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. erik: well, basically, what you do is you go online. you would select from a program, whatever you'd like. these are the programs. and we deliver gourmet health food right to your door. lemonis: fuel foods offers various meal plans. if you buy 10 meals, the cost is $9.50 a meal. but if you pre-pay for 300 meals, it drops to $7.50 a meal. now, that's a big discount. but incentives like that help cash flow, and they build brand loyalty. erik: so, we don't have any real production going on today. we have packing going on today. we're packing for tomorrow's orders. they'll arrive tomorrow to the clients. lemonis: so, today's thursday. what days do you cook? erik: i'll show you here. lemonis: what do these different colors represent? -erik: it's a packing day. -lemonis: okay. erik: so, we're packing on this day for delivery tomorrow. -lemonis: okay. -erik: same deal here. they're packing here for delivery on friday. lemonis: and when is the food prepared? erik: the menu changes twice a wee

-lemonis: okay. so, when i look at the showroom build-out of $100,000, how did you fund that -- cash? steve: yeah. lemonis: ooh. that's a lot of cash. steve: i don't have credit. you know, we lost a condo in the keys. we've got cars repossessed. lemonis: what happened that caused cars to get repossessed? mary: the recession, everything. lemonis: the recession crushed you guys. lemonis: not only does grafton have a million dollars in debt, but it's with three or four different lenders. the problem is, when they have a downturn, they're not just in trouble with one bank. they're in trouble with lots of different lenders. in a downturn in the economy, this is one of the first affected. this business is good when it's good, but it's scary when it's bad. and so a business like this should have no debt, 'cause you can't handle the recession. steve: correct. lemonis: today, grafton operating only with custom furniture is a very dangerous proposition. you're dealing with high-end clients and high-end real es

-lemonis: six to seven months? -mike: yeah. lemonis: it's ridiculous. you could build a yacht in six months. you could build a brand-new plane in six months. mike: we run out of inventory. lemonis: they don't have the parts and pieces. that's no way to run a business. -mike: this is chris. -lemonis: how you doing, chris? chris: very nice to meet you. lemonis: i'm marcus. what do you do? chris: i order all the parts for manufacturing, finance. lemonis: so you're doing manufacturing and you're the accountant? chris: yeah. mike: chris left a corporate company, making six figures, and cut it in half to come work for sjc. he has mbas and an engineering background. lemonis: you a partner in the business? chris: we act like partners, but i have no equity stake in the business. -lemonis: so that's a no? -chris: yes, so... lemonis: so, something beautiful like this... what's your cost to make it -- materials and labor? chris: $680. lemonis: it was $680 to make this? what will you sell this piece for? mike: $795. lemonis: so at, basically, 15% margins. mike: righ

lemonis: for how long? -tamika: like a year. -lemonis: wow.tonnie's basically relying on free labor. and the fact that his sister is willing to help out shows that he has real backing from his family. that's a big advantage when you're struggling. so, who's doing the quality control on this kind of stuff? -tamika: myself and tonnie. -lemonis: yourself? and so do you think this looks right? tamika: no, that one's not going out. lemonis: i don't want to see paper. this wouldn't clear. tamika: and the more we go through, we realize how much is wasted. lemonis: when this happens, two from the same batch at the same time, there's no process. tamika: and let me tell you, i have fought with my brother on this process. lemonis: why are you fighting with him? why aren't you just fixing it? -does he listen to you? -tamika: no. -lemonis: no? -tamika: no. lemonis: that looks nice. are you a professional cake decorator? marcus: yeah, i am. lemonis: it's a small space to work, no? and is tonnie easy to work with? marcus: yeah. lemonis: and how about her? is

-lemonis: six to seven months? -mike: yeah.s created a backlog of unpaid bills and serious cash-flow problems. chris: we don't have enough money to cover payroll for next week. lemonis: i mean, you're kind of closed. chris: yeah. lemonis: the owner and his right-hand man are out of sync. louie: the lack of communication, i think, between chris and mike, it's like -- it's just...exactly. lemonis: and the two brothers who started this business have split up... scott: what did i ever do to you? mike: i really don't want to get into all that. lemonis: ...causing a whole nother layer of crippling issues. if they can't fix their process and their relationship... mike: fixing the business and this [bleep] is hard enough. lemonis: ...they'll be forced to close their doors forever.

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

. >> my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. 2.5 million people visit key west a year, and you only sell 40,000 pies. i make tough decisions. we're closing the store. we're done. i'm not talking about it anymore. and i back them up with my own cash. >> check that out. >> it's not always pretty... >> tired of this bull[bleep]. >> but this is business. >> we're gonna have a battle on this one. >> i do it to save jobs... i got to get some stuff done and you're gonna be our leader here. and i do it to make money. this the profit. [theme music] ♪ u.s. key lime pie company is a pie maker located in beautiful and sunny key west, florida. jim brush... >> jeff! >> and his girlfriend, alison sloat, bought the company, recipes and all, over ten years ago for just $1,200, and have grown the business from selling pies on the side of the road to having their key lime pie named the nation's best pie by the american pie counsel. even though they generate $1.4 million in sales, they have yet to turn a profit. >> we really are a victim of our own success right now. damn it, i'm tired of

when you flip it over, don't get me to do that, it gets the lemony taste without sinking in the grill. i never grilled before. that is what the hacks are telling me. here you go. here is the next one. look how nice i did that. how about burgers? no one likes a dry piece of meat. take ice chips. you put them into the patty before you grill. apparently the ice cubes keep your patty from drying out. i wondered about the taste. i don't know. or a bit of apple juice to keep the flavor in there. that is interesting. you are great. >> wow! >> take it away. this is your moment. >>> still to come on "today," a delicious dessert using the last raspberries of the summer. >> but first this is "today" on nbc. >>> i like that song. this morning in "today's food." we are savoring the last of the summer's harvest with raspberries. carmen is the author of "hand made baking." so good to have you with us. >> thank you. >> what is a pavlova? >> i love this. pavlova is simple and sophisticated and delicious. it is marshmallowy in the ddle. we need basic eggs, sugar, salt, vinegar, heavy cream, raspberries

when you flip it over, don't get me to do that, it gets the lemony taste without sinking in the grill hacks are telling me. here you go. here is the next one. look how nice i did that. how about burgers? no one likes a dry piece of meat. take ice chips. you put them into the patty before you grill. apparently the ice cubes keep your patty from drying out. i wondered about the taste. i don't know. or a bit of apple juice to keep the flavor in there. that is interesting. you are great. >> wow! >> take it away. this is your moment. >>> still to come on "today," a delicious dessert using the last raspberries of the summer. >> but first this is "today" on nbc. my name is phil zietlow, and i've been an engineer on the cheerios team for 51 years. about five years ago, i found out that if my daughter-in-law, joyce, eats anything with gluten in it she feels pretty darn terrible. so my team and i came up with a way to remove the grains that contain gluten, from the naturally gluten free oats that cheerios are made of. so now joyce and i can have cheerios together anytime we want. and if you lov