-lemonis: how you doing? anthony: mr. marcus lemonis. it's such a pleasure to finally -- -lemonis: are you anthony? -anthony: yes, sir, it is. -lemonis: nice to meet you. -anthony: pleasure to meet you. lemonis: you know what i love about highway 17? anthony: it's a lot of signs? lemonis: [ laughing ] all the signs. anthony: yeah, new signs, we do a lot of. we just did one, the car wash. i don't know if you saw it on the way here. big l.e.d. board, it was about 32 grand. we just finished it. lemonis: oh, whoa. anthony: customer's really stoked about it. lemonis: now, i don't know your business, and i'm excited to learn it. and so i know a little bit about it, 'cause i buy a couple million dollars a year worth of signs across all these businesses. anthony: i know a good sign company. -lemonis: i know you do. -anthony: [ laughs ] lemonis: but i got to get comfortable with what you're doing. so, what exactly does asl signs do? anthony: we are a one-stop shop manufacturing plant. so we do high volume, low labor. -lemonis: banners? -anthony:

lemonis: okay.we had a handshake, and we had agreed to the terms of the deal, and i had spent time and money. but they were no longer interested in honoring our deal. pete: i can tell you right now, we are not gonna iron out those deal points -- no way. lemonis: you're asking me to throw a million dollars in and be subjected to whatever fate you decide. "go stand in the corner, and shut the [bleep] up." that's essentially what you're telling me to do. steve: we don't like the fact that you can say no. lemonis: i don't see it working. steve: then, we can just [exhales sharply] if you want. lemonis: yeah. steve, honestly, you kind of [bleep] me all along the way. you just did. i walked away, and while i was out the $105,000 i spent, i managed to get the 3-d printer returned. people ask me all the time how it feels when people take my money or the deal falls apart. look, it stinks. i work hard for my money. and i didn't always have money. and so the money that i do have, i take very seriously. -hey! go

lemonis: let's go make some popcorn. lemonis: tonight on "the profit"... that was freakin' awesome. ...a baseball-novelty business based in coopersburg, pennsylvania, has struck out with their key major league baseball clients... you don't even know what you have in here. ...and the stubborn owner... it's toxic in here. ...who has a hard time letting go of the past. honestly, you can't be in this business anymore. scott: i've been doing this for 25 years. lemonis: if i can't change the focus of this all-american business... if you don't evolve, you will die. wendy: [ voice breaking ] you know, i worry about his sleepless nights, his stress. lemonis: ...then it may just be game over. scott: cowboy up. lemonis: my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. if you don't like money, don't follow my process. i make the tough decisions. we're closing the store. we're done. i'm not talking about it anymore. i back them up, spending my own money. it's not always pretty... man: perfect flavor. lemonis: ...but this is business. you got to trust the proces

lemonis: okay. franchising is an incredibly attractive business model because it allows you to get paid once you perfect a concept. my big fat greek gyro only gets about $10,000 when they sign up a new franchise. in success, that fee could grow much higher. better still, each of your franchisees pay the owner a royalty on a monthly basis. that could be anywhere between 4% and 12% of your monthly sales. mike: right now we're making about $60,000, $65,000 annually on royalties. lemonis: they pay an up-front fee. mike: correct. lemonis: you control the branding. mike: correct. lemonis: who picks the locations? who goes out and vets it 'cause it's your brand? mike: i do. lemonis: who developed the menu? kathleen: we did. lemonis: i was gonna take a trip to greece this summer, and i'm looking for tater tots... cheese sticks, cheddar balls, mushrooms. -hummus isn't greek. -andreas: lebanese. lemonis: what do you actually make yourself? mike: we have the traditional gyro. we have steak. we have fresh chick

