All language subtitles for The.Profit.S06E04.HDTV.x264-W4F[eztv]

Wow, this place is beautiful.

A gifted designer
started his business

when he was just 8 years old...

So you make all of this stuff?
Ben: Yep.

Lemonis: This is all yours, too?

Ben: Yep, these are
all of our designs.

Lemonis: Wow.

...eventually building
a million-dollar home brand

around his dazzling creations.

Now, Ben's Garden
has stopped growing.

Ben: I want to scale,

and that's what I've been
really stuck on.

Lemonis: And so has
your business gone down?

Ben: Yes.

Lemonis: Though owner Ben Busko

has overcome
incredible challenges...

Ben: I was diagnosed
with Asperger's Syndrome,

which is a form of autism.

Lemonis: ...he still
struggles as a leader.

Victoria: There's a lot
of finger pointing

that I'm not doing my job.
I'm not doing anything.

I'm costing the company money.

Lemonis: Putting not only
his company at risk...

This is a terrible
representation of the business.

I'm embarrassed.

...but his most important
relationships, as well.

Ben: Then I said,
"Well, what's the plan?"

Is there a timeline?
Kristin: You didn't say that.

Ben: Something like that.
Kristin: You didn't say that.

You didn't say that.

That's when you said you're the
"Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Lemonis: If I can't help him
learn to respect his staff...

Ben: To be frank, I don't really
see a relationship continuing.

Lemonis: ...and relinquish
some control...

Do you not trust people?

Ben: No, I don't.
Kristin: There's been times

when he's said to me
he hasn't trusted me.

Lemonis: ...this business
may just wither away.

Ben: This is my home.
This is my life.

Sometimes I can't shake it
if I don't feel comfortable.

Lemonis: 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's go to work.

...is "The Profit."

♪♪

The home decor market is huge.

It's something like
$600 billion,

which makes it
interesting to me,

but it also makes me reluctant

because I know how hard
it is to stand out.

So, when I heard about
this designer Ben Busko

who makes nearly everything
he sells,

I thought,
maybe this is a way in.

Wow.

Wow, this place is beautiful.

Ben's space almost feels
like an oxymoron to New York.

You go outside, and there's
traffic and sirens and horns.

And you walk into his store.

It's quiet.
It's peaceful.

It's beautifully decorated.

It just feels like an oasis.

How are you? I'm Marcus.
Kristin: I'm Kristin.

Lemonis: Nice to meet you.
The store is gorgeous.

Kristin: Thank you.
Fernando: Fernando.

Lemonis: Fernando?
Fernando: Yes.

Lemonis: Nice to meet you.
I'm Marcus.

Ben: I'm Benjamin, Mr. Lemonis.
Lemonis: Benjamin, how are you?

Ben: I'm very well.
Lemonis: Ben or Benjamin?

Ben: Well,
Benjamin when I'm in trouble.

Lemonis: You're not in trouble.

Ben: So, Ben's the way to go.

Lemonis: Ben,
this store is gorgeous.

It's really well-merchandised.

I'm really impressed by it.
Ben: Thanks.

Lemonis: Is everything in
the store stuff you guys make?

Ben: About 90%.

We don't make the books
or the plants.

Lemonis: You don't
make the books?

Is he normally this funny?

Kristin: He's pretty funny.
Ben: No, I'm pretty dry.

Lemonis: So, you make
all of this stuff?

Ben: Yep.

Lemonis: Really nice quality.
Ben: Yeah.

Lemonis: And all of this?
Ben: Yeah, cocktail napkins.

I design all the product
that we sell,

also, that we make.

Lemonis: Wow.

Ben: And these are coaster sets.

We sell a monstrous
amount of them.

They're a very easy gift
to give, and they're all unique.

This is,
"The trouble with trouble

is it starts out as fun."

Lemonis: "Alcohol you later."
[ Chuckles ]

These are excellent.

Did you come up
with all these quotes?

Ben: For the most part.

Lemonis:
Everything here you did?

Ben: Yes, all of the artwork.

Lemonis: This is all yours, too?
Ben: Yep.

This is decoupage.
Lemonis: That is the treatment?

Ben: Yeah, so it's a French word
that just means

applying paper to glass,
essentially.

Lemonis: These are awesome.
Ben: They're practical.

You can use them as a valet.
They're food safe, wipe clean.

Lemonis: This retails for $68?
Ben: Mm-hmm.

Lemonis: How are
your margins on this?

Ben: They fluctuate
between 87% to 90% something.

Lemonis: Percent?
Ben: Yeah.

Lemonis: Oftentimes,
when I go into different

retail businesses,
they have reasonable margins.

45%, 50%, maybe even 55%.

The reason that Ben's margins
are so much higher

is because
there isn't a middle man.

He's a vertically
integrated company,

which means that he makes
everything that he sells.

Take this $68 tray.

A regular retailer would
buy it from a wholesaler

for about half the price,

giving them
a decent margin of 50%.

But in the case of Ben,

he actually makes the product
for maybe $6.80,

and so he keeps all of
the margin, like, 90% of it.

Being a good designer is hard.

But being a good manufacturer
is also hard,

and the fact that Ben is
good at both of them?

I would say that's what
makes him really special.

Who's your biggest
customer today?

Ben: We sell to national chains
like Barnes & Noble.

Kristin, who else do we sell to?

Kristin: Dillard's.
Ben: Dillard's, okay.

I want to scale and grow,

and that's what
I've been really stuck on.

Lemonis: And so has
your business gone down?

Ben: Yes.

