The Partner - General Discussion

[RealReality]

On 3/20/2017 at 5:59 PM, qtpye said:

I think one of the main problems is that anyone who is truly qualified for this role would never submit to this type of on television job interview.  I think Marcus is sincere and this show is much better then the bullshit the Apprentice has become, but it still reeks of reality television.

Some of these challenges seem very undignified.  Shopping at Target for your call out poster?  It seems silly and juvenile.  None of the contestants are rising to the challenge thus far...maybe it gets better in future episodes.

The challenge was very reality TV...but the fact that he axed half the group in the first episode was very not reality TV.

And frankly, he got rid of some very good cannon fodder.

The ex football player would have been reality TV gold just judging from that ridiculous video he sent in.  Also, poker player lady would have made for some great cringeworthy moments.

The fact that he kept semi snoozeworthy Chuck over the football guy was very not reality TV to me.

On 3/21/2017 at 11:53 AM, Evagirl said:

If I could have I would have recommended to Chuck that on one side of his poster I'd show him in military camouflage, with weapons and a diverse team of serious looking soldiers behind him.   On the other side I'd show him in a sharp business suit, iPad or tablet with a diverse team of corporates behind him.  In between I'd say something like, "I've led on the battlefield and now I'm leading in the boardroom.  That's how I roll."  Too corny?  Don't beat me up too bad.
 

Yeah, thats a great idea.  Maybe you should be the partner!

[RealReality]

17 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

I didn't like anyone this week, including Marcus!  Last week, he dinged the contestants for all agreeing with him rather than challenge his ideas, like a real partner should.  This week, he dinged them because no one agreed that watches would be a good product to sell at a mall kiosk.  Make up your mind, Marcus!  Plus, he got mad that no one "researched" the products that were on sale at the kiosks.  They were selling t-shirts and candy!  How much research does that require? 

Juli impressed me (minimally) by slapping Erin down at the basketball game.  She really shut him up without being mean or overdoing it.  

My favorite line was from Pielen, to Buffy: "Why do you 'deserve' this more than the rest of us?"  We almost had an interesting argument.  Then Pielen ruined it by crying at the mall because she missed her family, and the show wasn't what she was expecting.  Has she ever watched a reality TV show?  This is exactly what she should have been expecting (sad but true).  If you're going to cry about missing all your family activities, maybe you should stick with your job at the family candy business, Miss Harvard Law.

I think Marcus wants to hire Erin, but realized that he couldn't fire someone else when Erin stunk that badly this week, so he gave them all a pass.  I wish he'd fire them all and hire that lady who sold the watches for him.  She was a random person, so definitely better than all 4 existing contestants put together.

I think he got mad because at some point I feel like he alluded to the fact that all of the products have a story behind them.  Which should be a clue for everyone (especially Harvard Law) to get on google and do a little research.  For these sorts of products, the "story" is on the first page of the website, and "the inventor really loves candy!" isn't going to make me want to stop.

You need to tell me how this dude makes this stuff in his kitchen, and he only uses simple all natural ingredients, and he flavors his candy with maple sugar, or something.  And candy should have a relatively low price point so if there is a special interest attached, like a charity, I think people would have bought more. There is a company that makes toffee every Christmas, and like 40-50% of the proceeds go to building schools in Africa.  My sister buys from them every year, and they often sell out before Thanksgiving.  People love the idea that they can support a charity and eat candy.

If you can sell a $40 watch that no one needs based on a charity connection then you can certainly move some $10 candy.

I also understood his anger because their stands looked super messy.  If you know you're only going to have an hour to sell, pick like two items and make it work.  Those handbags looked tacky, tacky, tacky and I would have laughed in someones face if they tried to sell that to me for $150 at a mall kiosk.  Stuffing it with candy and a candle did not help.

If I picked two items it would have been the candy, and either the candles or the tee shirts.  Probably the tee shirts, because I think that people who really want good candles will just go to a specialty shop to get one.

I didn't hate the idea of calling your store "ONE DAY ONLY SALE" because honestly, I would go to a kiosk that said "SALE", and I would probably run towards something that said it was for "ONE DAY ONLY."  No matter how many times I've been burned by Macy's one day sale lies.

I actually think Marcus wants to hire Juli, he keeps giving her passes and Erin is getting a shit edit so I'm not sure he is going to be the winner.

