The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Eric and his family started a wonderful, annual art show event that not only offers a great opportunity to local artists to sell their creations, but also supports wildlife rehabilitation efforts.  In this episode, hear them share their love for their annual show, Art In The Arena.   In this episode, they discuss: How his appreciation for garage sales inspired the idea for starting the art show Th...

What would you do if you purchased a home and you found out your home came with a pond in the backyard? Well, this is exactly what happened to our guest Laurie Krause. Laurie shares her story of discovering a pond in the backyard of her newly purchased house and all things she has learned about ponds so far.   Eric shares his insight on: Discovering a pond in your newly purchased home's backyard L...

Can you put a price on a life? Joshua Simmons shares why safety should be the culture of your life whether you're at work or at home!       Eric shares his insight on: What changed Joshua's view on safety at work and everywhere else      Doing dangerous things carefully and being aware you have one life to live Examples of work-related safety incidents and consequences  Experience is knowledge and...

Remodels can be a labor of love instead of a heavy burden. Tyson Matyas shares his story about installing his own pond and learning to be okay with change…      Eric shares his insight on: Tyson's first experience remodeling his entire backyard—the sky was not the limit  What specific parts Tyson wants to remodel of his yard and pond Reasons Tyson wants to remodel his pond: maintenance, size, util...

Today, Eric is joined by Josh Munson, a member of the Pond Digger team. The two show you an inside look at what's really going on behind the scenes — fighting, crying, sweating, bleeding, and the joy of winning.   Eric shares his insight on: How Josh found out about the Pond Digger and his interview with Eric for the job Establishing a strong company culture and deepening relationships Encounterin...

Ever accuse someone of something they didn't do? Slayer and Tyson join the show and share what they've learned about who or what is the most likely to steal koi…       In this episode, we talk about… Slayer's experience of firing a landscaper for stealing koi  Realizing crows eat koi-sized fish Predators are real—blue heron like fancy fish Evidence of another wipeout and live-trapping a skunk  Und...

Eric Twigg joins Eric and shares his experiences in the pond digging industry, what it's like to go ultra viral on TikTok, and why he just keeps it real and is all about more fish!    Eric shares his insight on: Twigg's first impression of the pond industry and first professional build  The value of putting yourself out there and being vulnerable Filtration systems, undergravel grids, and other le...

Listen to Eric's recent interview with Laura Reale on the Landscape Marketing Secrets Podcast, where he shares his experiences with TikTok, how to leverage TikTok as a business owner, and why TikTok doesn't have to be scary!    Eric shares his insight on: Observing the evolution of social media platforms When and why Eric started using TikTok Training the algorithm to get what you want from TikTok...

Brian Fitzimmons recalls how he persevered even after losing his growing business to a fire, and what it takes to successfully manage multiple stores, be the exclusive importer for a major brand, and own over 100 acres for his business…    Eric shares his insight on: What it takes to bounce back after a devastating fire Focusing on moving forward instead of on what could have been Shifting from le...

Dave Deponte shares his pond building experience, what he's learned about losing fish, why Eric is the reason he drinks less, and why it's okay to be neurotic about your pond.    Eric shares his insight on: How Dave became interested in ponds and dug his first pond by hand  Dave's initial unwillingness to hire Eric, until his wife him do it  How Dave's neurotic regimen of pond maintenance keeps hi...

Rehabilitating wildlife is second nature to the Pond Digger crew. Listen in as they share how they finally achieved their 501(c)(3) status, what they learned during their first fundraiser and what they have in store for the Pond Digger Ranch Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation!    Eric shares his insight on: From opossums to great horned owls, how Leslie first started in wildlife rehab  The evoluti...

Finding the balance between humor and hard work can help create a positive workplace culture. Eric and the guys break down why laughter is just as necessary as productivity.     Eric shares his insight on: Balance between having fun vs. being productive  Creating a culture of hard expectations mixed with humor  The challenge of welcoming new members to your crew  Easing in to talking shit and know...

