Marcus Lemonis has some tough-love advice.
The star of "The Profit," who has invested $35 million into failing businesses in an attempt to turn them around, has seen just about everything. And it isn't pretty.
"The one piece of advice that I would give every entrepreneur in America: that owning a business isn't for everybody," Lemonis told CNBC.
"It takes a different kind of person," he said. "It takes somebody with a thick skin and a tough stomach. It's not a glamorous job."
While many dream of starting the next Facebook or being their own "girl boss," Lemonis said there is real value in entering the workforce and working for someone else first.
"Understand what it feels like to work for a great boss — or a terrible one," he said. "Understand what's entailed in owning a business. It's not just showing up and telling people you're the boss."
For this investor, experience is important, especially when business gets rough.
"What do you do at 5 o'clock on Friday when you don't have money to make payroll?" Lemonis asked. "What do you do when vendors aren't buying your product?"
But if you have the experience and you're ready to work hard, you may have what it takes, Lemonis said.
Even then, "you better have some thick skin," he warned.