15 hours ago, kacesq said:

I was already to enjoy this show and the first two episodes seemed to be slightly better than your average competition reality show.  But last night's episode with the "who should go?" crap.  I hate that.  I also started the season liking all the contestants but now I wouldn't hire any of them.  Miss Harvard Law doesn't seem to do well under pressure, Erin is just arrogant, Juli is meh and Buffie talks a good game but hasn't done anything to back it up other than insist she should be the Partner. 

as inconsequential as it was, at least Buffie tried something different to stir up sales.  Obviously sitting there at the kiosk wasn't working, and while her running would have been better had she run with the samples....at least she tried.  No one else really tried.  I guess Erin sort of tried towards the end.

[RealReality]

11 hours ago, Amarsir said:

Erin sure dropped the ball, even giving him some leeway for the fire. I think he's probably the sharpest in terms of figuring out the objective and changing to match it, but he also has a commitment problem. In the first week he said his history was bailing on Goldman Sachs a week from his start date to go vacation in Pamplona. That doesn't describe a guy I'd want representing me; I couldn't trust him to follow through. Marcus seemed to take it as a positive, but I'm watching for it because otherwise I think Erin would be the guy to beat.

Overall this week though, thumbs down to Marcus for giving them an hour and expecting it to be a branding exercise. An hour to pick items and then overnight to create a strategy, great. But he specifically said they only had an hour for strategy. And if they don't realize that no one gives a shit about kiosks, of course they're going to focus on the accounting more than the marketing.  It was set up for disappointment.

Also is this the first time we've heard that the half million is over 3 years? It makes me wonder what catches are on the equity part as well?

I laughed at that, because 1) that story sounds like bullshit so I'd like to see the offer letter, and 2) it doesn't cast him in the positive light he thinks it does...it sort of makes him look like a flake.

I mean, its not a bad story to tell your friends and maybe a first date....but to talk about how you flaked to a potential employer is just weird.  He could have just said he travelled after college, and left out the fact that he flaked on Goldman Sachs.

I assumed the 500k represented 1% equity.

[LennieBriscoe]

I thoroughly dislike Erin, not least because his name is my middle name, and I'm a female. He is lazy and uninterested, as well as uninteresting. Also, he is clueless in picking up cues, such as Marcus's asking if all was being taken care of with his business (fire), and it was.

If Marcus whiffed at "firing" because he wants to hire Erin, Marcus isn't as smart as I heretofore have thought. 

As to the kiosk task: Feh to mall kiosks and their importuning vendors!  Who buys T-shirts randomly like this, if not on vacation? Or a watch, whose style left much to be desired? And candy?! Was this the "Send Our Band to the Rose Parade" challenge? 

Oh, that's right; it wasn't about the sales. The test was about teamwork, judgment, research, personality....and sales. Per hour. 

He's going to hire Blondie. 

[qtpye]

4 hours ago, RealReality said:

The challenge was very reality TV...but the fact that he axed half the group in the first episode was very not reality TV.

And frankly, he got rid of some very good cannon fodder.

The ex football player would have been reality TV gold just judging from that ridiculous video he sent in.  Also, poker player lady would have made for some great cringeworthy moments.

The fact that he kept semi snoozeworthy Chuck over the football guy was very not reality TV to me.

I think Marcus is sincere in his intentions.  However, I know if I was qualified for a job (not that I am qualified for being the Partner, I am not), I would never want to submit to any type of t.v. based selection process.  The contracts for these shows allow them to do whatever they like with your image and likeness and most very qualified people are not going to be comfortable with that.

This is probably one of the reasons the top five seem so underwhelming.

[RealReality]

^^I agree, i think he wants to hire juli.  I predict a lot of "I'm proud of you's" and her being.presented as becoming stronger to justify her win.

I would buy candy anywhere. But I do love candy

[seacliffsal]

Quite frankly, I think Marcus has made mistakes with companies that he has bought into.  The items they could sell as the Kiosks had hits as well as misses.  Those Courage B purses were horrible (and it's their signature look).  That Buffie and Juli tried to sell a package of the goods was pretty ridiculous as all the products are unknown to consumers (unless they watch The Profit), so $150 was way over priced.  Peilon did want to sell the watches, but went along with Erin's picks.

This episode reinforced my suspicion that Marcus is all about the fame and being on the teevee.  He told the applicants that he brought out someone who works in his office to sell the watches.  So, clearly, he had people working for him who are more competent that these applicants.  The basketball challenge was ridiculous-if I were playing I would not have liked Juli yelling and becoming visibly angry.  When I did pay intercollegiate volleyball, I preferred the coaches who gave direction, but did not cause us to lose our focus; time-outs for great for redirection, etc.  