Lemonis: Who did you
used to sell to that was

a big part of your business
that's gone away?

Ben: Anthropologie.
Lemonis: What else?

Ben: Nordstrom.
Lemonis: Anything else?

Ben: Neiman Marcus.
Lemonis: Okay.

So what is the biggest problem
this company has?

Ben: Staffing the right
positions and retention.

Lemonis: And how's communication
in the company?

Ben: In terms of, like...

Lemonis: Do people understand
what's happening?

Are you a good communicator?

Ben: I try to be that.
I try to follow a lot of rules.

So, like, this is
a binder we have.

This is an example
of what they initial every day.

Lemonis: So employee entry,
9:45 a.m. --

Disarm the alarm,
open the register,

turn on the main store lights,
answer the phone,

review follow-ups,
be productive.

Carefully check plants
so they do not die.

How do you not
carefully check the plant?

Ben: When Ben's Garden
has a store of dead plants,

it's just Ben's,
which is a deli, so...

[ Laughter ]

Lemonis:
That actually was funny.

What is your role, by the way?
Kristin: I'm the Chief of Staff.

Lemonis: Meaning that everybody
that works in the company

actually gets
their communication from you?

Ben: She's very involved
in wholesale.

I'm communicating as, like,

an owner would
to their employees.

Lemonis: Who trains them?
Kristin: Ben.

He goes through training
when they start.

Lemonis: Wouldn't the chief
of staff be doing that?

Ben: She's very involved
in managing the --

We have a 14,000-square-foot

warehouse.
Lemonis: Oh, you do?

Ben: Where we make
all these things.

Lemonis: So, this whole section

is third-party vendors.
Ben: Yep.

Lemonis: So who buys the stuff
that you don't make

for the store?
Ben: I do.

Lemonis: So let me
understand this, Ben.

You're the designer.
Ben: Yep.

Lemonis: You're the buyer.
Ben: Yep.

Merchandiser.
Lemonis: The merchandiser.

You're the chief communicator.

So you have your hands full.
Ben: Yep.

♪♪

Lemonis: And how long have
you had this business?

Ben: Since I was 8.

Lemonis: How old are you now?
Ben: 34.

Lemonis: Was it a legitimate
business at 8?

Ben: Yep.
Lemonis: That's awesome.

Ben: Growing up,
it was really --

My parents thought I was,
like, really special.

Like, "Wow, this kid's

making all this stuff
and selling all these things."

But I wasn't communicating
with kids on the playground.

I was water coloring at home.

About seven years ago,

I was diagnosed
with Asperger's Syndrome,

which is a form of autism.

And I think more creatively
than emotionally.

Lemonis: And what prompted that?
Ben: Just noticed socially,

like, I wasn't picking up
on certain things.

I don't actually generally
liked to be touched,

which after y--

Lemonis:
That's going to be a problem.

I'm a super-big hugger.
Ben: I think I --

It kind of just creeps me out
when, like,

I don't know someone.

I'd be, like, okay,
this is really nice.

And then we can let go
at any point you'd like to.

Lemonis: So you have
a very special talent.

Ben: Uh-huh.

Lemonis: And you're
ridiculously creative.

I'd love to see the warehouse.
Ben: Great.

Lemonis: And so if
we could meet there,

that would be great.
Ben: Okay.

Lemonis: Then I really
want to understand

how it all comes together.

Ben: Okay, thank you very much.
Lemonis: Great job.

♪♪

♪♪

Kristin: Hey, Marcus!
Lemonis: Hi.

This place is huge.
Kristin: Yeah.

Lemonis: How many
square feet is this?

Kristin: I think it's 14,000.

Lemonis: Wow.
Can I get a tour?

Kristin: Yeah, of course.

So, right when you walk in --

Ben: Okay, so you guys
just entered --

You just entered through a door.

Lemonis: Is it all right
if she does it,

or do you want to do it?
Ben: Oh! Please.

Kristin: So right
when you walk in,

this is where we're hoping
to set up a sales team.

Lemonis: Okay,
you don't have one today.

Kristin: No.
Ben: Can we talk about the door?

Kristin: Sure.
Lemonis: Sure.

Ben: Okay, so this complex

was built by Irving Bush,
and he deve--

he made his fortune
importing bananas.

Which is why our door
is banana yellow.

Lemonis: Because you like
the history of it all?

Ben: Yep. So, Kristin,
you can now join in.

Lemonis: So this is --
this area is setup

for the future
sales organization?

Kristin: Yep, we hope
to build a whole sales team.

Ben: This is where the previous
sales organization was.

Lemonis: And what happened
to the previous one?

Ben: They turned out
not to be so smart.

Lemonis: Who was
their leader, you?

Ben: Yes.
Lemonis: So...

when you say
they weren't good enough,

some of that culpability
has to fall back on you.

Ben: I've never thought
of it in that way.

Ben: Can you and I look
at the rest of the warehouse?

I'm just going to take
some time with her.

Ben: Okay.

What do I do? Do I leave?
Kristin: Yeah, you --

Ben: I'm kind of curious
to see what he looks at.

Lemonis: So, all of this
here is inventory, yeah?

Kristin: Yes, so all of
everything in the metal racks

is going to be finished goods.

Lemonis: All finished goods?
Kristin: Finished goods.

Lemonis: How long
have you been here?

Kristin: It's gonna
be two years in October.

Lemonis: Two years.
What's it like working with him?

Kristin: He does, like,
really have a great vision.

Lemonis: Oh, yeah.
Kristin: You know?

And, like, really,
there's not like a nicer person

that you would want
to help succeed.