Failure can help you learn and grow if you let it. Eric, Tyson and Slayer remind us to shift out of the victim mindset and win from your failures!      Eric shares his insight on: Letting failure motivate you instead of dwelling on it  How Training with Triplett focuses on re-engaging and moving forward  Be 100% behind your brand and learn from projects even if they're successful  Overcoming obsta...

Eric and Leslie break down the body language of koi fish and specific visual clues to help keep your fish happy and out of danger.    Eric shares his insight on: Signs to look for if your fish breaches the water like Shamu: Breeding Parasites Low oxygen content in the water  Understanding common breeding behaviors  What flashing is and how it leads to scratching  Piping and the importance of prope...

If you want your employees to perform better, they must have effective training. Leslie Triplett explains how employees need the right pressure and release to get the job done right.  Eric shares his insight on: Old approaches to horse training and how it compares to terrible employers The history of using new technique of pressure and release training with horses Why training is focused on how ho...

Of course, you always want the right tool for the job, but do you really need to own the tool? Eric, Tyson and Slayer dive into their favorite tool brands and why it's so easy (and okay!) to get addicted to collecting tools.     Eric shares his insight on: Buying vs. renting tools for DIY jobs  Milwaukee vs. DeWalt power tools  Painting tools pink and mixing tool brands as the company grows  The d...

Working with water can definitely have challenging lows and incredible highs. Eric's guest today is Justin Siler, a Pond Digger team member who shares what life's been like since joining the crew and the unique experiences they never saw coming!    Eric shares his insight on: How Justin met Eric while doing live auctions for a thrift store   Justin's first days working with Eric and the symbolic u...

You are probably already familiar with common pond design mistakes, such as making the pond too shallow, making the pond too small, or under-filtering the pond. But today, I am going to share with you the three worst uncommon pond design mistakes to avoid. You might be a little shocked by it!   Eric shares his insight on: Tall waterfalls in very flat backyards - it not only looks unnatural but als...

I'm back and joined with special guest Ron "Slayer" Yelenich to talk about making choices as part of our craftsman series.   Eric and Ron share their insight on: How daunting critical decision-making can be for some people. Why getting better at decision-making comes with experience more than anything, but can be teachable to a certain extent. A discussion about consequences and risk management. H...

The craftsman series continues under pressure . Get ready for a pressure-themed episode, both in the literal sense of the word (ie water pressure) and in the sense of what it's like to feel pressure as a craftsman.   Eric and Tyson share their insight on: The construction side of pipe systems and their pressure needs. For instance - lines need to be pressurized before they're covered up! A detaile...

If you want pond building to be successful, you must have steps in place to know what materials, tools, and labor each project requires so you don't waste any time, money or energy. Eric is joined by electrician, contractor and DIY guy Ron Yelenich to discuss why logistics matter in pond building, business, and life!     Eric and Ron share their insight on: Why sequencing matters when planning and...

We all know there were shortages of products like toilet paper in 2020 - and this year we are now experiencing shortages of plastics and labor needed to create ponds! In the meantime, demand for ponds has increased with people spending more time at home. It has created quite a unique situation and Eric is joined by swimming pool industry veteran Michael to discuss it.   Eric and Michael share thei...

Get ready, because this episode may shock you and shake you up a little bit! It's all about how working on ponds is a practice requiring trial and error. Hopefully it will inspire you to get your hands dirty, try new things, and finally take that leap you've been thinking about!   Eric shares his insight on: Getting into ponds from his start caring for fish and everything he had to learn along the...

It's been a crazy year and people have been living very differently. All this extra time at home has meant people are spending more time in their backyards and wanting to create special pond oases to enjoy. This has led to five cool pond trends so far this year!   Eric shares his insight on: Remodels - such as adding extensions to make current ponds bigger or upgrading filtration systems. Restorat...

Why does attention to detail matter? Today, Eric is joined by both his wife and Tyson to chat about how attention to detail is important in every aspect of life - and especially, in your business.   Eric shares his insight on: Why you need people on your team who are strong at big picture thinking as well as people who are strong at attention to detail What attention to detail means to Tyson and w...