'That's My Job, I Have To Do It'

[Primetimer]

The Profit's Marcus Lemonis talked to Sarah D. Bunting about people, process, product, partners, Piven, and The Profit Junior.

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[Jesse]

Love. I wonder how much Marcus would really dish if you talked to him often enough? 

[Lola16]

^5 Sarah.

[attica]

OMG, great interview.  Now if only you'd asked him about the chemistry with the salon lady.... :)

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Oh, I still have a whole list of questions for next time.

"Dude, Sarah, stop."

[clod]

I'd like to know if he ever showed up at a business to do a show, and it was bad enough that he changed his mind.........  "no show for you!"

[attica]

"Dude, Sarah, stop."

 

No lie, that was my favorite. 

 

I appreciated that he talked about being affected by the various kinds of people that watch the show. Me, I only started watching because of Sarah's recaps, and now I'm a full-fledged fan. I don't watch much reality tv, biz dev isn't my particular jam, but still: this show is really, super watchable.

[Process]

Thanks for the interview.  Lemonis says that research on applicant companies is minimal to aid in telling the story:  we get to see his actual reactions when he finds out the true situation.  This is his process for The Profit companies.  However, it is not hard to imagine Lemonis rebuking an applicant company with a similar low level of due dilligence ("you don't have a process").  But this process makes sense given the objective of doing the show well.  When owners of The Profit companies say that Lemonis is just doing something because of the show, his reaction is negative.  But we know Lemonis strives for excellence in what he does and I don't see evidence that the show is any different.  It is not a surprise that he does some things differently for the show than he would in "real" life.  He is not just maximizing returns on his time spent on the show.  He is seeking an acceptable return plus excellence in The Profit, the brand/show/whatever.  Another intangible benefit of spending time at a company where things don't work out, is that he gets to see up close and personal how that particular business model works as well as teaching people about People, Product and Process.  If financial returns are good and there is growth in the "brand" with excellence, then investment in intangibles makes perfect sense.  The applicant companies don't have the luxury of intangibles because their fundamentals are flawed in a way that threatens their existence.