So, like, that's what drives me.

Lemonis: What's causing
the revolving door?

Kristin: I think from
doing this for 25 years,

he's got the highest standards
of all of us.

Lemonis: So, why do I see
empties everywhere?

Like this is an example.

Ben: We're back ordered
on crystal paperweights,

and we don't have 4x6 trays.

Why don't we take a look
at a pick ticket?

So these would be
examples of orders

that determine
the pick quantity.

This says we have zero on hand.
We need to make four. So --

Lemonis: Let's keep going.
"How do you spell love," a 4x6.

Ben: That's a best seller.
Lemonis: Zero in stock.

Zero in hand.
Make four.

Zero on hand. Make four.
Zero on hand. Make four.

A lot of zeroes here.

Ben: I'm apprehensive to spend
that much money on 4x6 trays

when I have $700,000 worth
of on-hand inventory.

Lemonis: You're telling me
that there's 700,000

of inventory in here?
Ben: Yes.

Lemonis: But what you have
is the wrong stuff.

Unfortunately,
you have to actually put

the right stuff on the shelf

while you work out
of the bad stuff

because you create gridlock.

Ben has what I call
"inventory gridlock."

He's made some choices

with particular products
that aren't selling,

and he's unwilling
to liquidate them.

He has other products that are
selling at a super-fast rate,

but because he doesn't have
the working capital

because it's tied up
in bad products,

he can't even fulfill the orders

of the products
that people do want.

Essentially, like,
locking up everything.

Bad inventory management
and the wrong inventory

are the two things
that kill companies

when they least expect it.

Okay, do you have
your financials?

Ben: Yeah.
They're in this folder.

Lemonis: Okay.
So, it shows that last year,

the business lost $78,000.
Ben: Yes.

Something shifted
with the economy

and how people spend money,

which has dramatically
affected our bottom line.

Lemonis: Consumers
or your wholesale customers?

Ben: Our wholesale customers,

so they're stocking less
of our product.

Even though they're selling out
of our product, they're --

we're either not getting
back to them soon enough,

and they'll be unhappy
with us --

Lemonis: Or you don't
have it in stock.

Ben: Uhh, yes.

Lemonis: Okay,
that's essentially

the business problem.
Ben: Yes.

Lemonis: So $1,659,000
in total revenue,

and of that,
$675,000 of it came

from your retail stores.
Ben: Right.

Lemonis: So the total,
the wholesale did $984,000.

Ben: Um, I wouldn't know off
the top of my hand.

We have a challenge
with our records.

So I have a business consultant,
Barry Moltz.

And so he's supposed to be
helping manage the finances.

But since we've been
working together,

which is now over two years,
sales have gotten worse.

Lemonis: Because of his
direction or yours?

Ben: Well, his influence,

but I-I've been trying
to trust in him.

Lemonis: Do you
not trust people?

Ben: No, I don't.
Lemonis: Okay, well.

That's problem number one.

Thank you for telling me that.
Ben: I don't --

There are still times when
Kristin will be upset with me

because I will say something,
and it'll seem --

It'll come off as me
not trusting her.

Kristin: There's been times when
he's said he hasn't trusted me.

Lemonis: So, in order
for us to work together,

we would need to spend
a disproportionate

amount of time working on
how you think about people,

which means changing the way
you think about employees,

allowing Kristin to actually
run a part of the business

where you may not be involved,

and I recognize what you called
and labeled a disability,

and I want to build
an infrastructure around you

that allows the other people
to not have to go through

whatever the collateral damage
is from it.

Ben: Thank you.

Lemonis: For their sake...
Ben: No, I want it for them.

Lemonis:
...and for the business's sake.

Get the best out of you.

So, Ben, I want to make
a commitment to you.

I want to make an investment.

♪♪

I want to invest $200,000
for 25% of the business.

♪♪

Okay?

All of a sudden,
your face changed.

Ben: It wasn't
what I was expecting.

Lemonis:
What were you expecting?

Ben: Uh, like...

a million and a half.

Lemonis: A million
and a half dollars?

Ben: Yeah, I think the business
is worth at least $5 million.

That's what I'm thinking.

Barry: I'm frustrated
that I can't help more.

I put together
all sorts of plans

that I thought was the way
to go forward for Ben,

and we haven't really been able
to implement any of those plans.

Lemonis: Do you trust Barry?

Ben: Uh, uh...

No.

♪♪

Ben: I think the business
is worth at least $5 million.

That's what I'm thinking.

♪♪

Lemonis: For me, the business is
worth no more than a million.

'Cause the business doesn't
make any money today,

and it's not that big.

For me, I don't want to
invest more than $400,000,

because I don't think
the business needs

more than $400,000.

My offer is $400,000,

and that would mean
that for $400,000,

I'd get 40% of the business.

Ben: Right.
Lemonis: Right?

Ben: Yeah. Um...

Um...

Lemonis: You want to talk
about it with her

by yourself for a minute?

Ben: Um...
Lemonis: I'm gonna let you guys

talk for a minute.
Ben: I'm just -- I'm just --

Lemonis: I'ma let you
talk for a minute.

Kristin: I think that you're
at kinda, like, a crossroad.

Ben: Yeah.
Kristin: And you have to decide.

Ben: I think I real--
I think I need his help.

Kristin: So what's
the hesitation?

Ben: That I guess now the clock
has started, and it's tick.

And we really have to
be on our game,

and that makes me anxious.

Kristin: But the payoff
could be big.

Ben: Yeah.
No, no, no, absolutely.

So it's yes.

Kristin: Okay.

