i could have just walked away completely at that point, marcus. lemonisad no control, and you are leaving here today because nobody is paying your bills. thank you for coming. mike: i wish you the best. lemonis: yeah. good luck to you. ♪ mike is now gone for good, and so is paul, by the way. he hung around for awhile and tried to work on little things, but in the end, it didn't work out, and candidly, it's probably for the best. now, they're still technically investors and my partners, but that's in the name only, not the operations. ♪ travis: so this is where we're standing here. this is gone now. lemonis: in an effort to drive more traffic to farrell's, we are redoing the entire floor plan to allow customers that just want to enjoy ice cream without food to come. we're expanding the entire candy store to improve the retail area, and we're adding a candy-making space, and we're also extending the ice cream bar. ♪ if everything goes according to plan, we'll be open in the next two weeks. ♪ hey, guys. how are you? shauna: hey. shauna: good. how are you? le

lemonis: i'm marcus. stephanie: nice to meet you. stephanie. lemonis: stephanie, nice to meet you. how are you? dave: hi, marcus. i'm dave. lemonis: hey, dave. how are you? dave: great to meet you. lemonis: nice to meet you. jill: hi, i'm dave's wife -- jill. lemonis: how are you, jill? nice to meet you. so, are you both in the business? jill: no, i work awm in athletics. lemonis: oh, you do? dave: but she has worked farmers markets for us. lemonis: okay. well, i've never been in a place like this, so i wanted to kind of get a feel for it. dave: all right. so, the line where they serve people. lemonis: what's the most number of soups you have in one day, offered available? dave: we do up to nine. so, we have soup, salad, sandwich. lemonis: what's going on on that board? dave: i bought a new one, but it's too big. so that's gonna be the new look, assuming it's not all faded like that. lemonis: i want to taste what you're known for. dave: okay, well, i would start with the african-peanut and chicken. lemonis: it does have peanuts in it? dave: yes, peanut butter. lemonis: peanut butter

want you to meet marcus lemonis. lemonis: hi. how are you? i'm marcus. shauna: i'm shauna. you. lemonis: nice to meet you. father daughter working together? shauna: yeah, yeah. it's fun. lemonis: and have you been in the business a while? shauna: i have. i started right out of college. so, i'm the director of marketing now. lemonis: you're the person that gets everybody in the front door. shauna: yes, that's my goal. lemonis: what's it like working with your dad? shauna: i love working with him. i mean, my dad has always said that he started all of his businesses because he wanted to be able to pass something down to his kids, and, of course, i want to make him proud. mike: she's a huge inspiration for me and a motivation for me. lemonis: you can feel the affection between you guys. -shauna: yeah. -mike: oh, yeah. i'd like to have you meet my business partner, paul kramer. lemonis: okay. mike: want you to meet marcus lemonis. lemonis: how are you? i'm marcus. nice to meet you. paul: thank you for joining us here. lemonis: absolutely. how do you share roles and responsibilit

bernadette: nice to meet you, marcus. lemonis: nice to meet you. adette: thank you for being here. lemonis: i thought it may be a good idea for the three of us to go outside and talk, just, away from everybody. bernadette: yeah. lemonis: is that okay? let's head out. you have kids? bernadette: two. they're in there. lemonis: oh, they are? bernadette: yeah, stocked up with snacks and games. lemonis: how old are they? bernadette: 5 and 7. lemonis: what's the year been like for you? bernadette: we've worked really hard, and i'd hate to see what we've worked for, um, disappear. lemonis: he smiles a lot. bernadette: he does. lemonis: is that a real smile, or is that just for show? bernadette: it's a real smile. steve: i smile when i'm stressed, i smile when i'm nervous, and i smile when i'm happy. lemonis: well, that's good. steve: it's my default position. [ laughs ] lemonis: how hard has this been on him? bernadette: incredibly difficult. a lot of questioning himself. steve: i have taken a huge risk just to get here today, and i've pushed myself to the