Marcus is looking for a cheerleader type, and for a reason to be on t.v.

[RealReality]

On 3/24/2017 at 3:17 PM, seacliffsal said:

Quite frankly, I think Marcus has made mistakes with companies that he has bought into.  The items they could sell as the Kiosks had hits as well as misses.  Those Courage B purses were horrible (and it's their signature look).  That Buffie and Juli tried to sell a package of the goods was pretty ridiculous as all the products are unknown to consumers (unless they watch The Profit), so $150 was way over priced.  Peilon did want to sell the watches, but went along with Erin's picks.

This episode reinforced my suspicion that Marcus is all about the fame and being on the teevee.  He told the applicants that he brought out someone who works in his office to sell the watches.  So, clearly, he had people working for him who are more competent that these applicants.  The basketball challenge was ridiculous-if I were playing I would not have liked Juli yelling and becoming visibly angry.  When I did pay intercollegiate volleyball, I preferred the coaches who gave direction, but did not cause us to lose our focus; time-outs for great for redirection, etc.  

Marcus is looking for a cheerleader type, and for a reason to be on t.v.

I, for one, don't believe that that girl was "from his office," she was a little too smooth for my taste, so I'm guessing she is some sort of extra or something.  I dont know that you're gonna just pull someone from the office and they are going to look and sound polished while they are selling to total strangers in front of a TV camera.  I call some sort of shenanigans.

Although, even if the girl was from his office, it only proves he has someone more competent at selling....and to his point, he would say it wasn't even the salesperson as much as it was having the right product with a strong story....which was his idea and not hers.

Those purses were awful.

This is the first show I've ever watched with Marcus Lemonis.  So far, I like him and he seems legit.  But I'm open to varying interpretations :)

Juli is the special snowflake who will win and we watch her rise from meek and tremulous to a force to be reckoned with!

I would say that the reason Marcus didn't fire anyone last time is because of Juli.

Now, hear me out.  If he wanted to keep Erin, he had a perfect excuse since his team brought in the most money.  Marcus could say that while that task wasn't strictly about sales, that it was at least a factor, and Erin/Peilin made the most money in sales.  Also, Erin was actively selling towards the end.  And, he at least had a somewhat legit excuse about the fire for the first part of the task. 

So, I think if Marcus had wanted to fire someone, Juli would have really been the only option, because there really wasn't a good justification to fire anyone else.  You could say that Erin was out of it for most of the task, but even with him MIA, his team still sold more than Juli/Buffie.  So, how could you get rid of Peilin if she was responsible for outselling two people for the better part of the day?  And then how could you get rid of Erin, if, in the last few hours he managed to sell enough to outsell a team of two people that had been selling all day?

And then, on the other team, how could you get rid of Buffie, who at least tried to do something to get sales.  At least Buffie hustled.  It may not have yielded any great results, but at least she tried.  Which is more than I could say for Juli, who didn't seem to come up with any ideas to improve sales.

If you have to fire someone, its hard to justify not firing someone who was on the losing team and didn't really try.  Which is why I think this whole "i'm not going to fire anyone" was a ploy to save Juli.

[cooksdelight]

I hope Juli doesn't win. I'll lose all respect for Marcus. Well, I'll lose some MORE respect since I lost some when he was dating that horrible NY Housewife, Bethenny.

Edited March 26, 2017 by cooksdelight

[cooksdelight]

Interesting....Did this business make it onto TV?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3375884/Marcus-Lemonis-CNBC-s-small-business-Profit-continues-face-lawsuit-brought-2010-Florida-competitor.html

[clod]

wrt the watch seller,  she may have been part of Marcus's "the profit" and "the partner"   show staff.   

not a campingworld worker.    

that would explain why she was "smooth" and available on very short notice.  (she was already there) 

[RealReality]

9 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I hope Juli doesn't win. I'll lose all respect for Marcus. Well, I'll lose some MORE respect since I lost some when he was dating that horrible NY Housewife, Bethenny.

I'm sure she is a lovely woman, but she just looks so hard.  almost scary.

15 minutes ago, clod said:

wrt the watch seller,  she may have been part of Marcus's "the profit" and "the partner"   show staff.   

not a campingworld worker.    

that would explain why she was "smooth" and available on very short notice.  (she was already there) 

that actually makes a lot of sense.

[Amarsir]

It would predate The Profit so probably not.