-lemonis: yep.tephanie: [ sighs ] lemonis: well, you know, i've spent the last couple days asking you guys a lot of questions. while i struggle a lot with the product, you guys have spent a lot of time working really hard, but the business is really in trouble. i mean, you do $5 million of sales. but at the end of the day, last year, you lost money. stephanie: how do you envision the growth of this business? lemonis: it's about changing every single product that you have. you have $900,000 tied up in inventory. half of it should go into the garbage. how long can you survive? nicolas: we're trying to be as lean as possible. i have about three months where i won't be able to pay my rent at home. lemonis: how much money do you think this business needs? nicolas: i believe it needs around $1 million. it's 20% of what we do on an annual basis. lemonis: well, it's 2 of what you sell. my offer is $800,000. i have full control. there's 100% of the stock today. -i'll have 50% of it. -noemi: [ gasps ] stephan

-lemonis: how you doing? anthony: mr. marcus lemonis. it's such a pleasure to finally -- -lemonis: are you anthony? -anthony: yes, sir, it is. -lemonis: nice to meet you. -anthony: pleasure to meet you. lemonis: you know what i love about highway 17? anthony: it's a lot of signs? lemonis: [ laughing ] all the signs. anthony: yeah, new signs, we do a lot of. we just did one, the car wash. i don't know if you saw it on the way here. big l.e.d. board, it was about 32 grand. we just finished it. lemonis: oh, whoa. anthony: customer's really stoked about it. lemonis: now, i don't know your business, and i'm excited to learn it. and so i know a little bit about it, 'cause i buy a couple million dollars a year worth of signs across all these businesses. anthony: i know a good sign company. -lemonis: i know you do. -anthony: [ laughs ] lemonis: but i got to get comfortable with what you're doing. so, what exactly does asl signs do? anthony: we are a one-stop shop manufacturing plant. so we do high volume, low labor. -lemonis: banners? -anthony:

lemonis: yeah.an #2: have you figured it out? 'cause we don't know. woman: she's off saturday, sunday, and monday. woman #2: she should be here on saturday. our biggest day she's not even a part of. i just don't... lemonis: how does this affect you in doing your job? woman #2: mis-booked appointments, lack of assistance, and just customer service and lack of product. woman #3: we have never seen her once come up anything about inventory, about putting things in the computer. lemonis: nobody in here has ever talked to carolyn? woman: i think she has some idea. woman #3: but she's the type of person that thinks with her heart. she never wants to, you know, hurt anyone. she wants to give someone the benefit of the doubt, you know? lemonis: communication doesn't exist here. it's like the inmates are running the asylum. i'm hoping that she has a better feel for her financials. i need to understand the revenue. what's the total revenue, and how does that break down per store? carolyn: annually? lemonis: y

lemonis: okay. so, there's more expansion land. norton: as long as we keep getting business, we can keep adding on. lemonis: how much is lunch? -norton: $8.95. -lemonis: and dinner? norton: $12.70 for an adult. lynn: plus tax. lemonis: all you can eat, $13.95? norton: yeah, that includes drinks and dessert. lemonis: i mean, that's a heck of a deal. $13.95 for an adult price on a buffet with chicken and ribs? that's a great price, but i don't know how they make that work. can we take a look at the kitchen? lynn: yeah, come on. let's show you the kitchen. this is lynn's world. lemonis: what is in lynn's world? lynn: we make the biscuits, the dessert. lemonis: when do you make the biscuits? can we make them together? lynn: yeah, we can make them together. they're a lot of fun. lemonis: how much time a day does this take you to make? lynn: well, 30 minutes a batch. that includes the prep time. but we're doing eight batches. lemonis: four hours a day, almost. lynn: yep. lemonis: who makes the biscuits he

lemonis: my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. lemonis: if you don't like money, don't follow my process. lemonis: i make the tough decisions. lemonis: we're closing the store. we're done. i'm not talking about it anymore. lemonis: i back them up, spending my own money. it's not always pretty... man: perfect flavor. lemonis: ...but this is business. lemonis: you got to trust the process. lemonis: i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. lemonis: thanks for your business. lemonis: this is "the profit." queens, new york, is a dense and diverse world of cultures and businesses. and it's home to artistic stitch, an embroidery and silk-screening business run by sal loretta and nick meola. the company started 18 years ago in sal's garage. -sal: where we at with this job? -fabio: it'll be done today. lemonis: today, it's become a $2-million-a-year business, the bulk of that revenue coming from uniforms, hats, and custom shirts. fabio: hey, that's one down. here we go. here we go. lemonis: two years ago, sal and nick decided to mo