lemonis: hi, michael. marcus. michael: hey, marcus. i've gotten an e-mail that is quite concerning. so i wanted to give michael a call and find out what the heck's going on. the e-mail that i'm reading says that you specifically are making changes to the package that is slowing the process down. michael: we have to have the back of the container correct. lemonis: michael, i cannot believe that this product is not ready yet. i cannot believe it. it's got to be ready by sunday. i asked michael to make sure that the bottles were done and ready and produced for bronner. but now i'm hearing that he's making changes to them, slowing down the process and putting the process at risk. and this is a good example of him not being focused on one task. this is a big deal. it's a big deal for you. it's a big deal for me. you're confident that this stuff will be done for the event? michael: oh, yeah. i'm very confident it will be done for the event. lemonis: okay, buddy. i'm looking forward to seeing it. i'm excited. michael: yes. lemonis: see you th

tracy: bye, marcus. lemonis: thank you for everything. i'm very proud of you. tracy: thank you. lemonis: i'm very proud of you. ♪ you guys do a lot of fishing. -justin: as much as we can. -ray: yep. [ laughs ] lemonis: at a sports-apparel business in illinois, the product is top-notch. -justin: sun protection. -ray: completely custom shirt. lemonis: but something's fishy. why am i here? -katie: well, you're here because the business is out of money. lemonis: the facility is quite literally a sweat shop. katie: it gets really hot in here. -lemonis: no ac in here. -katie: no ac. lemonis: the employees are up in arms. marci: i actually have a video of a friday afternoon i think you would probably find pretty interesting. lemonis: and one of the owners has a troubling side gig. ray: i'm going to say what every other man wants to say that doesn't have the balls do to it. lemonis: if i can't get them to make some radical changes to their culture... i am a big believer that you are who you do business with. ...this company will capsize. my name is marcus lemonis, and i risk my own money

lemonis: let her know marcus is here. woman: okay. lemonis: thank you.t really understand when i walked into pacific, why i was seeing residential furniture. i thought this was a hospitality business. if this is a showroom, i don't think they're showing the right stuff. ana: hi, marcus! lemonis: are you ana? ana: yes. lemonis: how are you? ana: nice to meet you. lemonis: it's really nice to meet you. ana: yes. very nice to meet you. lemonis: how long have you guys been here? ana: we've been in this location about 13 years. lemonis: wow. ana: yes. lemonis: how are you, sir? i'm marcus. how are you, sir? nice to meet you. gilbert: me too. lemonis: how long have you guys been in business? gilbert: 40 years. lemonis: 40 years? and what is your business primarily? is it hospitality? ana: mostly hospitality. we do guest room furniture, public space furniture, as well as restaurant furniture. lemonis: and how much of your business is hospitality? ana: probably like 90%. lemonis: 90%. what's the other 10%? ana: a mix of like retail, as well as residential. so pr

lemonis: i'm marcus. caity: thanks for coming. monis: so you're really the person that runs this business? caity: yes. lemonis: okay. caity: but with the help of an amazing team. lemonis: do you guys sell online? jessica: we do. lemonis: how much does the web do? caity: it varies. we're really trying to increase web sales, but right now, year to date, our average is about $2,700 a week, and our goal is more like $5,000 a week. lemonis: oh! jessica: speak of the devil. monica: you guys, i am so sorry. hi. lemonis: how are you? monica: you're really cute. lemonis: nice -- thank you. but you're really late. monica: i said i was sorry. lemonis: i'm kidding. jessica: [ laughs ] lemonis: talk to me about the store. what are you thinking about? monica: this store and the website are both extensions of my home. lemonis: everybody said you don't spend much time here. monica: i don't. lemonis: why? monica: because my job and my kids are in los angeles. lemonis: makes sense. hello, ladies. welcome to monica potter. monica: hi. lemonis: come o