Ben: So now I have to hug him.

Lemonis: Okay.

Ben: So, we came
to a conclusion.

I would, um...
I would like to be --

I'd be honored to work with you.

Lemonis: That's awesome.

I would be, as well.

♪♪

Congratulations.
Ben: Thank you.

Kristin: We're so excited.
Lemonis: Congratulations.

Ben: Very excited.
Now we're going to --

Now we're gonna hug.
[ Chuckles ]

Lemonis: See,
that's not so bad, is it?

Ben: No, no, it's not.
It's fantastic.

Lemonis: All right.
I'll see you guys.

♪♪

We're going to have a little
team meeting real quick.

The last time I was here
before I left,

I made a decision to make
an investment in Ben's Garden.

So I've agreed
to invest $400,000.

We're going to work on things
like inventory and sales,

and we're going to go see
a rep or two to improve

your wholesale business.
Ben: Okay.

Lemonis: Okay?
That's the easy stuff.

One thing that I'm worried about
is fixing the culture

of how people communicate
and how they get along.

It appears it's a little broken.

So, what could be improved?

Victoria: Um...

I guess being --
being blamed for things.

It's a lot of finger pointing
that I'm not doing my job.

I'm not doing anything.
I'm costing the company money.

Sometimes I have felt that way.

Ben: I mean, I'm really sorry
that you would feel that way.

Lemonis: Ben,
what we're gonna work on

is the people side of things.

Ben: Right.
Lemonis: Okay?

Ben: Mm-hmm.

Lemonis: So, I want to get
back to work,

but what I do want to do is,

I want to see one product
from every category.

A glass piece, a note card,

and just put everything out.

thank you.

Kristin: So, I'll grab
something from each.

Ben: I can grab the stuff.
Can you run the report?

Ben: Actually, going forward,

Kristin is going to be
in charge of the inventory.

Ben: Oh.
Lemonis: Okay?

Kristin: Okay.

Lemonis: It's clear to me
after this discussion

with all the employees

that there's a breakdown
in communication.

So my plan for this
is very clear.

Ben is going to focus on
creating and designing

and coming up with new products,

and he's going to allow Kristin

to manage the staff
and interact with them

in a way that can keep things
moving in all departments.

♪♪

So there's one, two, three,
four, five, six,

seven, eight, nine things.
Ben: Mm-hmm.

Lemonis: Are they in --
is this in the right order?

Ben: Of best selling?
Lemonis: Of revenue?

Kristin: Yeah.
Ben: I don't think so.

Lemonis: So the first thing
is the decoupage.

Kristin: There you go.

Lemonis: Picture frames.
Ben: Picture frames.

These have exploded.

Paperweights we sell for people
who can't afford a tray.

Lemonis: Okay.
Ben: Magnets. Pillows.

And artwork.

Kristin: So all three of these
don't really do that well.

Lemonis: Six of them are great.
Three of them are terrible.

Kristin: I would have trouble
placing these in --

Lemonis: Great.
Don't ever make these again.

Ben: The margins are
really great on this.

Lemonis: It doesn't matter.
That's not her point.

Her point is,
is that you don't sell it.

So who cares?
Ben: No, but we do --

We just don't sell a lot of 'em.
Kristin: We don't sell enough.

Lemonis: To justify it?
Kristin: Yeah.

Lemonis: Should these go away?
Should the pillows go away?

Kristin: I like
to keep it moving.

They're not coming back.

Lemonis:
Should the artwork go away?

Ben: No, I would be devastated.

Kristin: I don't think
we sell a lot of those.

Lemonis: So, if these
are gonna go away,

you have to start to replace
three or four things.

Three or four new ones need
to be born and developed by you.

We're not gonna stock stuff
that doesn't sell.

Ben: Um...I would like to get
into candles in a big way.

Lemonis: Okay, so that's one.
What else?

Ben: Wrapping paper.

Lemonis: Wrapping paper,
I have a source for that.

Ben: Wallpaper.

Lemonis: If you want
to be in that space,

that's something we can explore.

By eliminating
the three bottom sellers

of pillows, artwork,
and magnets,

I'm not only going to free up
cash for the top-selling items,

but I'm going to replace
those three items

with in-demand items
like wallpaper,

wrapping paper, and candles.

Giving us a chance
to regain our foothold

in the wholesale market.

If Ben takes
his skill of design,

and he applies them to more
readily digestible products,

then by definition,
you're going to sell more.

♪♪

Lemonis: Guys...
Barry: Hi.

Ben: Hey, how are you?
Lemonis: Barry?

I'm Marcus.
Barry: Hey, Marcus. Barry.

Nice to meet you.
Lemonis: Nice to meet you.

Hey, buddy.
Ben: Hey, how are you?

Lemonis: I want
to address the concerns

that Ben has about Barry,
his business consultant.

So, I thought
it would be a good idea

to actually get Barry and Ben
in the same room

and find out if Ben's concerns

are actually as legitimate
as he thinks they are.

How long have you guys
been working together?

Barry: About two years.

Ben is really a genius
at what he does.

He's really creative,
so I've tried to have him

bring people in sales,
bring people in production,

bring people
in customer service,

but they've been driven away
either by the environment

or sometimes
you get upset at them.

They stay two weeks,
or they stay a month

or whatever it is,
and then they leave.

I'm frustrated
that I can't help more.

Lemonis: So were you
helping him get his financials

organized, as well?
Barry: I was helping monitoring

getting the financials
organized, yes.

Lemonis: Okay.
Barry: They're better

than they were two years ago.
Lemonis: Oh, really? Wow.

