe Stepke. I'm with, uh, Acima Credit, and I sell no credit needed financing to retail businesses.
Joe, it's great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
I think the best thing working in the industry is helping others. I, I love helping the other retailers grow their business, not just from financing, but to help them grow, to get more sales in their door.
So that's great, you're just, you're helping them grow and you have a factor in their success.
Correct.
That's great. Question number 3: I hear from other business leaders that staying in a good work-life balance for them and their team members is a challenge. What are your thoughts?
I think it's true. I've worked in the corporate industry for a while and you have to have a work-life balance. I believe, and I think Stephen Covey says it best, You know, the emotional deposits. I, you have to, I work a lot. I'm, I'm an A personality. I like to help others and I have to put those emotional deposits into the family. Um, as I said before, I'm, I'm married to a New York Italian, so you have to put those emotional deposits in because you never know when you're going to be, um, taking out sometimes. So yes, it is very important.
I love that tie-in to the deposits and, and having to do the credits there for on an emotional basis. It's good, good for a finance guy.
Yes, it is.
Question number 4: What other successful business leaders like yourself should be on my podcast?
Wow, you know, I would have to say Ira Bowman would probably be one of them. I would say Erica Warfield, great person. Nick Dorsey. I could give Tina Oliver. I could give names all day long. On who would be great on this. Curtis Tompkins, I think he would be, he would be also a great one to interview and talk to. It's when I think of, you know, great leaders that would be great for your podcast, it's somebody that would add value to others. You know, I know Ira helps other people, not just with his job at ARC, but also helps people with Project Help You Grow. Um, Erica, she's a great content writer and a great, um, person, you know, salesperson. So I think that would be another person to go to. Curtis, helping people, um, through Job Ready Today. So there's so many that I would think of, but he— those, those would be some of them. Nick Dorsey, working for Carvana, um, he just a great person. Tina Oliver, helping people for businesses. She actually helps people get their credit, like helps rebuild their credit, if you would. She's a credit wizard. That's what she is. That's the best way to put it. So I love some people. Sorry.
No, that's okay. Because we're— I'm connected with all of them as well. And in fact, Ira and Nick have already been on the show. So we're on the same, same wavelength with those people.
Great.
Question number 5: What insight or advice would you give to other business leaders?
Well, the business leaders that are retail business leaders, I— the advice I would give them, if they don't have a financing option, I would probably— I mean, this would be my time to maybe, you know, talk about mine, but if they don't have a financing option, I would say reach out to me and get in contact with me because Having a finance option, especially in this day and age. Um, now a lot of people, I know with the COVID-19 where people aren't paying, uh, or being able to pay their bills, credit scores are going to go, go down low. They might not want to give up a lot of their money. And the no credit needed financing that I offer, um, is a way to help people get the items that they need now instead of waiting on it. And some, some items you can't wait on. Sometimes you need, you know, you need tires for your vehicle, you need appliances, the refrigerator broke down. It's not something that you could wait on, you need it now. And that's where we would come involved and give the retailers, their customers, the credit that they deserve. So that's where— that's probably what I would say if a retailer you know, just some of the business leaders reach out to me, you know, talk to me, I would help them grow their business.
Absolutely, because if their customers can afford to buy it, obviously then the retailers are getting their sales. Exactly. Yeah, very good, very good. And question number 6, please tell me about your first job.
First job, um, first job was a paperboy back in Round Lake, Illinois, and I think I delivered the advertiser. But one that would make me really light up and talk about would be, um, I did stand-up comedy. I did stand-up comedy when, um, briefly at, um, in Florida. Um, I think it was called Haggerty's Comedy Club, but I did it. I was just— if it was something I want to do, I love making people laugh. I was always trying to make people laugh when I was in school. Class clown, not officially that title, but I was always trying to make people laugh. You make a person laugh, and I'm talking about a really good belly laugh, they'll remember it. The endorphins or the chemicals that come out, people remember it forever. And that's why I like doing it. And, um, I did it when I was in Florida. I got out of the military. And I was trying to find myself a little bit at that time. It just— I took a class and then I just started performing. Now, I didn't go into like staying on it like to become a Bill Cosby, maybe, you know, Robin Williams, or— sorry, just I didn't go in it to stay in there, um, because it would take a lot of time. I remember listening to some other comedians. I even met Andrew Dice Clay, and I remember talking to him. He had lunch over at the Boca Raton Mall. I was there with him and his girlfriend at the time, and we sat down, we were eating in front of Great Wraps, um, in there. And he, he told me— I was telling him about what I did, that I was doing stand-up— and he told me flat out, you know, you— to be in this business, it's gonna take a lot of time. And effort, and, you know, and you don't make a lot of money, which was true. And it didn't push me out of it, it just pushed me, well, I want money. And so I went to go look for another job, but I loved it. I loved making people laugh, and that was one of the things. It just— I, I performed at, um, the one time, uh, one of the times that I performed, it was at a hotel. I just got done with this one class, and we were graduating. I came in 3rd place out of 10 comedians, and I can't remember, it was— and we're talking almost 30 years ago, so I'm, I'm trying to remember the hotel, but it was in Boca Raton, Florida too. But it was— I, I loved it. I loved making people laugh. My mother was there. Some of the people from Boca Raton Community Hospital where I worked at was there. It was great, and I— that was something I loved doing.
Great story. Absolutely love that story. Thank you, Joe. Thank you for being on the show. How can people find you?
They can find me at joethefinanceguy.com. It's my own personal website. They could see what I do to help various business retailers, or they could go to my LinkedIn profile too.
Perfect. Well, this is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