The suit sounds like sour grapes from someone with nothing to lose. The business was failing and Marcus didn't bail them out, so why not try a lawsuit? And I'm not just saying that out of favoring Marcus. It'd be a weird thing to do to sabotage a competitor like that and there would surely be lots of evidence.

[BusyOctober]

Thank God Buffie is gone.  I couldn't take her woe-as-me underdog complaining, her indignant pouty face, or her verge of tears voice any more.  Glad Marcus put her out of her misery vs. giving her (another) "stay in the game" pep talk.  Buffie seems like a sweet woman who probably does a lot for her community, but she's out of her league here.  She didn't come across as decisive or business savvy. Maybe she just lacked confidence?  She could borrow some from Erin...he has buckets of confidence for someone who appears so blase and lacking.  I can't remember what he said his college major was, but I'm guessing he minored in Theater; he keeps acting like he's some kind of corporate shark a la Gordon Gekko with all his posturing and turning questions back on Marcus. And I'm also tired of his hands off attitude when doing a task he isn't 100% comfortable with...like interacting with kids, selling to the general public, reading a P&L (aren't P&L's reviewed Intro to Biz 101?).  I would have loved to see his face & heard his TH if the pet shop guy asked Erin to clean up the dog pee in the store!  My bets are Erin gets eliminated next.

I like Peilin but I think she may be too clinical for Marcus.  Guess that means Juli FTW by default.

[Ketzel]

None of these children have the experience, maturity or poise to be an actual partner to a Marcus Lemonis level businessman.  On the other hand, the "tests" have been either silly or impenetrable (unless the competitors were getting much more in depth instructions on what the test was really about, which was not aired. I doubt it though, because of how badly all four of them have been handling them.) The single exception was the "Read the Profit and Loss Statement" test. The red flags on that P&L were so big and bright I could see them from my couch halfway across the room, yet Erin and Buffie went blank, Juli sort of got some of them and Peilin was the only one that got it all.

[Gregg247]

Buffie could certainly Talk the Talk, but that was all she had.  Nervous energy during tasks doesn't hide the fact that she seldom knew what she was doing.  Also, I didn't like how she called Marcus for a sit-down about how "shocked and hurt" she was when 2 other contestants said she should be the one going home.  As I recall from last week, she was the one who drew first blood by questioning Erin and Peilin's qualifications for even being there.

I'm glad she's gone.  She and Erin failed all 4 challenges this week, so I think Erin will be out the door right away next week.  She failed at doing anything constructive at Sweet Pete's, she failed at doing inventory control at the pet shop (although she was good at talking to customers), she "froze" at Denim & Soul, and she, as a tax preparer, couldn't figure out the simplified P&L statement.  (I understand how you could freeze up if giving a formal presentation, but she was just talking to Marcus.  How do you freeze in that situation?)

It looks like Juli, of all people, is going to win this thing. Yuck.

P.S.- Did anyone notice all the extra commercials we got hit with last night?  The show ran 2 minutes long because, at the halfway point, we got a double-helping of several commercials, and I thought we were never getting back to the show.  I think somebody at CNBC screwed up.  

[cooksdelight]

I fell asleep during this episode, removing it from my lineup. It's just not real. Marcus.... I'm ashamed of you.

[RealReality]

I'm not going to say "I told you so" about Juli winning this entire thing....however, I'll just say that someone with a screenname RR called it, at least last week, and probably from the second week.

She will win, and I probably won't tune in next season, because its all a little too....planned.  What, pretty blonde girl with the heartwrenching back story finds her self esteem and rises from the ashes to win the whole thing?  That doesn't sound cliched at all!

Honestly, I would respect Marcus more if he just said "you know what, none of you are good enough to work for me, everyone is fired" 

I felt a serious case of second hand embarrassment for Buffie this episode.  She is fairly successful, but I'm guessing that her mind works a lot like mine in that it can go a million different places at once and she has to reign it in.  Watching her struggle through that P&L was rough.  I don't think she knows how to read a P&L and didn't want to admit it to Marcus.  She was probably right, because I think he was going to fire her no matter what.

Also, why didn't anyone tell her that her bra was showing the entire time.  I get that its the risk you take in wearing something low cut, but dang, Julie/Peilin couldn't just say something to her?

I think Erin has a degree in finance....and that should worry whatever BS school he graduated from.

I guess Goldman Sachs dodged a bullet!

