The Deep End with Eric Triplett

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...

Today's guest, Steve Sandalis, has been crafting water features and landscapes for the stars of Hollywood for over 20 years. From Jeff Probst to Tom Brady, Steve has transformed countless celebrity backyards into works of natural art. Listen in as Steve discusses some of his most high-profile projects over the years and opens up about the challenges of working with celebrities and managing their e...

In this episode, renowned pond builder and industry veteran Demi Fortuna shares his Graybeard experience and hard-earned wisdom gained from four decades of working in the pond industry. Demi is the founder of August Moon Designs and director of product information at Atlantic-OASE.    From early challenges installing ponds with limited resources to pioneering bottom drain filtration systems, Demi...

Are you struggling to grow your business because of limiting beliefs and negative self-talk? Today's guest, Shane Boyd, discusses the connection between mindset and results and how even small changes in your mindset can dramatically grow your business results. Shane is a marketing and mindset coach who has helped countless entrepreneurs overcome limiting beliefs and transform their businesses thro...

Eric sits down with Hector Mardueno and Shawn McHenry – the organizers of the highly anticipated All American Koi Show coming to Las Vegas in 2024. Shawn and Hector spill all the deets on what makes this show a game-changer. From the vendors and judges to educational programs, they reveal it all and tell how this event will take the Koi industry to new depths.   In this episode, they talk about: D...

Have you ever gotten leads for your business and then wondered why they weren't turning into sales? Sales consultant Drewbie Wilson wants to tell you that the problem may not be with your leads – it's that you're just not calling them. Drewbie shares some great tips and strategies that will help you turn your leads into paying customers.   In this episode, they talk about: The origin story of Drew...

Today, we have the pond legend Anthony Archer-Wills and aquatic plant expert Kelly Billing in the house! Anthony shared how he discovered his passion for ponds as a child and how it developed into his career.    Anthony and Kelly also shared valuable insights on pioneering techniques in water features, aquatic plant care, how pond design and construction techniques evolved over time, early filtrat...

Today's guest, Laura Reale, grew her service-based business by 40% in just 12 months. Want to know her secret? Tune in as she shares the framework, secrets, tips, and tricks that she used to make that happen for her business.  Laura runs two businesses: AquaReale—a pond construction, service, and maintenance company—and Pondtent—a marketing company that provides email marketing services to pond bu...

Koi shows have come a long way since their origins in Japan. Seasoned Koi experts Anthony Quintero and Shawn McHenry join Eric to explore the historical beginnings of Koi shows and how they've evolved over the years. From their over two decades of experience in the industry, they discuss their memorable moments, trends, and innovations in Koi shows.   In this episode, they talk about: Origin of Ko...

Public speaking can be intimidating, but having strong communication skills is essential for contractors to grow their businesses! Public speaking coach Philip Sessions shares strategies for contractors to speak with authority and confidence when speaking to prospects, clients, and industry groups.   In this episode, they talk about: Philip's fear of public speaking and how he overcame it Philip's...

Eric is joined by Randy Stewart, the Vision Manager for Pondliner.com and the driving force behind the highly popular Water Garden Expo.   Randy shared the history of the Water Garden Expo, gave an exciting preview of the upcoming 2024 Expo — why you should attend, what you can expect, who is going to speak at the event, — and the future of the Water Garden Expo, and provided some tips and tricks...

Are you a contractor who excels at sales? Or are you the contractor who sucks at sales? How can you identify which category you fall into? Just like on American Idol, there are contestants who truly think they could sing well, but in reality, they are terrible singers. In the same way, there are contractors who may think they are a pro at sales when they actually suck at it.   Eric is here to help...

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the most important skills for contractors — it allows you to better understand clients, defuse tense situations, and provide excellent service.   Today's guest, Benny Fisher, is the founder and visionary of The Big Fish Contracting Company, Co-Founder of The Arena Mastermind, Business Growth Leader for Contractor Dynamics, and host of The Big Fish Cares Podcas...

The Pond Digger team is taking on the 75 HARD challenge. Eric motivates them by sharing his own experience with the challenge and inspiring them to join in.   In this episode, each team member shares their motivation for taking on 75 Hard — some want to get in shape for future goals like firefighting academy, while others want to be healthier role models for their kids. They discuss the physical a...

Today's guest is Lora Lee Gelles, owner and editor of Pond Trade Magazine. Laura discusses the history of the magazine, how she took it over in 2013 without even having a pond herself at that time, some controversial articles Pond Trade Magazine has published over the years that caused controversy in the pond industry, and more.    In this episode, they talk about: The history of Pond Trade magazi...

Are you struggling to generate leads and sales for your contracting business? Today's guest, Adam McChesney, shares the best digital marketing strategies that can help boost your business. Adam is a serial entrepreneur, a digital marketing and personal branding expert,  CEO at Builders of Authority and Hite Digital, and host of Entrebrewer podcast.   In this episode, they talk about: Adam's journe...

There are secrets to winning koi grow out contests, and Koi expert Shawn McHenry of Mystic Koi is here to share some of these secrets. Eric and Shawn discuss koi grow out contests, how these contests work, and how to select, grow, and prepare fish to their best potential for competition.   In this episode, they talk about: The history of koi grow out contest and what a koi grow out contest means C...

Today, Eric dives into the colorful world of cichlids with guest Brandon Blombquist. Brandon is the owner of West Coast Cichlid Supplies, a cichlid breeding and sales business in Southern California. Brandon shares how he turned his longtime hobby for cichlid into a thriving business.   In this episode, they talk about: Story of how Eric and Brandon met Why Brandon decided to pursue cichlids as a...

If you're looking for something unique to add to your aquarium, how about adding an aquatic snake? Many aquatic snake species can thrive in aquariums with compatible fish species. Today's guest is Myke Clarkson, a reptile expert who's making efforts to make aquatic snakes become accessible display animals. Myke also works with Herpetological Conservation International to conserve reptiles.   In th...

After a four-year hiatus from YouTube, The Pond Digger is finally making a comeback. Eric sits down with the person who is helping him to return to YouTube – independent filmmaker Joe Betancourt. They discuss their creative plans together for YouTube, how their collaboration came to be and where it's headed.   In this episode, we talk about: Why did Eric stop posting to YouTube four years ago  Wha...

Today Eric takes us on a trip down memory lane with his longtime friend and colleague Kathy Jo. The two discuss the origin story of this episode's title and share the value of actively working at creating meaningful memories with friends and family that will stand the test of time.   In this episode, we talk about: Why did Kathy said "I hope you die before I do" to Eric years ago Impact of a memor...