The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Do you know the secret to building a pond that thrives for years? It's working with Mother Nature. When it comes to pond building, many contractors do it in a standardized, one-size-fits-all manner without properly considering the unique characteristics of each pond.    Kent Wallace wants to change this mindset of pond contractors. He wants contractors to understand Mother Nature's rules and adapt...

The landscape of marketing is evolving, and to keep up with these changes, contractors need to ditch outdated marketing tactics and embrace a modern approach. In this episode, marketing expert Savannah Gresham shares modern marketing strategies for residential contractors. She talks about sales, communications, and marketing to people on a needs-based basis vs. wants-based, limitations of traditio...

Eric sits down with Shawn Langton, the founder of Kujo Yardwear. Shawn is taking the aquatic industry by storm with his innovative new boot line designed specifically with the needs of people in the pond world in mind by providing comfortable, durable footwear. Shawn shares his story of growing up in construction and identifying the gap in the market that led him to launch Kujo Yardwear. He also s...

In the world of contracting, word of mouth can be the difference between a booming business and a bust. Today's guest is Luan Nguyen, CEO of Deck Bros, a Nebraska-based company that skyrocketed from zero to $5 million in revenue in just under five years. Luan has cracked the code to growing his business by harnessing the power of word-of-mouth, and in this episode, he's spilling his secrets for pu...

Eric sits down with Brian Fitzsimmons & AJ Mandell to discuss plans for the annual Koi Fest event happening on August 23rd and 24th. They share some exciting details about the event, like the variety of koi sizes and breeds available for viewing and purchase, live koi auctions, new vendor showcases, interactive workshops, etc. They also discuss the challenges and successes from the previous years...

In a digital world where everything is online, James Rothwell of Maru Koi is bucking the trend through his print magazine, Maru Koi, which is dedicated to the koi hobby. In this episode, James discusses the journey of launching Maru Koi magazine, the challenges he faces in keeping the magazine running, and the support he gets from the people in the koi community.   In this episode, they talk about...

How to get out of a sales slump as a contractor? Christopher Phillips turned his business around after hitting a sales slump. Christopher had been doing well in his business from 2020 to the end of 2023, but then his sales suddenly dried up. He wasn't getting any new jobs. Eric and Christopher discuss what caused the sales slump and how Christopher overcame it.   In this episode, they talk about:...

Have you ever seen an old driveway or building get torn down? Today's guest, Nick Ivey, has found a cool way to reuse that broken-up concrete. He repurposes those concrete pieces to make beautiful walls of them. He discusses with Eric how to make cool and unique garden walls out of old concrete instead of expensive stone.   In this episode, they talk about: Nick's transition to stonemasonry from a...

Eric and Leslie sit down with Dr. Erik Johnson. Dr. Erik is a veterinarian who has written many books on tropical fish, pondfish, goldfish, and Koi health and husbandry. After disappearing from the aquarium scene for over a decade, Dr. Erik is back with a new book called Saving Sick Fish. In this episode, he provides insights on the proper management of ponds and aquariums, fish health, and conser...

Do you feel afraid to admit or expose your weaknesses? Eric and Duncan talk about how overcoming that fear can actually make you stronger. Both Eric and Duncan have Enneagram Type 8 personalities, which makes it difficult for them to expose their weakness. They tell you that exposing your weaknesses is the quickest way to fix them and become better.   In this episode, they talk about: Eric helped...

Have you ever wanted to visit Japan and see/buy the beautiful koi they have there? A company called KoiTrips makes it easy to travel to Japan just for the koi! Eric is with Brian, Tim, AJ, and Kosuke of KoiTrips.com. They give some fascinating information about what it takes to travel to Japan to find the right koi that you're looking for.   In this episode, they talk about: How can hobbyists trav...

Are you trying to grow your business but struck with marketing? Are you tired of feeling like your ads are just floating out there without giving the results you expected? Facebook ads expert Michelle Esau from Lift Up Landscapers shares different marketing strategies you can use to grow your business. She talks about Facebook ads, targeting strategies, and clears up the misconceptions contractors...