Of course Juli did the best at sales, even though we never really saw her selling much of anything, and we at least saw Erin selling stuff when he got good and ready.  Of course plucky Juli has been staying up at night studying financial statements.  She makes me roll my eyes, even moreso than Buffie.

[clod]

double-helping of several commercials

 

there was one point where I left the room during a commercial break.  I returned and found that commercials were still running.   so I did notice it.

[seacliffsal]

So, just how bad and unqualified were the other 20,000 who applied as well as the five he fired during the first episode.  Marcus told Buffie that she was among the best qualified and so was still there.  Really made me wonder why truly qualified people had no desire to apply for the show or Marcus' job.  Wait, I think I just found my answer in the second half of that sentence.  How Marcus can state that one of these contestants will be his partner with a straight face is beyond me.

It was interesting that last week Marcus had a specific statement about the contract being a three year contract for a total of $500,000.  Tonight it was back to just the $500,000 spiel.  There must have been a realization that he was not going to pay any of these people $500,000 a year, so edited in that statement last week.  As a result, I would really like to know what the qualifiers are for the 1% of all of his businesses.

[clod]

my guess.......

 

the winner will be watching over some small *new businesses* he gets involved with.  like those seen on The Profit.    

they need more attention than he has time for, so he needs a little help.  

   idea!    let's make a show out of the recruitment of an action officer.

 

maybe cheap to produce.   possibly low travel required.

were these shows filmed in one spot and quickly?  as in one week?

they build up his personal brand, too.

Edited March 30, 2017 by clod

[bunny52]

It seemed to me that Buffy was angling for special consideration by calling that meeting with Marcus. Unfortunately, she couldn't hide her inability to read that P&L.  And worse, she didn't have a t-shirt with a pithy saying that covered that situation.

[cooksdelight]

Right after I got out of college, the first job I could get at an ad agency was as assistant to the CFO. I learned how to compose a P&L, do daily financial duties, and I was only 23. It's not rocket science. But apparently for this bunch, who is used to computers doing their thinking for them, it is. I used those huge ledger books, we didn't have computers to compute for us, we had to add and subtract ourselves. And I'm forever grateful for having that experience.

Maybe I should try out? LOL!!!

[bunny52]

20 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Thank God Buffie is gone.  I couldn't take her woe-as-me underdog complaining, her indignant pouty face, or her verge of tears voice any more.  Glad Marcus put her out of her misery vs. giving her (another) "stay in the game" pep talk.  Buffie seems like a sweet woman who probably does a lot for her community, but she's out of her league here.  She didn't come across as decisive or business savvy. Maybe she just lacked confidence?  She could borrow some from Erin...he has buckets of confidence for someone who appears so blase and lacking.  I can't remember what he said his college major was, but I'm guessing he minored in Theater; he keeps acting like he's some kind of corporate shark a la Gordon Gekko with all his posturing and turning questions back on Marcus. And I'm also tired of his hands off attitude when doing a task he isn't 100% comfortable with...like interacting with kids, selling to the general public, reading a P&L (aren't P&L's reviewed Intro to Biz 101?).  I would have loved to see his face & heard his TH if the pet shop guy asked Erin to clean up the dog pee in the store!  My bets are Erin gets eliminated next.

I like Peilin but I think she may be too clinical for Marcus.  Guess that means Juli FTW by default.

I keep thinking that we are going to find out that Erin does not have the experience that he claims to have.  Like a fake resume.

[sarthaz]

I've felt for the last three episodes that Peilin is the right person for this job.  She annoyed me how she kept talking about Harvard at the beginning, but she has the correct combination of skills that Marcus will need in real-world scenarios.  I'm not sure Marcus sees it that way, and I don't think he could go wrong with Juli, but I find Peilin to be more skilled and confident in herself and good enough at personal interaction.  She's not as touchy-feely as Juli, but she's fine when talking to people.  And it's really hard to go wrong hiring a successful small business owner who is also a mom.  In general, I think becoming a parent enhances your ability to connect and relate with others, because it forces you to adapt your perspective away from self, but if you're also able to juggle motherhood with running a successful business, you've got some skills.  If she hadn't let herself get bullied out of the flex watches by Erin last week, she'd probably be well in the lead right now.

My gut tells me he'll go with Juli, though.  I think he likes that she dresses as poorly as he does.  And in fairness, she seems equally capable.  Also, it seemed odd the way they set up that first episode to make it look like she might go home, when it was obvious to anyone watching that she was in the top 2 or 3 candidates.  Makes me think they falsely put her down so they could rise her up at the end.