petros: nice to meet you, marcus. lemonisw, you've been in the chocolate business for how many years? -george: almost 40 years. lemonis: and how long ago did you meet? eleni: 39 years ago. he was in greece. lemonis: oh, you were in greece. who are these pictures of? -zoe: that's my mom's parents. petros: yeah, and a little push cart in baltimore. zoe: in baltimore, where they were hand-rolling chocolates, and my dad came over. he learned the trade. george: i love to work for my kids. lemonis: it's nice to have your children support you. george: oh, yes. i think that's the most important, to love each other. lemonis: this place is -- it got a lot bigger. -petros: yeah, right. -lemonis: it goes back even -- petros: it goes back farther, yeah. lemonis: holy... petros: this is the kitchen, where we manufacture everything. lemonis: oh, my gosh. i just want to see the process. petros: so we're boiling the cream, and we have our raw chocolate, a little butter. lemonis: can i stir it? oh, yeah. petros: so this is gonna cool. after it

i'm marcus lemonis. i had to see it myself. i have friends here, and i wanted to help them get out.hank you for your service. it was chaos, crowds of people just waiting for help. governor, how are you? how are you? i met the governor. we surveyed the damage. it was staggering. the width of the hurricane was 35 miles. puerto rico is 30 miles. a third of the island still without power. you guys know you're american citizens, right? yes. do you feel like it? yes, but we've been abandoned by our government of the united states, as well as the government of puerto rico. a bridge washed out, a community cut off. it's horrible because this is our only entrance and exit. there's nowhere in and nowhere out. for you, this is the end of the world right here. doctors saving the injured and the sick. also, the ptsd, post-traumatic stress disorder. from the hurricane. yes. they don't have food. they don't have water. they don't have jobs. this would never happen on the mainland. you'd see trucks everywhere. you'd see military deployment. thousands making the wrenching decision. i feel like a cow

lemonis: i'm marcus. lisa: how are you doing? lemonis: nice to meet you. tell me what's going on here. cory: okay, so today we actually have a pop-up shop and customers come, they get a cookie. they sit down and wait for their car. lemonis: are we generating revenue? or are you giving them away? cory: the company buys them and then we give them. lemonis: very smart. whose idea was that? cory: both of our ideas. lemonis: okay. now more importantly, i love cookies. cory: so you got to try them. lemonis: so i'm a really tough judge, though. cory: okay. okay. i got you. lemonis: okay. cory: okay, this is the chocolate chip. they're all natural, and they have no preservatives added. lemonis: the chocolate chip was amazing. cory: thank you. second, this is a double dark. this is like the brownie. nice and soft in the middle. lemonis: it's delicious. cory: and sugar cookies. lemonis: is there orange in this cookie? orange peel? cory: it's a secret recipe. lemonis: okay. let me just tell you right now. lisa: oh, no. lemonis: if we do a deal, i'm gonna need to know

my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses.'m willing to write a "half a million dollar" check. i make tough decisions. i'm not willing to do the deal if you're in charge of sales. back them up with my own cash.

lemonis: makes stuff for whole foods and costco. kenny: marcushared with me your formula and your process, and i love it, and i've had the biscuits. the kids have had them. they think they're great. i've heard rave reviews about the watermelon cake, also. lemonis: i just wanted him to come down and spend some time with you. lynn: okay. that sounds good. lemonis: any time you mass produce a product, you have to make changes not only for the size of the batch, but the amount of shelf life the product will have. kenny: in the restaurant here, are they generally not uniform shape? -lynn: right. -kenny: which is okay. lemonis: well, here's a bag of them. and, see, they're all different. kenny: because, certainly, when we go to commercialization, one of the keys is that it's consistent size, shape, and weight every single time. so they fit in the packages, so the nutritional data matches. i'll walk you through what we did. instead of self-rising, we used all-purpose flour. we find commercially is that everybody's self-rising flour is different. all-pur

