Plot Synopsis

LeBron James and his longtime friend and business partner Maverick Carter give four up-and-coming local entrepreneurs the chance to realize their own dreams while also helping to revitalize the Gordon Square Arts District, a once troubled Cleveland neighborhood that's working to rebuild. Hosting CLEVELAND HUSTLES is LeBron James' and Maverick Carter's hand-picked host, B. Bonin Bough, Chief Media & eCommerce Officer for one of the largest snack food companies in the world. Plus, four of LeBron's and Maverick's trusted business experts -- Alan Glazen, Jonathan Sawyer, Kumar Arora, and Kathy Futey -- are enlisted to help give the fledgling entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime -- financial backing, expert guidance, and a storefront to launch their enterprise. After a local search, eight up-and-coming entrepreneurs were selected from a group of 25 who pitched the investors. Each investor has chosen two businesses to investigate further. They'll put these eight businesses through a series of tests before ultimately deciding on the four small companies they want to invest in and support as they take on the enormous challenge of opening storefronts in an underserved neighborhood. Over the course of the season, viewers see if the entrepreneurs have the ambition, creativity, and hustle necessary to succeed -- and in so doing, help a neighborhood that desperately needs investment. The eight Cleveland-based entrepreneurs include: Old City Soda (Sean Adkins & Mike Gulley); Randy's Pickles (Andrew Rainey); Styles of Success (Chareen Fountain); The Cleveland Bagel Co. (Geoff Hardman & Dan Herbst); The Proper Pig (Ted Dupaski & Shane Vidovic); Groundswell (Anne Harnett); FOUNT (Jaclyn & Phillip Wachter); and Akron Honey Co. (Brent Wesley).
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On Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, CNBC premiered the Season 1 finale of CLEVELAND HUSTLES. In the season ender, "Open for Business," after months of hard work, each of the four businesses hustle to finish their new storefronts before opening day. Old City Soda is still not certain if it will receive a liquor license and Groundswell Yoga faces the possibility that their planned classes on the new roof deck will get rained out. The Cleveland Bagel Company has a malfunctioning air conditioner that might shut them down. And Fount's investor, Jonathon Sawyer, puts the pressure on with his expectation of a big financial return from the start. Dreams will come true -- but which business is poised to kill it when doors open for real?