S04.E17: Hip Pops

[Whimsy]

A frozen dessert company in Florida that serves gelato and frozen yogurt on a stick suffers from the owner's waning work ethic and an expansion that may have happened too quickly. 

[Kenz]

Where do they find all of these inept business owners who are willing to display their terrible business skills on national TV? I owned a retail business for years, and I plowed almost everything into the business and paid myself a small salary until it became more successful. This guy thinks he deserves to wear a 10K Rolex and pay himself 100K while he doesn't seem to work all that much and owes his parents a LOT of money. I give the guy credit for the hip pops, because they did look tasty  (I kept wondering how they kept them cool in the truck in Fort Lauderdale.) I'm glad Marcus backed away from the deal. I think the guy could always get more money from his parents, sadly enough.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Kenz

[Thrifty]

4 hours ago, Kenz said:

Where do they find all of these inept business owners who are willing to display their terrible business skills on national TV?

Business owners reach out to Marcus for help when they are in trouble.  A competent business owner generally wouldn't get into that situation in the first place.

[cooksdelight]

Every one of the idiots who appear on this show all think they are great, business geniuses, the problem isn't them. This guy was such a tool. He was really getting on my nerves....and I wasn't there having to deal with him!! I felt most sorry for his mom and his ex-wife, two women who stood beside and behind him longer than they should have.

The fact he thought he was ready to sell franchises said it all. He was the most clueless person I've ever seen. I would love it if someone who knows him would post here and tell us the whole story.

Anybody? Anybody?

[Thrifty]

He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.  Not an asshole, or a manipulator.  So he's got that going for him.  He just has terrible business sense and a really bad work ethic.

[Thrifty]

Yet another entrepreneur who couldn't manage to come up with a basic inventory system.  I'm not an entrepreneur by any means.  I would never want to own a business.  In college, I was forced to take a class on business accounting and business management (even though I was a computer science major) and I hated it and really struggled with the material.

 

I am the complete opposite.  If there was an antonym to the word "entrepreneur", that would apply to me.  Still, I know how important it is to keep track of your inventory whenever you're in a situation where you have a lot of different parts to a machine you're providing.  Maybe it comes from my years working corporate in house computer support.  You had to give out and maintain a lot of different sorts of things: desktops, laptops, phones, keyboards, mice, monitors, various cables, smart phones etc., It was always very important that you knew how much of these things you had and how many you needed for pending requests so that you could put in a request to restock when the supply got low.  It was also important to keep organized -- keep all the mice in one box, the DVI cables in another, the laptop power supplies in another etc.,  That way you don't waste a ton of time digging around to find stuff.

[cooksdelight]

Yep, his clutter was driving me crazy. And spending money on a Rolex and his huge salary told me he put himself first. He spent money like a drunken sailor, while his employees needed equipment and organization. That's why I felt bad for Marcus this time, trying to work with someone you cannot trust with the cash.

[Cranky One]

I know he's been clean for 19 years (I think that's what he said and congrats to him), but I think he damaged a few brain cells. It was like he couldn't comprehend anything Marcus was saying. I feel for his parents. They really thought the moon of him and I suspect a lot of enabling goes on.

However, I think his business is great. I love gelato and would definitely be a customer. It really could be a multi-million business. Too bad the he pissed that opportunity away.

[fib]

Enabling is the key word.  Ive never witnessed people like his mom in action before.  Just closed mouth, never chiming in.  

I think they are terrified about him relapsing, so they dont want to upset him.  

[Gregg247]

That guy was an incompetent, whiny cry-baby who had no business getting any help from Marcus.  He stumbled onto a great business idea, and to watch him repeatedly make one mistake after another, and then ignore all of Marcus' advise, was infuriating for me.  

He stated several times that the business was "his whole life", but he only showed up for work 3-4 days a week, paid himself a 6 figure salary (despite crying about owing his parents all that money), refused to work in the food truck, refused to keep track of inventory, and tried tried to turn a business trip to NJ with Marcus and his ex-wife into a visit with "a friend".  What a loser!  I wish Marcus would hire some random guy off the street and put him in a competing gelato food truck , and turn THAT into a $10mm/year business.

[Amarsir]

6 hours ago, Thrifty said:

Business owners reach out to Marcus for help when they are in trouble.  A competent business owner generally wouldn't get into that situation in the first place.

We saw what they did to the guy at ASL signs who just wanted the business connections. He had a profitable business, his employees really liked him, and while he was a little bit of a control freak he readily acknowledged that and was willing to work on it.  The show went on Facebook to find a non-paying customer who didn't like him.  The guy wasn't perfect, but Precise Graphix had much bigger personality problems and Marcus is leveraging them big.  He wants to be needed.

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Yep, his clutter was driving me crazy. And spending money on a Rolex and his huge salary told me he put himself first. He spent money like a drunken sailor, while his employees needed equipment and organization. That's why I felt bad for Marcus this time, trying to work with someone you cannot trust with the cash.

The Rolex was 10 years old and the business was 4 years old, so I don't think that's the problem. Which only raises the question - where the hell was $100k going?  Without that salary (and who knows what his ex wife was drawing) the business was profitable.