Not sure what Erin's deal is.  The guy clearly has talent.  I don't know if it's just the editing making him look bad, so it makes sense when he chooses Peilin and Juli, or if he really is this Jekyll and Hyde guy they're showing him to be.  It's really strange how once Marcus kicks him in the butt, he goes off and does really well.  Yet they keep showing him hiding in the corner like a scared child.  Regardless, though, he's too much of a dick to work with Marcus's businesses.  Even if he did a great job in these challenges, you'd have to wonder which business owners are going to call Marcus in the middle of the night crying because of something Erin said to them.

[halkatla]

This line-up is so incredibly pc that it´s ridiculous and funny. I knew right away that the older white guy had no chance, he would go this episode. The white woman also has no chance, but she´ll stay awhile. As pc as this show is, I´m almost 100% sure that the white guy will win in the end :) Buffy will be the runner-up.

Edited March 30, 2017 by halkatla

[ae2]

I know Marcus loves a good sob story, but if it were me and you called me up to whine how the other competitors said that you should be the one to go home and how that hurt your feelings so bad, you'd be gone right then.

The only thing that saved Erin this week was Buffie's ineptitude. He should have sent them both home.

[sarthaz]

It's interesting how none of these contestants has figured out Marcus's shtick yet.  He's constantly talking about understanding the story of a product.  I mean, we know he doesn't really care, but they have to realize by now that you need to pretend to care if you're going to be Team Marcus.

[Amarsir]

Yup, good call on Juli, @RealReality.

My initial impression on Erin was that he's good at figuring out what a person wants to hear. But now I think he's just good at getting them to answer it for themselves and taking credit. "This is a challenge to figure out if you want to invest." "Why should I invest in you?"  "This is a challenge to figure out what's wrong with these finances." "You're not making money. Why not?"

Not a coincidence he flopped harder and harder the further they got from the BS "interview" stuff. Good first impressions, can't back it up.

I thought these challenges were more grounded, even if the first resembled busywork more than any clear questions.  Maybe there was an opportunity for one of them to impress at Sweet Pete's - but certainly none of them took it.  I am becoming more comfortable with the idea of Juli or Peilin winning though. They aren't Marcus-level visionaries surely, but I could believe either would make a competent employee.

[woodscommaelle]

14 hours ago, sarthaz said:

My gut tells me he'll go with Juli, though.  I think he likes that she dresses as poorly as he does. 

Hah! 

[LennieBriscoe]

They can't sell. They can't count and accurately label inventory. They can't improve customer traffic patterns. What do you do (tm Adam Ant)?

Erin hates any kind of work not done at a desk, preferably alone.

Peilin finds multi-tasking not her cuppa.

And I think Juli is hiding a profound lack of interest in the businesses and tasks, including those involving kids, behind a decent grasp of details.

Oh wait; that's me.

Edited April 1, 2017 by LennieBriscoe

[SillyOldClothCat]

Erin has bothered me from the beginning, and not because of something that was actually his own choice.  I hate hate HATE the sloppy was people (OK, Americans) pronounce 'Erin' and 'Aaron'.  Eh-rin is a girl's name; A-run is a boy's name.  Just had to get that off my chest.

That said, THIS Erin can thank his parents for his name, but can't blame anyone else for his piss-poor performance on this show.  

[Amarsir]

Well not an unexpected result, but I guess they proved she deserved it.  I do hope Juli doesn't end up getting emotional every time she has to read a financial statement.

I could have used less recap time and more of them prepping the presentations. They both knew to go do market research, and where, and how?  Seemed like that was set up.  I also think Juli's willingness to keep the spa was something Marcus would put a hard "no" on but I respect him for respecting her different POV.

Curious what comes now. Will Juli feature prominently in new The Profit episodes in July? And why are they casting for a second season? How many partners will there be?

[RealReality]

Juli won?  Let me put on my surprise face.

Her win is so expected that I won't be watching season 2.

The beautiful thing about many great reality competition shows is the element of surprise...at least in the first few seasons.  It gets stale when you can pick the winner in episode 2.  

It's too bad this show got stale before it ever got fresh.  

[Ketzel]

Well, who knew that interrupting your client presentation, by dragging your boss out to have a teary private meltdown over how very emotionally difficult you were finding the whole experience, was "a sign of leadership."  I guess I'm just old school, but there were two things I would never have done in front of my boss: (1) weep, and (2) wear a skirt that outlined every dimple on my ass.  Good luck, Juli, you clearly know a lot more than I do about how to get the big job.

