Marcus Lemonis and Shuler’s Bar-B-Que
In this final episode of season 2, our man Marcus drives down to Latta, SC to help a mom & pop ribs joint expand.
Background
Shuler’s Bar-B-Que is owned by married couple Lynn and Norton Hughes and their young son Shuler. The name comes from Norton’s father. The establishment was opened in 1996 and is now so famous for its ribs and chicken that people drive 50 to 100 miles just to eat there. It’s typically packed with patrons on the three days per week that it’s open. There’s also a catering department which gets mentioned only in passing.
Marcus Lemonis Develops a Business Growth Strategy for Coopersburg Sports
This is another drama-mama free episode which offers a good look at a stalled out small business. Unfortunately it felt rushed and would have benefited from a delay in airing so that we could see the actual results of Marcus’s growth strategy. However, with the season coming to an end shortly it had to be aired this week. (Was this the season finale?)
Background
The company is a manufacturer of wooden sports novelty products. It’s located in Coopersburg, PA which is Amish country. Scott the owner inherited the company in 1991 from his father and shortly after secured the rights to produce mini-baseball bats for MLB teams. Before that the company had been in a sunset industry manufacturing wooden handles for tools. The bats have been the bread and butter line for the company ever since. Revenues peaked at $4.38 million in 2008 when a major player, Louiseville Slugger, stepped into the market and cut Coopersburg’s sales in half.
The Uber Wars
Have you been following the Uber story? If you haven’t you should be if you consider yourself a student of business. Uber epitomizes the philosophy of “It’s better to just do it and apologize later than wait for permission.”
The CEO of this company is either a train wreck in the making or a genius. Only time will tell.
For now the company continues to move along a razor’s edge.
Either way this story will make for a great case study someday and perhaps even a movie along the lines of The Wolf of Wall Street.
Marcus Explores Growing West End Coffee Company
Despite the fact that this was another walk out by Marcus it offers some valuable business lessons, including one big one.
Background
West End Coffee Company is roasting operation located in Greenville SC, serving local restaurants and specialty shops. The company was purchased by the two owners, John Brown and Becky Schramm in 2012 for $499K. We are not told how long it had been in existence prior to the purchase.
Marcus Lemonis and Unique Salon & Spa
This was a surprisingly drama-free episode. It’s also the stuff of a typical Harvard Business School case study. In other words, it’s not a particularly interesting business but some good lessons do await us.
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