Barry: I put together
all sorts of plans

that I thought was the way
to go forward for Ben,

and we haven't really been able
to implement any of those plans.

So I'm frustrated that
we haven't been able

to take the necessary steps
in order to make much progress.

Ben: But I hesitate
when you say, like,

your financials are
in a good place because --

Barry: I said they're better
than they were.

Filing your tax returns
and not filing your tax returns,

that's being in a better place.

Lemonis: Do you trust Barry?

Ben: Uh...

no.

To be -- To be frank,

I don't -- I don't --
I don't really see --

I don't really see
a relationship continuing.

♪♪

Kristin: We'll let those go.
These go.

Those are gone.

Ben: That seems --
That seems like poor judgment.

Lemonis: Don't say
we have poor judgment.

She doesn't want all this stuff
in her inventory,

and you don't want to say
goodbye to the size option.

Ben: No, I don't want
to say goodbye to a sale.

♪♪

Barry: I just want to help,
and by not being here,

if that helps you,
if you needed this meeting

to be able to separate from me,
that's okay.

As you know,
I've always wanted to do

what was in your best interest

because in the end, I love you,
and I love what you're doing.

And if I can be a part of it,
great.

But if I can help by not
being a part of it,

that's also great, too, Ben.

Ben: I'm really good
at hiring people.

I'm not really good
at the other part.

Lemonis: Okay.
I think you need to --

I think you need to stay around.
Barry: I would agree.

Lemonis: You're going
to learn how to just not

be so dismissive of people.

It's not a good quality.

And I think you need to stay
around because he has to learn

how to work with people
in uncomfortable situations.

And I need him to focus
on making new, cool stuff

so he can generate some revenue.

Barry: I would agree with that.

Lemonis: I want Ben
to understand

that everybody has a role
in the company.

And whether
that's Barry fixing the books

or Kristin working
with the staff,

that he has to rely
on other people

to help make the business
as good as he wants it to be.

He can't do it all himself.

Ben: I just want it to be --

I don't want it to be,
like, uncomfortable.

Lemonis: For who?
Ben: For anyone.

Lemonis: Barry's
not uncomfortable.

Ben: Okay.
Lemonis: You want to hug Barry?

Barry: I've hugged him before.
This is not the first time.

Ben: Oh, Barry,
you're a germ freak.

Barry: That's not true.
I hug people.

I just don't kiss them.
Lemonis: High five?

Is that permitted, or --
Ben: Yeah.

Lemonis: Okay.
No, I'm not a germ freak.

Lemonis: Good.

♪♪

I'm taking Ben to Agilex.

It's one of the country's
premiere fragrance developers.

I want to accomplish two things.

One, I want him to be able
to launch his candle business,

which is a replacement
for an under performer,

but more importantly,

I wanted to see what his actual
creative process was like.

Ben: Hi, guys, I'm Ben.
All: Hi, Ben! Welcome!

Natalie: This is the team
that put together

our presentation today.

Ben: Okay.
Natalie: They did some work,

and they looked
at your brand online.

Christie: Products are gorgeous.
Ben: Thank you.

Christie: So, the job
of marketing is to inspire,

and given that your company name
is Ben's Garden,

we immediately took it
to the modern farmhouse,

which is a really big trend
among consumers right now.

Ben: Right.

Christie: But, like --
So, I'm imagining

a collection of scents.

There were four main categories
of sentiment

that people would
connect with.

So, like, family, love,
friendship, and baby.

So, I'm imagining
four main categories

that form a collection.

Christie:
Let's smell a little bit.

Natalie: Yeah, let's smell.

Nancy: Do you see
a little bit of greenness

in the top note?
Ben: I do, I do.

This one is too light

and a little too green.

Lemonis: Let's keep it rolling.

Ben: This I don't really smell.

Nancy: It's based upon vanilla,
bourbon, and woodiness.

Natalie: Do you like it?
Ben: No.

To me, it smells
like heavy floral.

This is a no.

I can't identify the components.

Nancy: Basil and sage.

Ben: Oh, basil is popular.

Nancy: Do you want
to smell it again?

Ben: No.

Lemonis: I think Ben kind of
lacks the communication filter

that most of us have.

And so he just tells you
exactly what he thinks.

And if you don't know him,
you could get offended.

But it's also part of his charm.

Ben, I think you got to
really try to collaborate

better than this.
Ben: Okay.

♪♪

So, this one's pleasant.

It smells like lilac
or something.

Nancy: And you're
absolutely right.

And jasmine.
Ben: Okay.

Nancy: And there's
some citrus on top.

Lemonis: So that's a yes.
Ben: This would be a yes.

Lemonis: So we have one yes.

Ben: This, I like the citrus.

I think that it would be
directly geared to, like --

"Love you to the moon and back"
would be a quote

we could use
or something like that.

All: Aww.
Lemonis: There's no question

that Ben has unbelievable ideas.

He is one of the smartest people
that I have ever worked with,

and he has one
of the worst filters

I've ever experienced
in my life.

And so they'll go work
on creating libraries

of fragrances.
Ben: Mm-hmm.

Lemonis: You're gonna go
to work on creating designs

around those four.

Kristin, this is a project.

We have to project manage it.

There's going to be dates
and times and tasks,

and we have to hit 'em, okay?

Thank you so much.
So much fun.

Natalie: it was a pleasure
to meet you, Ben.

Thank you so much.
Ben: Thank you.

Thank you again.
Natalie: Thanks, again.

Kristin: Bye, guys.
Thank you.