Feet of clay, Marcus, feet of clay.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Ketzel

[clod]

agree, that was a tight dress bottom.     there were two shots from an angle that made it noticeable.

Edited April 5, 2017 by clod

[BusyOctober]

That Karyn lady was a hot mess!  Does Juli winning mean that company gets a deal from Marcus?  That business looked like something he'd have to babysit a lot.  Maybe the food side of the biz was the gem, but I would get rid of all the other stuff.  Who wants to eat a few feet away from where another customers is getting a colonic or  getting their vagina rejuvenated??? If she likes educating her customers, sell a few books in the cafe and offer weekly lectures with guest speakers.  No need for supplements, makeup and all the other noise that increases overhead.

Juli was the best of that bunch he supposedly screened for this job.   That isn't saying much.  She seems bright and has social skills compared to Erin.  So glad he was told to hit the bricks. 

[Evagirl]

IMO, this show was a hot mess.  If looking for a "real" partner as Marcus claims, you try to promote from within.  I'm sure there are folks who have been with him for a long time and this is who the slot should have been opened up to - not a cattle call. 

I could have taken the show seriously if he had five or six employees vying for the position rather than strangers.  Who would make a stranger a partner over someone who's been working for/with you for years?  A slap in the face to every employee on Lemonis' payroll as far as I'm concerned.

[ae2]

Welp, went to CNBC's website to watch the finale and right on the page for the show is "this underdog beat the odds to become the Partner" with a screenshot of Juli. Not like I was super into this show, but it would have been nice to have watched the finale spoiler free. Oh well, they saved me an hour of my time.

10 hours ago, Amarsir said:

Curious what comes now. Will Juli feature prominently in new The Profit episodes in July? And why are they casting for a second season? How many partners will there be?

This is what I've been most curious about during the entire show, but they've given precious few details. (I'm not even sure we heard about the salary/equity until episode 3.)

Will the "partner" help manage existing investments? A sort of executive liaison. Does this mean the Profit will begin to focus more on his existing businesses?

Or will they work with Marcus to vet and invest in new investments? Or work "independently" to invest his money into new businesses?

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, Evagirl said:

IMO, this show was a hot mess.  If looking for a "real" partner as Marcus claims, you try to promote from within.  I'm sure there are folks who have been with him for a long time and this is who the slot should have been opened up to - not a cattle call. 

I could have taken the show seriously if he had five or six employees vying for the position rather than strangers.  Who would make a stranger a partner over someone who's been working for/with you for years?  A slap in the face to every employee on Lemonis' payroll as far as I'm concerned.

That's why I quit watching after the mall kiosk episode. The girl who came in from his office (if she wasn't a hired extra) blew the rest of them out of the water. Total sham of a show.

[toodles]

This show was a total dud.  I skip through most of it.  It's already deleted from DVR.  Out of thousands that applied, this is the best they could do?  Marcus needs to fire his vetters.

[Amarsir]

53 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

That's why I quit watching after the mall kiosk episode. The girl who came in from his office (if she wasn't a hired extra) blew the rest of them out of the water. Total sham of a show.

Yeah, that bit really backfired. The point was to say "You chose the wrong product. Look what you could have done if you believed in the story like Marcus!" Instead the takeaway was "Look how bad you are compared to this unnamed person I already hire and who has no shot at your job."

The show is walking a thin line. Everyone gets the obvious comparison to The Apprentice, which has set the bar for "sham" pretty low. The problem here is that the search method seemed real, but the search motivation seemed made-for-television.  Maybe if they'd spent more time making me understand why Marcus needs to search for someone I would have been more invested.

That said, of course I'd watch a season 2 because I'm a sucker for this stuff.

[qtpye]

Good Lord, that was disappointing.  I was actually watching, because I expected him to not hire anyone.  That would have proven the show was not a scam.  It is obvious he like Juli from the get go (though I have no idea why).  I think there was one challenge where the public picked someone else, but Marcus said he liked Juli the best (I think it might have been the introduce yourself with a poster challenge).

I think there was no way anyone else was going to beat her.  I work with people much more impressive then her.  Heck, mall kiosk watch sales girl impressed me more.

[silverspoons]

I was looking forward to this show and was totally let down. I was surprised Juli made it out of the top 10 cut. I was shocked at how quick the show was. I was thinking it was going to be a full 10 weeks and was surprised at how quick it ended and now a second season?