-lemonis: i'm marcus. -lisa: marcus, this is kacey. -kacey: nice to meet you. to meet you? how are you? pet food experts is one of the largest distributors of pet food in the united states. not only do they carry a ton of brands, but they carry a wide variety of price points. that's why we're here. do you have your mission statement? lisa: this is our food promise that we go off of. lemonis: "no byproducts, corn, wheat, or soy." -"no chemical preservatives." -kacey: mm-hmm. lemonis: why don't we walk and just kind of get a feel for it? i need lisa's expertise and her brand promise to determine what foods are gonna work and not work, but i also need her to be open-minded. -do we carry this nutro? -lisa: no. lemonis: does it have byproducts, corn, wheat, or soy? lisa: this one i don't know. no, this one doesn't. lemonis: chemical preservatives? lisa: doesn't look like it. lemonis: so, this has the food promise, but you won't carry it. -lisa: no. -lemonis: why? lisa: when we actually first opened, they were the biggest ones that had all the recalls and stuff, too.

lemonis: what's happening? i'm marcus. -mary ellen: hi, i'm mary ellen. -lemonis: mary ellen.mary ellen: nice to meet you. -mary lou: mary lou. -lemonis: mary lou. chuck: call me chuck. lemonis: chuck, nice to meet you. -chuck: pleasure to meet you. -charlie: charlie. lemonis: okay, so you guys are brother and sister. -mary ellen: yes. -lemonis: is this your dad? -charlie: correct. -chuck: c.e.o., designer. charlie: when i go home, at the dinner table, he's my old man. he's my dad. i love him to death. in business, it's chuck because i'm going to get a little emotional. lemonis: and who's in charge? charlie: i kind of run the show. mary ellen: i mean, the loudest person usually does. lemonis: the loudest person. charlie: i think everyone can agree. -mary lou: no. -mary ellen: [ scoffs ] charlie: everyone comes to me. i'm the one person that you all communicate to. lemonis: and whose name's on the door? -chuck: oh, my name. -lemonis: okay. just wanted to clarify that. it doesn't say, "swim by charlie handy." chuck: no. lemonis: do you have a business card? charlie: yes. lemonis

now i know why you put the money up here. [ music continues ] my name is marcus lemonis. on my show, "the profit," i use my own money to invest in struggling american companies... i'm 100% in charge. ...and help turn their fortunes around. now i've come to one of the last holdouts of communism to meet some pioneers of capitalism. >> the doors for the first time are wide open. >> i'm definitely a businessman. i love doing this. >> do you think you're gonna be in cuba for the rest of your life? >> yes. because cuba is changing very fast. >> the obstacles are daunting. this clothing designer has to buy fabric on the black market. >> ooh! >> this restaurant owner isn't allowed any more than 50 seats. the state says she isn't allowed to expand her business. you cannot have two stands? >> no. >> this sucks. meet cuba's new business class, surviving and thriving under one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. [ music continues ] [ flamenco guitar plays ] i had barely set foot on cuban soil when i saw how the new business laws are changing lives. armando lee rolled up in a

>> my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses.h decisions.

my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. this 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. it's not always pretty... >> do you want to come over here? >> no. >> but this is business. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. this the profit. [upbeat music] ♪ this week, i'm going to keyport, new jersey, a town that was devastated by hurricane sandy in 2012. i'm going to meet the owners of mr. green tea, a gourmet ice cream company. for nearly 50 years, mr. green tea has been hand-crafting exotic ice cream flavors and supplying the asian restaurant trade in new york city. >> so delicious. >> way ahead of their time, mr. green tea was producing flavors like green tea, ginger, and red bean. this family business was founded by richard's dad, santo emanuele, in 1968, who ran it with richard's older brother, james. richard's dad passed away, and then his brot

my name is marcus lemonis. and i fix failing businesses.business 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

my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses.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

