companyThe Profit · Season 5, Episode 16 · Aired July 17, 2018
Hangout Lighting
Chicago, Illinois
This one survived. It remains in business.
What happened after
Custom pendant-light and lighting-fixture retailer with a Chicago showroom.
What happened on the show
Hangout Lighting was a Chicago lighting company with a spark of genuine innovation, unique designs and customizable options, but in the episode's framing the owner's weak leadership was letting sales fizzle. The core issue was how she treated and valued her team, and Marcus's warning was that without changing that, it could be lights out for the young company. It was a familiar Profit case, a business with a distinctive product held back not by what it made but by how it was led. The path forward ran through the owner learning to value and empower her people, along with the sales and operational structure a growing design led company needs. The product stood out in a crowded category, which made the leadership and the culture the real levers Marcus had to work with here.
After the cameras left
Hangout Lighting is still on. The custom pendant and lighting fixture retailer runs a Chicago showroom on North Leavitt Street, with a Facebook post dated September 2025 and YouTube videos dated into March 2026 confirming recent activity, plus a 4.5 star Yelp rating. The company the episode found dimming under weak leadership is clearly still operating and engaged with customers years later. Confirmed operating as of 2026, high confidence.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.
What is there now
Street imagery via Google Maps. Location approximate.