Before meeting the wife I wondered if maybe there's a major alimony / child support thing going on. But I don't think that's the case.

Also I don't feel super bad for Marcus, because he saw the income statement, and later was shocked to learn that Tony was taking $100k in salary? I get he might not know how good the guy was at running a business, but the money shouldn't have been a surprise.

3 hours ago, Cranky One said:

However, I think his business is great. I love gelato and would definitely be a customer. It really could be a multi-million business. Too bad the he pissed that opportunity away.

So did I. And I can totally see Marcus loving the make-your-own concept. (And potentially leveraging Sweet Pete's as well as Mr. Green Tea and the Key Lime Pies.)  Interestingly enough though, it seems like he stole it:

> In short: A franchise called Popbars exists in NYC. In 2011 Tony went through the procedure to become a franchisee for them. Then he backed out and contacted Popbar's suppliers to set up his own deal. They sued him and it was settled out of court.

If nothing else, this explains why he couldn't sell his own franchise successfully - there's a better version out there already.

1 hour ago, Gregg247 said:

 What a loser!  I wish Marcus would hire some random guy off the street and put him in a competing gelato food truck , and turn THAT into a $10mm/year business.

Not my usual means of expression, but honestly the word "loser" is what came to mind for me too. He just didn't have the sharpness, the work ethic, or the personal strength to make it work.  Addiction is a problem, and I'm sure the divorce weighs on him along with who knows what else. But Marcus was more than generous to him.

[Thrifty]

1 hour ago, Amarsir said:

The Rolex was 10 years old and the business was 4 years old, so I don't think that's the problem. Which only raises the question - where the hell was $100k going?  Without that salary (and who knows what his ex wife was drawing) the business was profitable.

He said he lived with his mom and dad, who were also his benefactors to whom he owed a lot of money.  When I was making $50k a year and living with Mom & Dad, I felt like JD Rockefeller.  For the first half of 2009 I spent about 75% of my paycheck paying back the $7000 I owed my brother.

[seacliffsal]

It seemed like Anthony had effectively learned how to avoid consequences.  His mother kept supporting him financially (yes, working for free is financial support-otherwise he would have to spend money for accounting services), and said that Anthony had a hard life.  Yes, he probably made a lot of bad decisions throughout his life, but having his parents invest/loan $350,000 while he "earns" $100,000/year is ridiculous.  His refusal to work in the food truck along with his lack of investment in infrastructure indicates that he really isn't interested in running a successful business; he is interested in having money for little effort on his part.  His parents and his employees keep the business running-not him.  I was really glad Marcus left, and it seems like Marcus didn't spend the whole $100,000 on the business while he was there.

This is a really good idea though, and I could see if being really successful.  Previous posts mentioned that Anthony stole this idea from another business.  If so, I hope Marcus works out a deal with the original company; I really see the appeal of this product.

[Cranky One]

Ohhh...good find, Amarsir! That explains why we he couldn't franchise in the states. I wonder why this didn't come out on the show. Surely, Marcus has to be doing more investigation into a business than just the financials. How do you keep that hidden?

[Showthyme]

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

It seemed like Anthony had effectively learned how to avoid consequences.  His mother kept supporting him financially (yes, working for free is financial support-otherwise he would have to spend money for accounting services), and said that Anthony had a hard life.  Yes, he probably made a lot of bad decisions throughout his life, but having his parents invest/loan $350,000 while he "earns" $100,000/year is ridiculous.  His refusal to work in the food truck along with his lack of investment in infrastructure indicates that he really isn't interested in running a successful business; he is interested in having money for little effort on his part.  His parents and his employees keep the business running-not him.  I was really glad Marcus left, and it seems like Marcus didn't spend the whole $100,000 on the business while he was there.

This is a really good idea though, and I could see if being really successful.  Previous posts mentioned that Anthony stole this idea from another business.  If so, I hope Marcus works out a deal with the original company; I really see the appeal of this product.

Learned helplessness as a result of his parents enabling him. He could bring on the emotions when he had to. His parents tip toe around him most likely due to his prior addiction issues. It is sickening that he is living with his parents while owing them money and whining about having to reduce his $100,000 a year salary. Peter Pan needs to get a good firm kick to the curb.

It is truly amazing how some ot these idiots go from having a concept to a national franchise chain without doing any of the steps in between.

[cooksdelight]

Tony reminded me of the people who come on Shark Tank with no sales, no business plan, expecting them to give him hundreds of thousands and run his business while he reaps the profits. It wouldn't surprise me if he tried for that show next.

[Thrifty]

Tony came off as a bit of a sad sack.  Which makes it hard for me to feel angry with him despite his poor work ethic and excessive salary.

[qtpye]

On 7/19/2017 at 1:31 AM, Kenz said:

Where do they find all of these inept business owners who are willing to display their terrible business skills on national TV? I owned a retail business for years, and I plowed almost everything into the business and paid myself a small salary until it became more successful. This guy thinks he deserves to wear a 10K Rolex and pay himself 100K while he doesn't seem to work all that much and owes his parents a LOT of money. I give the guy credit for the hip pops, because they did look tasty  (I kept wondering how they kept them cool in the truck in Fort Lauderdale.) I'm glad Marcus backed away from the deal. I think the guy could always get more money from his parents, sadly enough.