Today, we have YouTube sensation Lucas Bretz from LRB Aquatics on the show. Lucas is doing aquariums differently and with great success. He discusses the importance of embracing natural processes in aquarium maintenance and shares his unique approach to natural, no-filter aquarium maintenance.    In this episode, they talk about: Importance of building a connection with the audience in online cont...

Personal branding is a powerful way for contractors to grow their business and attract more clients. In this episode, personal branding expert Isaac Mashman talks about personal branding, and how it can help you with your business. He discusses how personal branding is more than just logos, shares tips and strategies for personal branding, and how contractors can tie their personal brand to their...

Eric sits down with Thorsten Muck, the CEO of Oase Living Water. The two talk about Thorsten's journey to Oase, the challenges and successes he's experienced in his seven years as CEO, merging with other companies, and how COVID-19 affected them. Thorsten also shares insights into his life running a global business and talks about the tendency of water features getting forbidden due to water scarc...

We all make assumptions every day without even realizing it. And sometimes, most of the assumptions we make have a bad connotation. So, while assumptions can get you in trouble, Eric discusses the flip side of it—the power of assumptions. He sits down with Slayer and Tyson to talk about how assumptions can be good too and explores the power of assumptions. In this episode, they talk about: The mea...

At first, Jason was skeptical of underground suction grid technology. He thought it's not going to work. It's going to clog up. It's going to be a maintenance nightmare. But after testing it in his pond for five years, he found it worked well. Eric is at the water garden expo and sits down with Jason Steele and Mark Yori to discuss undergravel suction grid technology.  In this episode, they talk a...

Today's guest, Brian Fitzsimmons from Fitz's Fish Ponds, has built a successful business of building ponds and breeding and selling koi fish, but these days, he is focusing his energy on something else. He is going to take on Eric as part of the finsNfury charity boxing match on August 17th for Brian Barczyk's Legacy Aquarium. Tune in to find out Brian and Eric's preparations and predictions for t...

Do you believe there is a need to wake up at 5 AM every day to be successful? Today's guest, Johnny Buck, found this isn't sustainable long term. As an entrepreneur, athlete, and coach, he was burning the candle at both ends just to keep up. In this episode, he shares his decision to quit the 5 AM Club and take a more flexible approach to mornings and how it has impacted his life and work.   In th...

Eric sits down with Cichlid legend John Niemans to discuss his encyclopedic knowledge of cichlids. They discuss John's experiences over 30+ years of keeping and breeding cichlids, lessons he's learned along the way, breeding and fishkeeping tips for different cichlid groups like Africans, New World cichlids, Asians, and more. If you're passionate about Cichlids, this episode is for you!    In this...

As pond professionals get older, it's natural to start thinking about retirement. But leaving behind a career you've poured your heart into for decades is no easy task. Eric sat down with three industry veterans—The Pond Monster, Mark Gibson, and Mike Miller—to get their insights on aging in the industry and how to make an exit.   In this episode, they talk about: Aging in the pond industry and th...

Joey Mullen, the undisputed King of DIY, is here to make the aquarium hobby a lot more exciting with the upcoming charity boxing event – Fins N Fury . Joey details about the boxing match, a charity event for raising funds for late Brian Barczyk's Legacy Aquarium. He also opens up about his long YouTube career and gives some gold nuggets about YouTube and content creation.   In this episode, they t...

Do you know there's a Fish Club local to around you? Today's guest, Ross Freeman, is the President of the Coast Tropical Fish Club located in California. He has been a member of the club for over 15 years and has held various volunteer roles during that time. Ross gives an inside look at what goes on during a typical meeting of the club, the upcoming events, and how you can get involved with your...

Eric sits down with Jeff Weemhoff to discuss the fascinating story behind the merger of Atlantic Water Gardens and Oase. Jeff helped grow Atlantic into a $12 million+ business as its founder and president. In 2018, Atlantic merged with global water feature leader Oase to form Atlantic Oase.   During the discussion, Jeff provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the merger came together, including w...

Craig McBride and Ana Arntson sat down with Eric to discuss the debut of a new community for pond builders — the Pond Professional Alliance (PPA). Via PPA, they aim to bring together people from all walks of the water feature world through an unbiased platform free from manufacturer influence. They share that over 200 people have already joined the group and discuss the PPA's future plans for even...