[laughter] >> by the time he's done. >> yeah. >> have you guys met marcus lemonis?er] >> private 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. >>

my name is marcus lemonis. i fix failing businesses. this month you lost $150,000. i make tough decisions... you're not gonna come behind every single person and change the deal. >> i didn't agree to this [bleep]. >> and i back them up with my own cash. if you're not gonna put your pride away, well, then i'm not gonna do the deal. it's not always pretty. >> are you okay? >> end it. >> but this is business. you gotta trust the process. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. >> that's all you. >> yeah, buddy. this the profit. [hip-hop music] ♪ 10 miles outside of my hometown of chicago, located in morton grove, illinois, is the home of athans motors. in 2009, pete athans, a car enthusiast and successful real estate investor, who made millions flipping houses, sunk his entire life savings into building his first car dealership. >> i created a place where you want to hang out, buy a car, sell your car... car's worth 30 all day, wholesale. service your car, or just come by and have a cup of coffee. >> the project took 18 months and cost more than $4 million to

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 i fix failing businesses. i'm willing to write a "half a million dollar" check. i make tough decisions. i'm not willing to do the deal if you're in charge of sales. back them up with my own cash. it's not always pretty. i'll take the shower. jen, you take the toilet. >> i don't do the toilet in my own house. really? >> but this is business. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. this the profit. [upbeat music] ♪ eco-me is an all-natural cleaning product started by robin kay levine in 2006. with the partnership of her childhood friend jen mihajlov, a 12% owner, they built eco-me up from a small, do-it-yourself cleaning kit to a 17-piece cleaning line, including dog-grooming products. this product is sold nationwide at stores like whole foods and target, and last year they did a half a million dollars in sales, with only six employees. i personally use this product in my own home and find that it works extremely well. to stay in business, robin has leveraged friends and family to find every penny she c

my name is marcus lemonis, and i risk my own money to save struggling businesses.e are not going to wake up every morning wondering if we have a job. we are going to wake up every morning wondering how many jobs we have to do. it's not always pretty... everything is going to change. everything. ...but i do it to save jobs and i do it to make money. this... let's go to work! ...is "the profit." ♪ -i'd really like to do a manufactured by detroit denim. -in 2010, eric yelsma founded detroit denim, a maker of high-end men's jeans. -they're unhemmed. so we will mark them and get you the fit that you want. -every component from the buttons to the thread is sourced in the u.s. and every pair is sewn right here in the heart of motor city. -danke. -tired of the corporate rat race, eric noticed an opportunity to help revitalize his city by tapping into local designers and fabricators. -when you are done with those leather straps, marguerite, i want to get started on these jeans. -soon after he launched, he partnered with a production manager, brenna lane. and from there, the

my name is marcus lemonis, and i risk my own money to save struggling businesses. we're not going to wake up every morning wondering if we have a job. we're going to wake up every morning wondering how many jobs we have to do. it's not always pretty. everything's going to change. everything. but i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. this... let go to work. ...is "the profit." ♪ it's hard to believe that i've been doing "the profit" for several years now. and i've done a lot of deals with a ton of businesses. we have a deal? we got a deal. partner? i think most people are under the impression that if the deal ends well, then it's, like, "millions for everybody! and it's going to be great." wow. congratulations, guys. thanks again. get your ass to work. it just wasn't true. i'm not sure who to be pissed at -- myself for doing the deal, or you guys for letting this stuff just sit here. in order to understand how i look at wins and losses, i have to probably define for you how i look at them. a "win" isn't always about money. it can be somebody's personal de

>> my name is marcus lemonis, and i fix failing businesses. i don't know how you run your business this way. i make tough decisions. i can tell you for damn sure, you're replaceable. and i back them up with my own cash. there's your check. it's not always pretty. everybody's working hard, not just you. but this is business. >> i was just gonna try to stop you in your tracks. >> you'll never to stop me in my tracks. i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. >> ching-ching. >> this is the profit. [upbeat music] ♪ worldwide trailers designs, builds, and sells concession trailers, mostly to food vendors. tom etheridge and nancy pappas started the company in 2001, and took it from a backyard start-up to a multimillion dollar business. >> you got 50%. i got 50%. >> tom and nancy were a couple, and although their relationship came to an abrupt end three years ago, they have continued to work together. >> working with nancy is difficult. nance, you never agree with anything i say anyway, so what's the point? >> i not only run the company, but i