♪♪

Lemonis: Can we see
all the 10 designs?
Ben: Yes.

Lemonis: Ben is hard at work
designing new products.

You go this done already?
Ben: Yeah.

Lemonis: As part of
our textile initiative,

Ben has created 10 new designs
for wrapping paper.

These are awesome.
Ben: Thank you.

Lemonis: When I look
at this work,

it motivates me
to want to work harder.

Ben: This is my favorite one.
Lemonis: What's this one?

The "hello."

This is actually
really nice-looking.

Next, we're taking Ben's designs

to a textile company
called Flavor Paper.

Jon: Pleasure to meet you.
Lemonis: Nice to meet you.

This is my friend, Ben.
Jon: Hey, Ben.

Lemonis: Where they can
bring his creations to life

in large format as wallpaper.

I mean, that is spectacular.

Jon: I can see doing "hello"
in every language known to man.

Lemonis: Awesome.

Also, Ben is designing

and choosing new packaging
for his candle line.

What's the newest one?

Ben: This one.

Lemonis: Absolutely beautiful.
Ben: Thanks.

♪♪

Kristin: So,
all of these are bad.

Sizes that we're just not
moving forward with.

Lemonis: And then what we'll do
is we'll just build piles

with that, okay?

Kristin continues
to move forward

on the process
of cleansing the inventory,

and I tasked her
with separating out

the top sellers
from the low sellers.

And then take those low sellers
and liquidate them.

Kristin: 6x10, 4x9.

Lemonis: The items
that we're liquidating

aren't just the pillows,
the magnets, and the art,

but the slow movers
inside of the good categories

like the oddball sizes
of the trays.

Kristin: Those are gone.

♪♪

Ben: So we're getting rid
of 8x10, 8x12, and 9x14?

Kristin: Yeah.

Ben: Completely?
Kristin: Yes.

Ben: That seems --
that seems like poor judgment.

Lemonis: Don't say
we have poor judgment.

Don't judge us.

Ben: I think cutting
some of this stuff,

we'll lose opportunity.

Lemonis:
That's not her argument.

Ben: I know her argument.
Lemonis: Her argument is,

she doesn't want all this stuff
in her inventory,

and you don't want to say
goodbye to the size option.

Ben: No, I don't want
to say goodbye to a sale.

Lemonis: If your business
is in trouble,

and you need my help,
log on to...

♪♪

Lemonis: She doesn't want
all this stuff in her inventory,

and you don't want to say
goodbye to the size option.

Ben: No, I don't want
to say goodbye to a sale.

I just want you guys to be aware

of opportunities
I know we will lose.

Lemonis: I don't want
to tie up cash.

I want to put cash in things

that are right
in the strike zone.

Ben: Okay.
Lemonis: Look...

I know that it's hard for Ben

to put his faith
in other people,

but it's my job to push him
along that path.

If he doesn't rely
on other people

to help his business,

I don't know that it could
actually survive.

Do you trust her judgment?

Ben: Um...

I trust her judgment.

Lemonis: So, you're not
going to worry about it?

Ben: I'm not -- I'm not --
I mean, I'm not worried.

I just -- I would like to help.
Whene-- Kristin knows this.

I worry about not
being able to help.

Lemonis:
And we're grateful for that,

but we need you to focus
on making this money.

Ben: Okay.

♪♪

Kristin: This is the scan bob,

and this will show you
exactly how to link it up.

Lemonis: In order to give Ben
more time to focus on design,

I've asked Kristin
to train Fernando

on being the store manager.

Kristin: So go ahead
and click that,

and that kind of, like, links
the iPad to the scanner.

Lemonis: Meanwhile,
Ben is working

on his three new product lines.

And Barry is working
on streamlining

the entire accounting process
with the help of my team.

Barry: You can go in,
and you can actually look

at the journal entries,
but this can't stay where it is.

Lemonis: While I was hoping
that Ben would be happy

about all the progress
and maybe even ease up a little

on Kristin...
Kristin: The problem is,

they're everywhere.
Ben: So, umm --

Kristin: It's not really like --
Ben: They're not everywhere.

They're under
their respective work tables.

Lemonis: ...apparently,
that's not the case.

♪♪

What's happening?
Kristin: Good to see you.

How are you?
Lemonis: Good to see you.

Over the last week,
I've gotten random texts

from both Kristin and Ben
separately expressing

their frustration
with each other.

And rather than going back
and forth like it's high school,

I asked them both to sit down
around the table

and find out exactly
what's going on.

How's it been going
between the two of you?

Ben: Pretty bad.
Lemonis: How come?

Ben: We're having --
We're not communicating.

And her disposition
has changed in saying,

I'm in charge of everything.

Kristin: I've never said that.

Ben: Just because Marcus
gave you more responsibility,

it doesn't give you the right
to say this.

Kristin: I really hate
to break it to you, Ben,

but I've never said that.
Lemonis: Where's the strife

between the two of you
coming from?

Ben: It really started with
the pick up of the merchandise.

Kristin: Inventory.

Lemonis: The inventory
that I had put on the floor,

and a good chunk of it was sold,
and the cash was brought in.

Ben: Right, but --

Lemonis: So then what
upset you about that?

Ben: I don't understand how
to steer a ship or how to lead

when I don't know
when things are happening.

When Kristin had sent me
a text message saying,

"The stuff's on a pallet.

The stuff's been palletized."

And then I said,
"Well, what's the plan?

Is there a timeline?"
Kristin: You didn't say that.

Ben: Something like that.
Kristin: You didn't say that.

You didn't say that.
You didn't say that.