lemonis: my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. if you don't like money, don't follow my process. i make the tough decisions. we're closing the store, we're done, i'm not talking about it anymore. i back them up, spending my own money. it's not always pretty... man: perfect flavor. lemonis: ...but this is business. you got to trust the process. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. thanks for your business. this is "the profit." fairfield, connecticut, is a pretty new england town right on the coast of the long island sound, and swansons fish market is one of fairfield's local institutions. for over 40 years, they've been selling fresh fish, hot soups, and doing a little catering and, along the way, got their fair share of critical acclaim. gary: okay, you're getting the works today. lemonis: gary swanson jr. took the market over from his dad and worked alongside his wife, sue, and they made a comfortable life for his family. but on july 4, 2009, a fire destroyed his original store. [ siren wails ] dispatcher: code 6. ga

lemonis: okay. so, there's more expansion land. norton: as long as we keep getting business, we can keep adding on. lemonis: how much is lunch? -norton: $8.95. -lemonis: and dinner? norton: $12.70 for an adult. lynn: plus tax. lemonis: all you can eat, $13.95? norton: yeah, that includes drinks and dessert. lemonis: i mean, that's a heck of a deal. $13.95 for an adult price on a buffet with chicken and ribs? that's a great price, but i don't know how they make that work. can we take a look at the kitchen? lynn: yeah, come on. let's show you the kitchen. this is lynn's world. lemonis: what is in lynn's world? lynn: we make the biscuits, the dessert. lemonis: when do you make the biscuits? can we make them together? lynn: yeah, we can make them together. they're a lot of fun. lemonis: how much time a day does this take you to make? lynn: well, 30 minutes a batch. that includes the prep time. but we're doing eight batches. lemonis: four hours a day, almost. lynn: yep. lemonis: who makes the biscuits he

lemonis: my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. if you don't like money, don't follow my process. i make the tough decisions. we're closing the store. we're done. i'm not talking about it anymore. i back them up, spending my own money. it's not always pretty... man: perfect flavor. lemonis: ...but this is business. you got to trust the process. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. thanks for your business. this is "the profit." coopersburg, pennsylvania is about an hour north of philadelphia, in the heart of amish country. and it's home to coopersburg sports, a novelty-and-sports business. scott pino started the business in 1991... scott: i can't find the yankee order out here. lemonis: ...shortly after he secured the coveted license from major league baseball. he eventually was able to place his mini bat, his top seller, in every major league baseball park. business was great, and they were pulling in over $4 million a year and making a hefty buck. but in 2008, a major sporting-good company entered the novelty game, an

lemonis: tonight on "the profit"...ach, a tourist haven on the south carolina coast, and a place where local businesses love their outdoor advertising. you know what i love about highway 17? anthony: it's a lot of signs? lemonis: [ laughing ] all the signs. i've been called by the owner of a small sign company... -banners? -anthony: all day long. lemonis: backlit, non-lit, front-lit? anthony: i sell a lot of stuff. lemonis: ...who won't be satisfied until he's the biggest vendor in the state. anthony: i want to deal with a lot of national companies. i don't want to deal with mom-and-pops anymore. lemonis: he's incredibly ambitious... anthony: i'm a go-getter. i'm a go-go guy. lemonis: ...but overly confident. todd: how long does this take? josh: probably about three weeks. anthony: we can definitely knock this sign out in a week. lemonis: you guys got to get your story straight. if i can figure out how to check his ego, get him to listen... as a potential customer, i have to worry that you're gonna sue me.

