Ten candidates arrive in Chicago to compete for a position working alongside Marcus Lemonis and a stake in his multimillion-dollar company.

Marcus challenges candidates to create a marketing campaign to show who they are as a brand and to make a complex investment assessment.

Marcus gives the candidates their most difficult task yet: teamwork! Their leadership, salesmanship, and communication skills are put to the test during two group challenges. But as pressure rises, the candidates begin to turn on each other.

Marcus puts the candidates to work in his current Chicago stores, where they face real-life business challenges.

Marcus chooses the final two candidates and gives them their most important challenge yet: walking a day in his shoes. The finalists are tasked with assessing a struggling local business and putting together an investment plan. Based on this information, Marcus will finally determine who The Partner will be.