You did not say that.
I'm sorry, no.

You did not say that.

As always,
you're always fantastic

about communicating.
Ben: Right.

Kristin: And I wrote back,
if it's not working for you,

I could work on it,
and you wrote back, "Doubt it."

Ben: Right, "Doubt it."
Kristin: I mean, doubt it?

Ben: And I never got a response.
Kristin: That's when you said

you're the
"Real Housewives of New Jersey."

This is just so ugly.

Even coming here,
you know, this morning.

It's just, like...
It's ugly.

Lemonis: I really felt
like I was making

a lot of progress with Ben,
but it's obvious to me

that he still is reluctant
to trust people.

When it really comes down to it,
I'm not confident

that Ben's willing
to give up control just yet.

I think the question
that you have to decide is,

do you want to work
with Kristin anymore?

I mean, I think we should
just get to that.

Kristin: Just, yeah.

Ben: Um...

I don't know. I just--
Lemonis: Be honest.

Ben: I think I just, um...

Uh...

Ben: This is, like,
an example of what

your reps on the road would use.

Scott: Just looking
at this product,

we're not going
to necessarily see

what the brand
is really all about.

Ben: I guess this would --
Although -- Uhh...

Lemonis: Ben, I want to just --
I want to just stop.

Lemonis: I think the question
that you have to decide is,

do you want to work
with Kristin anymore?

I mean, I think we should
just get to that.

Kristin: Just, yeah.

Ben: I don't know --
I just -- I, uh...

Lemonis: Be honest.

Ben: It's not that I don't
want to work with her.

It's just that, um...

I guess I'm used
to people not --

people disagreeing with me
and then leaving.

Lemonis: And so is that
what you're anticipating us

both doing?
Ben: Yes.

Lemonis: Is that what
you want us to do?

Ben: No.

This is my home, this business.

This is my life.

And I can't --
sometimes I can't shake it

if I don't feel comfortable.
Lemonis: I understand.

The only way this company
can move forward is

if there are people around you
that you truly trust.

And will take
some criticism from

and not be upset about it.

♪♪

Where do we go from here?

Ben: Kristin and I have
always been most effective

when we work hand-in-hand.

Kristin: Let's give it a whirl.
What do we have to lose?

If anything, like, I kind of see
this as like the bottom.

So we could only kind
of climb back up.

Lemonis: Kristin,
we trust you

to make good decisions
for our business,

and we need you
to actually make them.

Kristin: Okay.
Lemonis: But you got to let her

help you.
Ben: I understand.

Lemonis: Do you feel better?

Ben: Yeah, I do.

Kristin: Thanks.

Lemonis: After Ben vented
his frustrations

and his anxiety about Kristin,

he committed to trying
to do better.

Okay, buddy.
Smile.

Ben: Thank you.
Kristin: Thanks, Marcus.

Lemonis: And he's open-minded
to the idea

that other people can help him
in his business.

That's progress.

Ben: Thank you.
Lemonis: Take care, buddy.

♪♪

Back at the warehouse,
Kristin has been doing

an amazing job
managing the inventory.

Kristin: So I did $20,000
the first two days,

and then yesterday,
I probably sold another $10,000,

so it's probably like
40 grand all-in.

Lemonis: Have you been able
to order raw materials

that solve our cold products?
Kristin: yes.

Lemonis: Great.

And Ben is staying focused

on the development
of the new products.

Natalie: This is all
the individual ingredients.

Ben: Wow.
Lemonis: So he's back at Agilex,

finalizing the scent
and candle line.

Natalie: Okay, I'm going
to make this one 6%, okay?

Ben: Yeah, I love it.

Lemonis:
And completing the designs

for the wallpaper
and wrapping paper.

Ben: So this would be,

"Make a wish.
It's your birthday."

Lemonis: These are excellent.
Ben: Yeah, thanks.

♪♪

Lemonis: Although
it's going to take a while

for the newly created products
to go into production,

I wanted to start
to generate some revenue,

so I've set up
a huge opportunity

with the Harper Group.

The Harper Group is one
of the foremost rep groups

in the marketplace.

Are you ready to go in?
Ben: I'm very excited.

Lemonis: A rep group
essentially acts

as a sales agent that will
wholesale the products

to other retailers
around the country.

We need the rep group.

Scott: So we kind of work in

four primary product categories.
Ben: Okay.

Scott: We work in personal care,
home fragrance.

We work in personal accessories
in gift.

We work in a little home
and tabletop,

and then we have our paper

and publishing business,
as well.

Ben: Very good.

Kristin: We were interested
in having you rep our brand.

Scott: Oh, that would be great.

Kristin: So we do a little bit
of tabletop, home decor --

Ben: So we're here --
I make home --

We make home and gifts
gifts and stationery.

And we were interested in --

Do we have like a table?
Scott: Absolutely.

Ben: So these are examples
of key products of, like,

what your reps on the road
would use.

♪♪

Scott: Just looking
at this product here,

we're not going
to necessarily see

what the brand
is really all about.

I mean, really, Ben,
what we find is that

if the retailer
is new to the brand,

they're gonna wanna see
and feel the product.

Especially
some of the bestsellers

in each of the categories
in order to show that.

Ben: Okay.
Scott: If our team

doesn't have the right tools

when they're in the stores,
sometimes that can be

an impediment
to trying to get sales.

Lemonis: I'm frustrated
with the fact that Ben didn't

even bring any of the new stuff
that he's been working on.

He could have at least
brought a few samples,

even if they weren't
perfectly ready.

Now I know why his sales people
have struggled.