lemonis: for this business to survive,

lemonis: tonight on "the profit"... andreas: meat in the gyro? is a small franchise with a growing footprint. are you guys still in love with this business? -mike: i am. -kathleen: i am. lemonis: already, there are five locations up and running. -how long have you been here? -jace: a little over 3 years. lemonis: and as the business has grown, so have the problems. mike: you're my partner. you can pick up the slack, as well. kathleen: you're gonna put it on me now? lemonis: husband-and-wife team who started it have no idea how to run it. rich: i've lost respect for mike as an individual. lemonis: their food misses the mark. they're actually terrible. andreas: you don't like them? lemonis: no. their branding is all over the place. hamburgers and hot dogs? and the franchisees aren't getting anything close to the help they need. kane: the only help we ever got from them was on the first of the month, they came and picked up their royalty check. lemonis: for this business to survive i'll have to put a clear process in place and fix what's broken.

lemonis: my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses.don't like money, don't follow my process. i make the tough decisions.

my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. if you think that i can launch you in a direction to make you a profit, then you should do a deal with me. i make tough decisions... how am i supposed to trust you? and back them up with my own cash. it's not always pretty. i have to know for sure that the partner that i have has the same goals as i do. this is business. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. this the profit. [hip-hop music] ♪ sharla mcbride started planet popcorn with a single cart and 250 bucks. 13 years later, they now have 30 employees, three flavors, products ranging from kettle corn to churros to crepes. their popcorn sells at fairs and farmers markets all over southern california. but the bulk of her money is generated through downtown disney. planet popcorn generates $2.5 million in revenue, but it still can't turn a profit. this year, they're about $200,000 in debt. sharla's mother has mortgaged her house and loaned the business almost $200,000 to keep planet popcorn afloat. planet popcorn is an all

>> yes. >> so am i, lemonis.o... >> oh. >> it's two greek-- >> so, see, you know how the greeks are, then. >> that's right. i do know how the greeks are. listen, one of the things that i think may be a better angle is for us just to buy the bank's position. so if we just signed a deal to buy the bank's position at $240,000, the economics are the same for you, but they put us in a little better spot, and i want the leverage to have the ability to get something back. when the original borrower took out a loan against the warehouse, he pledged additional pieces of property other than the warehouse as part of the loan. the loan is now in default, and the bank is foreclosing, so when i buy the bank note, i'm not only gonna get the warehouse as collateral, but i'm going to get other pieces of property as collateral as well. my plan is to liquidate those other pieces of property, which will lower my investment from $240,000 to $140,000. >> you are 100% correct. >> do you understand? >> you should. you should! >> to me,

-lemonis: oh, my gosh. ...a progress report. this place looks great. 18 months, i've traveled the country, trying to help small businesses, everything from pie shops to used-car lots... wow. look at this place. ...to clothing stores. some were in desperate situations. michael: [ voice breaking ] do you think i like to stand next to a man like you and admit that i can't be successful? [ sighs ] lemonis: others just needed some guidance. come on. you're a smart guy. you do the math. and i offered my money and my expertise for a stake in the business. -do we have a deal? -hank: deal. -pete: yes. -alan: yes. lemonis: a few of the deals went south. you don't how to treat people.

-lemonis: oh, my gosh. ...a progress report. this place looks great.raveled the country, trying to help small businesses, everything from pie shops to used-car lots... wow. look at this place. ...to clothing stores. some were in desperate situations. michael: [ voice breaking ] do you think i like to stand next to a man like you and admit that i can't be successful? [ sighs ] lemonis: others just needed some guidance. come on. you're a smart guy. you do the math. and i offered my money and my expertise for a stake in the business. -do we have a deal? -hank: deal. -pete: yes. -alan: yes. lemonis: a few of the deals went south. you don't how to treat people.

lemonis: that margin's killer.re living proof that you should never mix business with pleasure. john: [bleep] you're horrible at doing the right things until you're forced to do it. lemonis: i not only have to put the right process in place... you made a huge inventory mistake. ...i have to figure out a way for the owners to coexist. you're so busy fighting that you're not busy selling. if not, west end coffee will grind to a halt. all right. rookie mistake. my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. if you don't like money, don't follow my process.

