The Deep End with Eric Triplett

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...

A lot of clients tend to compare the prices of their pool guys to their pond guys. To them, it seems like a similar job, and they can't understand why their pond guy is so much more expensive! This can lead to some awkward conversations, and it's a topic that needs to be addressed. Give it a listen and you'll be better prepared the next time this subject comes up with a client!   Eric shares his i...

It's time for the next episode in our Craftsman Series, with guest Tyson. A lot of craftsmen will at one time be an apprentice or have apprentices under them. There's a specific mindset that goes along with being an apprentice, and you must develop it so you can learn what you need to know on your journey to becoming a craftsman.   Eric and Tyson share their insight on: How our culture puts pressu...

Eric is in Miami today to chat with pond digger Erick Santana. They're talking about Erick Santana's new show, Pond Wars! Erick was needing new ways to make content and bring creativity into his work. So he created the show to show off all the wars that pond builders fight and the beauty that they make.   Eric and Erick share their insight on: How Pond Wars will be bringing the reality back to rea...

Get ready for the next installment of The Craftsman Series! Eric is joined by Tyson again to talk about tools -specifically, how craftsmen handle their tools and how the way someone uses their tools tells a lot about them.   Eric and Tyson share their insight on: Why you should never pretend to know how to use a tool if you can't. It's always better to let someone teach you than to risk injuring y...

It's just about springtime which means it's the perfect time to take stock and clean things up. Eric today has Leslie on the podcast with him to cover four principles for pond care that are important to do each year for some Spring cleaning. Think of it like giving your pond a much-needed annual physical!   Eric and Leslie share their insight on: Evaluating your livestock: How the needs of your fi...

Today we're kicking off something new: The Craftsman Series, which celebrates the craft within the pond industry. We're starting out with the very basics: discussing what being a craftsman means! Eric's guest is his good friend Tyson Matthias, a versatile craftsman and talented woodworker in his own right.   Eric and Tyson share their insight on: The necessity of tools to craftsmen and the importa...

We've all come up against a challenge when working on a Koi pond that we didn't immediately have the time and resources to fix in the most proper, by-the-book way. Sometimes, this can lead to awesome, inventive solutions, but other times, it's really not an appropriate way to go. Today, Eric is going over three specific examples of redneck fixes he's seen. Hopefully, it will put a smile on your fa...

Whether you're looking to be a better pond-builder or you're looking for someone to build a pond for yourself and want to interview prospective builders, we've compiled the three skills that make someone a great pond builder!   Eric shares his insight on: How a background in and passion for aquariums will teach you all the things you need to remember to create a well-balanced pond environment for...

We've all heard of that famous demonstration where large rocks are placed in a jar and it looks full. Until smaller rocks are added, and then it looks full again, and so on. This jar demonstration is of course a metaphor for life. When you pay attention first to things like goal setting and personal development, the daily chores will be able to fit in around them.   Eric shares his insight on: How...

No one has ever done anything great without at least some help from someone else. The Pond Digger is no exception. Eric's guest today is the legend, John Niemans, one of Eric's mentors from back when he got into the pond business. John is a tropical fish breeder, now retired from shipping and distribution. With over 25 years of fish breeding experience, John is here to discuss the five coolest Afr...

Everyone has someone who has opened a door or paved the path for them in their career. Eric has had the luxury of being on both sides of that coin. Eric's guest today is Landon Malave of LCM Landscapes, as well as Tyson. Throughout their careers, mentors in the landscape and construction industries have helped shape who Eric, Tyson, and Landon are today. They understand first-hand the importance o...

There's a lot of murkiness when it comes to the topic of UV Clarifiers on ponds, mostly because of marketing mishaps. Eric is in the house to expose 3 of those UV Clarifier myths. Pay attention so you know when someone is blowing smoke and also so you don't purchase the wrong product!   Eric shares his insight on: Differentiating between a UV Sterilizer and a UV Clarifier Why some marketing campai...

People fail at their New Years' resolutions because they set completely unrealistic goals. You don't need to set huge goals to make a big difference in your life. Well, the rule applies to your pond. Eric and Leslie are in the house today to talk about those simple things you can do in preparation for the pond or to the pond that will make a massive difference. Tiny changes can equal remarkable re...

Pond digging is not just the glitz and glamour that you see in the finished product. A lot goes on behind the scenes to make everything happen. Eric's guest today is Mikey Centlivre, an employee that helped Eric rebuild his team from scratch back in 2017. The importance of having the right team cannot be understated when you are trying to build a business. Take a look inside the machine that is th...

Expectation is the mother of frustration. Just think about that for a second. You expect something to be there or to happen and when things don't turn out how you expected, you become frustrated. Eric's guest today is his amazing wife Leslie. Leslie and Eric are discussing how incorrect expectations can quite often lead to frustration. This holds especially true when it comes to ponds! Eric shares...

People are so drawn to Bonsai, but that draw is different for every single person. Eric's guest today is Jeremiah Lee, a Bonsai enthusiast that spotted Eric at a Bonsai nursery by his house. Today, Eric and Jeremiah are comparing the art of Bonsai to keeping Koi fish. After some experimentation with Bonsai 20 years ago, Eric put it to the side to focus on Koi, but he still loves them!   Eric share...