Does anyone know what the point of the show was? Was it just a show like the  apprentice (non-celebrity)  where you get a check and a job title for a year? or is Juli going to be in future seasons of the profit? I kind of thought that the profit is a pretty successful show but how can Marcus film that many episodes so many the partner was to help on that show. If the winner of the partner was meant to be on TV in the future , it should have been Buffie or someone with a big personality. I certainly could not watch Juli on a TV show again.

I wonder how quickly the cast was picked? It seemed like Juli was the only one left in the finals 4 that would even fit into the job description. Peilin was lawyer, mom of young kids(and shown struggling being away from them for what a week of filming?) and was helping run a growing family business so how could she really take on working for Marcus in any major capacity.  Erin didn't like kids (who says this in a job interview?) and was worried about his business during the competition, and Buffie the tax queen could not handle reading a financial report and is too stressed and leaves.

 

Did none of these contestants watch the Profit episodes? If I was going to be on this show that would be the first thing I would have done. They all should have known Sweet Pete's and the other businesses Marcus had on.

I'm not sure about watching a  second season and our family even our teens like all the CNBC shows. It seems like the shows in this area that I really liked, the Rebel Billionaire and Martha's Stewart's apprentice get only one season but were excellent shows IMO and a quickie like this gets a quick renew for a second season.

Edited April 5, 2017 by silverspoons

[ae2]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

I think there was one challenge where the public picked someone else, but Marcus said he liked Juli the best (I think it might have been the introduce yourself with a poster challenge).

This happened the other way around. Juli's poster had the most votes from people, beating Erin out by a half dozen or so. But Marcus declared Erin the winner because he took a risk and understood what the challenge was all about.

[Gregg247]

I think the "partner" will actually be a glorified assistant, someone who has to pick up the phone every time one of the owners of Marcus' businesses needs something or has a question.  Hopefully, Juli won't sully "The Profit" with her appearance anytime soon.

Anyone truly qualified to be Marcus' business partner wouldn't be caught dead on a reality show like this.

[Amarsir]

30 minutes ago, Gregg247 said:

Anyone truly qualified to be Marcus' business partner wouldn't be caught dead on a reality show like this.

The possibility also exists that he hires someone who likes cameras as much as Marcus does. Their job isn't to run any of the businesses but to go on CNBC and preach about the Church of Marcus Lemonis and the holy trinity of People, Process, and Product.

[seacliffsal]

Geesch, was there one task in which Juli did not cry?  And Marcus calls it a strength as it represents humbleness.  No Marcus, it represents someone who cries and gets the 'big boss' to come and fix it and tell her how strong she is.  Peilin seemed to also cry-her response was that she was so tired the night before.  I think I would have done so much better than any of the five, and I don't usually have that opinion.  In fact, I'll change that statement to 'any one of us would be a better fit.'  

I would really like to have a clear understanding of what, exactly, the contract is.  This episode Marcus mentioned a $100,000 signing bonus.  However, if the salary really is $500,000 over three years, it's not a huge salary for a 'partner'-especially if Juli has to live in Chicago which can be quick pricey.  

I think Marcus may be liking the fame a bit too much so came up with a second show.

[LennieBriscoe]

Way duller and more boring than I expected. Many details left out for us, the viewers, to imagine our own "analyses." The two businesses were very different from each other in ways that might have favored one competitor over the other (including the personalities of the owners). 

I still say Juli is a faker, a poseur who has fulfilled The Peter Principle with this show. IOW, I have no doubt she wanted to win, maybe even wants to work with Marcu$$$, but as I opined earlier, I don't think she gives a rat's backside about these businesses. Plus I think she has a touch of the martinet in her.

Or maybe I just hate her hairstyle. 

[qtpye]

On ‎4‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 10:34 PM, LennieBriscoe said:

I still say Juli is a faker, a poseur who has fulfilled The Peter Principle with this show. IOW, I have no doubt she wanted to win, maybe even wants to work with Marcu$$$, but as I opined earlier, I don't think she gives a rat's backside about these businesses. Plus I think she has a touch of the martinet in her.

Don't say that too loudly...you might make her cry.  Then Marcus can run down and tell us how this represents her strength and humbleness.

I am being hard on Juli, but they all were giant disappointments.  None of them were competent enough to make this show valid or entertaining enough to make it a funny reality show to snark on.  Marcus should stick to the Profit, because this show made him look  incompetent and desperate for fame.