[laughter] >> by the time he's done. >> yeah. >> have you guys met marcus lemonis? label products like this will dramatically improve your margins, but in order to make room for these kind of products, we need to clear out the stuff that's been sitting there for years. so when we get back to the store, i'm gonna have dan lower the prices and liquidate some of the slow moving merchandise. thanks, guys, appreciate it. >> thanks again, marcus, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thanks, marcus. >> thanks, guys. all right, let's head home. >> this end's coming all the way out, correct? we're gonna move this all the way down? >> well, you want to move it out enough to accommodate for that. don't go any further than that. so i would be very technical in my measurement to not go past that. >> understand. >> yep. >> put a pedestal here-- >> hey. >> hi. >> how are you? >> i'm good, how are you? >> good. >> i'm a little shocked. we're out of business. >> we were out of business before, we just didn't know it. >> i believe we're still partners, correct? >> mm-hmm. >> partners shou

my name is marcus lemonis. in the past ten years, i've bought hundreds of failing businesses, turned them around, and i've made millions doing it. i'll write whatever check i need to, even if you won't. if you want people to listen, you put money on the table. i'm gonna give you a check for $500,000. i found six struggling businesses, some weeks away from closure. my plan is to turn them around. for the next week, i'm 100% in charge. >> all right. >> let's go get to work. can't run a business if it's not clean. but i'm not just giving them advice. i'm putting up millions of dollars of my own money. if you don't know your numbers, you just don't know your business. i'll work by their side... i'll put in the hours... 'cause i have the same risk that they do. where's accounting? >> she's counting. >> no, where's accounting? >> um... >> oh, my god. this business is a total mess. i judge businesses based on three things: it's pretty damn good. most often, businesses fail because of people. >> i trusted people to man

my name is marcus lemonis, and some of you have seen me around.nd i'm here to help fix this business, so people don't lose their job. there are 32 employees relying on this business for their livelihood. and ever since jacob's passing, they're starving for leadership. for the next week, i'm in charge. so what we're gonna do is we're gonna make some massive changes, and, at the end of this week, we're gonna have a grand reopening. we're gonna let our customers tell us if we've gotten it right. i need to get rid of excess inventory, make time-saving changes, and i need to organize what's left. in order for that to happen, i need to put in the right system, like a bar-coding system. this building looks terrible. maarse has a viable product here, but, in order to make it good, we need to display it to the customers in a way that's appealing. they need to see it, and it needs to be presented in a less-cluttered, less-disorganized manner. the entire store needs to be re-merchandised. we're gonna become profitable together. so, marina, you have something

my name is marcus lemonis. and i fix failing businesses.ness last year did $50 million of business. unfortunately, we didn't make any money. you guys sell a lot, but there's one thing that you don't do very well. what is that? >> collect. >> collect money. so last night at dinner, i made a deal with alan and howard. and i'm putting in a million dollars. but you know what they forgot to do last night? they forgot to ask me for my money. it's a theme, but it's not funny. because your paychecks and the rent, all get paid when we collect the money, not when the stuff leaves on the truck. there's the money. >> thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> from this point forward, i'm in charge. the first thing we're gonna do is fix the accounts receivable process, so that i know for sure what meats coming in and what meat's going out. i wanna know how much we're selling, how much we're collecting, and who owes what. we're gonna start by getting on the phone, and calling these customers that owe us money. we need to be paid. and from now on, when we del

my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses.s business will never function well under the "green tea" name. i make tough decisions... >> it was a mistake. >> this is never gonna happen again. and back them up with my own cash. that's a real check, by the way.

my name is marcus lemonis. i fix failing businesses. i make tough decisions.r the general manager. and i back them up with my own cash. it's not always pretty. >> perfect flavor. >> but this is business.