 

On 7/19/2017 at 7:59 AM, Thrifty said:

He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.  Not an asshole, or a manipulator.  So he's got that going for him.  He just has terrible business sense and a really bad work ethic.

 

23 hours ago, fib said:

Enabling is the key word.  Ive never witnessed people like his mom in action before.  Just closed mouth, never chiming in.  

I think they are terrified about him relapsing, so they dont want to upset him.  

 

13 minutes ago, Thrifty said:

Tony came off as a bit of a sad sack.  Which makes it hard for me to feel angry with him despite his poor work ethic and excessive salary.

 

I see a boy who is still tied to mommy and daddy and never really had to grow up.  He is like my friend's brother.  This brother used to be a drug addict, but was able to overcome an addiction and has been clean for many years.  This is not a small feat and should be applauded.  However, the brother has used relapsing to take advantage of his mother and father ever since.   They have given him a small fortune for "business ideas" and education he never completes.

I have a feeling Tony does very little, draws a 100 K salary, lives with his parents, and has his mother sit in the office and run every thing.  His mother is probably happy to do it since Tony has had such a "rough life", please...Tony has all the benefits of childhood, with none of the responsibilities of adulthood.

The fact that he can seem like a nice guy and be vulnerable is part of his gig.  I do not think he is a horrible person, just someone who has been shockingly spoiled and coddled, particularly for a man who looks to be hitting his fifties.

[Thrifty]

The healthy salary AND the living with his parents thing are hard to reconcile.  When I lived with my parents in my 30s, it was because my employment was too unstable.  As much as I disliked it, I simply couldn't afford otherwise.

 

And the salary is coming from the business which was funded by loans from the parents.  So it's like they're paying him the very money he owes them.

Edited July 20, 2017 by Thrifty

[qtpye]

He really wanted to play big business man with mommy and daddy's money.  I also thought the weakness in his business idea was its simplicity.  We have some good gelato places where I live and it would not be too much for them to also start making pops, at least for the summer.   It would have been a good idea to get under Marcus's business umbrella and have the frozen key lime pie and add some Mr. Green Tree flavors.

As for the franchise concept, it would be much cheaper for me to buy my own truck and start my own thing.  I do not thing he really would bring anything much to table as a franchisee, since I do not think his recipes, while good, were anything special.

It was funny, his set up reminded me a lot of the frozen banana stand in arrested development and later Marcus suggests dipping frozen bananas along with the pops.

[Koalagirl]

I think Tony learned that he could use tears to manipulate his parents and thought he could manipulate Marcus the same way.

[KHenry14]

Marcus hates people with piss poor work ethics, so not making a deal here is no surprise. Too bad too, because this business has a chance to really succeed. 

[sskrill]

On 7/19/2017 at 4:59 AM, Thrifty said:

He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.  Not an asshole, or a manipulator.  So he's got that going for him.  He just has terrible business sense and a really bad work ethic.

He totally seemed like an asshole and a manipulator to me.

He reminded me of popcorn lady - lied to Marcus's face repeatedly.

This illustatrated the difference in parenting to me.  Mr Green Tea's son was in his early 20's when their episode aired and that boy was busting his ass.  He may not have always made the right choice but he worked, and worked hard.  This slacker did the bare minimum and mommy and daddy just kept handing him money.  You want to let him keep living with you, fine, but make him get a real job that doesn't deplete your life savings.  

[qtpye]

Yeah, I wondered if his parents were well off to be finacing his business ideas the way they do.  At this point they might as well take over the business and just give him a 100,000k allowance, since that is what is happening anyway.

[cooksdelight]

Tony's crying did hit Marcus at least once, when he got him to change the percentages of ownership. But then you could see a look in Tony's eyes, like "I got this guy eating out of my hand".... but he didn't.

[Kiss my mutt]

I didn't get what mamas' boy got 100,000. He has no living expenses living with his parents. I'm sure his ex-wife knows all too well his manipulative personality. His mom saying he's had a rough life cracks me up. Because he abused substances?  He brought that on himself.  That's not having a rough life. No wonder they coddle him like they do. He should be ashamed.

If Marcus hadn't have walked away I was about to throttle him through the screen.

[shksabelle]

Now we know what all the millennial special snowflake cry babies will be like when they hit 50. Still living off mommy and daddy, slacking off, and spending all his not-very-hard-earned money on toys or $10,000 watches. No wonder he's divorced

[link417]

On 9/4/2017 at 5:45 AM, shksabelle said:

Now we know what all the millennial special snowflake cry babies will be like when they hit 50. Still living off mommy and daddy, slacking off, and spending all his not-very-hard-earned money on toys or $10,000 watches. No wonder he's divorced

. . . Except he's not a millenial, so not sure why his behavior would be indicative of millenials when they hit 50, instead of being indicative of Gen-Xers now? LOL, every generation forgets that the previous gen said the exact same things about the next gen.