S08.E04 Sweet Dreams are Made of This

[Whimsy]

Quote

Marcus attempts to help a Salt Lake City sweet potato pie business go nationwide.

Original airdate 8/31/21

[hurrrz]

This was a bizarre episode. "I need $1m" "Here's $50k" "I don't know what to do with $50k" 

*sigh* 

I think Jeremy probably has good intentions and all, but he's lucky he was able to finally follow some direction, otherwise he'd be stuck in his cycle and would never get out. 

I also find Marcus to be so bizarre in that he's so huggy, and high-fivey and all. 

[JayDub1987]

I kept going back and forth between feeling sympathetic for Jeremy and finding him horribly annoying. Overall, I hope he gets it figured out. 

[4N6MAL]

Watching now and I can’t stand this guy, James! So fake! 😡😡

[BusyOctober]

Not sure if it was nerves, or self confidence, but James, the BS,  and all his big smiles and giggles came across as  a very bad investment.  I know he is a veteran, but he couldn’t have gone too far in rank. I doubt his commanding officers allowed him to smile and giggle and bullshit his way out of not completing assignments and orders.

 This guy was enamored with the idea of “owning a business”.  He probably would have been just as uninterested in the product if he was selling crayons or sponges or nail guns.  A good business owner or leader in a business needs to know the product to be successful.  If you can’t list what the hell goes into you pies, I’m not buying one.

[hurrrz]

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

 If you can’t list what the hell goes into you pies, I’m not buying one.

This was so bizarre to me. You KNOW that Marcus will ask about numbers, cost of product and what goes into stuff. That happens in EVERY episode. And you also have one SKU, based on your grandmother's recipe. How the hell do you not know what goes into your one product? 

[seacliffsal]

So far this season there have been two episodes which featured business owners who weren't invested in their own products (pizza guy and pie guy).  I think Marcus must have an air-tight contract with the production company that doesn't allow him to just walk away from these ridiculous businesses.  When the guy said he thought Marcus would take him to Costco or Starbucks to enter into an agreement I just laughed.  Ridiculous!  I think he watched Shark Tank instead of the Profit (Lori often brags about these 'we walked in and got a deal').  However, he was no way prepared for any kind of large deal.  I am glad that the baker who worked for him was able to go to the culinary course as she, at least, seemed excited about the opportunities Marcus represented.

[Gregg247]

I found James to be utterly exhausting.  His fake smile and giggles as he once again tells Marcus that he just wasn't able to complete the task at hand got on my nerves.  How can this guy think he's ready to go national with his one product that he doesn't even know how to make (or has any interest in making himself)?  

I've worked with guys like this in the past; big talkers with giant dreams who never seem to go anywhere because every single opportunity they get is torpedoed by their lack of follow-through.

Marcus has walked away from better businesses than this.

[hurrrz]

Another thing of delusion: He wanted $1m for 30%. He made combined $200k in 2 years (roughly). How in the world is his business worth $3m?

[JayDub1987]

On 9/2/2021 at 2:58 PM, hurrrz said:

Another thing of delusion: He wanted $1m for 30%. He made combined $200k in 2 years (roughly). How in the world is his business worth $3m?

People overvalue their own businesses in the same way people overvalue their own homes. I'm a real estate agent and when people want to list their home for sale, they usually think their home is worth around twice as much as it actually is. When I do a listing consultation, I look at all the facts about the home and comparable sells. 90% of the time, my valuation of their home is nowhere near as high as theirs. I think people view their businesses the same way.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It's very similar to Shark Tank valuations, that the owner says a businesses is worth millions, but after hearing the sales, debt, etc. the Sharks say the business is worth much less.      The valuation on the pie business was so many times what it was worth. 

[LuvMyShows]

Marcus had on a new (ugly) designer shirt where the designer's name is all over it...IIRC it was Alexander McQueen(?).  I just can't with his wardrobe decisions.

[seacliffsal]

I think Marcus looked so much better when he dressed more professionally.  He has bought several clothing businesses and has put them all under his namesake umbrella.  He seems to want to be a trendsetter but IMO should just be his professional self.

[LuvMyShows]

On 9/1/2021 at 11:14 AM, hurrrz said:

This was a bizarre episode. "I need $1m" "Here's $50k" "I don't know what to do with $50k" 

*sigh* 

I think Jeremy probably has good intentions and all, but he's lucky he was able to finally follow some direction, otherwise he'd be stuck in his cycle and would never get out. 

The more I think about it (and it's pathetic that I'm still thinking about it days later), the more I think that James's approach is probably far too typical of many small business owners.  That's not good, and probably accounts for at least some of the high rate of small business failure.

[sskrill]

"I know how to make 1 thing - give me $1 million dollars."  🙄

[Gregg247]

On 9/26/2021 at 1:00 AM, sskrill said:

"I know how to make 1 thing - give me $1 million dollars."  🙄

"Well, I don't really know how to make even one thing.  But the lady I hired does, so give me $1 million dollars for that!  Oh, just $50,000?  Okay, close enough!  SOLD!"