Ep 2. Dilascia

In season 4, episode 2 of The Profit, host and entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis visits Dilascia, a struggling Los Angeles-based clothing company that specializes in graphic tees and vintage apparel. The company was founded by Amanda Dilascia in 2006 and has been experiencing financial difficulties due to a lack of inventory control and misguided branding. Dilascia's brand is one where customers can have custom-made t-shirts printed in-store, but the process has not been streamlined to satisfy customers. The brand is a reflection of the owner's personal style and does not cater to a broad enough audience to remain successful.

Marcus Lemonis immediately notices the problems at the company's flagship store in Los Angeles. The store has a lot of overstock, leading to disorganization and inefficient use of space. Furthermore, the marketing strategy and branding of Dilascia are ineffective, and they risk losing a lot of money on their unsold inventory. Dilascia has a unique concept of making customized graphic tees on the spot, but the brand has not been marketed beyond word-of-mouth advertising.

Marcus meets with Amanda Dilascia, the company's founder, to discuss the problems, and he's shocked by the number of the company’s employees. He learns that most of them do not have clear roles or responsibilities, which leads to confusion and low productivity. The company has several warehouses, each of which holds different types of inventory, further exacerbating the lack of organization.

Marcus decides to adopt a "guided chaos" management style that encourages experimentation and creativity while maintaining a sense of structure and organization. He brings in a consultant to help with branding and asks Amanda to rethink the core message of the brand to resonate with a broader audience. Marcus also teaches Dilascia's staff about inventory management and best practices for customer service. The result is a streamlined approach that aligns business objectives with customers' needs.

In the end, Amanda is pleased with the changes and grateful for Marcus's help. The new plan focuses on creating a consistent customer experience that includes the ability to create custom t-shirts at the store, while also providing inventory control for stock items sold on the website. Marcus helps Dilascia build a comeback strategy that will attract a wider demographic of customers and help them increase profits. Finally, Marcus and Amanda sit down to talk about the lessons they've learned, and Marcus offers advice on how to be a more effective leader and entrepreneur. Dilascia's future looks bright, and they're poised for growth and success with their new approach.