An artist is terrible at picking
the frame for the art,

and it's the same for Ben

where he doesn't
actually understand

the kind of packaging

that needs to go around his art

for the salesperson
to actually deliver it.

Ben: I guess this would --
Although terribly --

Uh...uh...
not a terrible introduction.

Lemonis: Ben, I'm embarrassed.

I want to just --
I want to just stop.

For exclusive, extras,
and business advice,

visit...

Lemonis: Ben, I'm embarrassed,
so I want to just --

I want to just stop.

Ben: Okay.

Lemonis: This is a terrible
representation of the business.

Ben: Oh.
Lemonis: I'm not comfortable

asking him to take on
this product.

Ben: We did this based
upon past experience,

but from both of your reactions,

this wasn't what
you were expecting,

and you expected more of me.

So I'm embarrassed.

Lemonis: Let's turn it
into a positive.

Ben: Right.

Lemonis: When I went into
the store in Soho, blown away.

I apologize,
and I'm being sincere.

I don't know what your schedule
is tonight.

Is there any possible way that
you could swing by the store

so we can get, like, a restart?

Scott: Yeah, we can do that.

Lemonis: Look,
this was a total mess,

and I knew that
if I could get Scott

to come to Ben's store,
he would see what I saw.

If we could just pack up --
Ben: There's not very much.

Lemonis: I didn't say it,
but thank you for --

genuinely sorry, but I want
to put our best foot forward.

Scott: No, that's fine.

♪♪

Ben: Hello!

Scott: How are you?
Ben: Great.

Welcome to Ben's Garden,
round two.

Scott: Wow.

This is really very impressive.

This is a completely
different vibe and feel

from what we saw
in the showroom, for sure.

Ben: I'm really embarrassed

and still kind of,
like, unsettled.

I don't -- I generally try
to get things right.

Scott: Uh-huh.
So, I'm going to --

Kristin might lead
for a little bit

to walk through things.

Kristin: When you come
right in through the door,

our number-one category

that we sell through
is going to be decoupage.

Scott: I was just going to say,
so you're keeping

your high-selling categories
up front

so that's the first thing
that the consumers see.

Scott: Oh, it's beautiful.
Kristin: Then the next category

that we excel very well
at would be tabletop.

So our coasters are fantastic.

They come in these
great giftable boxes,

which is very easy

for our wholesale customers
to kind of gift wrap.

They come ribboned,
and they're all set to go.

And then a really
fantastic category

that does really well for us
would be photo frames.

And they, too, will come
in the really great

orange and yellow boxes.

Scott: That's very cool.
This is really very impressive.

In the showroom,
when I saw the samples

and the product that you had,

it in no way reflects
what is here.

Now seeing this and immersing us

in the experience
and in the product,

I think it's a great
opportunity for us.

Lemonis: So, is this
approved to do a deal?

Scott: It's approved.
Thank you very much.

Ben: Thank you.
Kristin: Love it.

Ben: We look forward to it.

Lemonis:
Kristin really stepped up,

and Ben actually
let her do the talking.

Finally.

Ben: Thank you for coming here.

Scott: Of course, yeah.

Ben: And I'm sorry for what --
I'm sorry for --

Lemonis: No.
We're moved on past that.

We're all good.
Ben: I'm learning.

I got to stop sometimes.
I just keep going.

Lemonis: Don't talk
past the sale.

He said yes.

All right, thanks, Scott.
Ben: All right, thank you.

Lemonis: See you, buddy.

♪♪

Kristin: Hi!
Lemonis: Hi, how are you?

Kristin: Good to see you.
Lemonis: Where's Ben at?

Kristin: He's on his way.
Lemonis: He texted me,

and he said he couldn't
get his bow tie on.

Now that Ben's landed
the Harper Group,

and he's developed
the new products...

Hey!

...I wanted to invite
local sales reps and customers

to Ben's Soho store for product
unveiling and a celebration.

Is Ben's mother here?
Ben: Mom?

Lemonis: Oh, hi, Ben's mother.

I'm Marcus, by the way.
Mira: Nice to meet you.

Lemonis: Can I hug you?
Oh, my God.

Your mom's a hugger.
I love that.

Ben: Thank you very much
for coming and celebrating

what we're trying to do here.

Woman: We're excited
to see your talent.

Ben: So, well,
I appreciate that.

So thank you very much.

I think the experience
has enriched my life

and really brightened my future.

Lemonis:
There's a lot of new products.

Ben: Yep, so these are
all of our designs.

I designed the candles and
wrapping paper and wallpaper.

All these things are things
that I have wanted

to work on for a long time,

and Marcus has been able
to create these opportunities

to manifest themselves.

Lemonis: You want to tell
everybody to have a good time,

or what do you want to do?
Ben: Please, enjoy.

Lemonis: Thank you for coming.
Ben: Thank you.

Lemonis: the new products

and the deal
with the Harper Group

should help us clear
at least $2 million

in wholesale business
during the next year --

double what we currently do.

Ben: Virginia, hi,
you are the sweetest thing.

Lemonis:
And in my journey with Ben,

I've seen a ton of growth.

I do like the fact that
he's more self-aware

of how his interaction
with people can affect them,

and he's now trusting people
to pitch in.

And it really allows Ben
to focus on the things

that he's spectacular at --
designing and creating.

This guy may be
the most creative person

that I have ever met.
Ben: Thank you.

Lemonis: I'll see
you soon, okay?

Ben: Thank you for coming.
Really.

You're really very nice.
Lemonis: I'll see you soon.

♪♪