Libsyn Directory

S2-E31: The Cobra Conundrum

Release Date: 03/30/2026

S2-E56: How Great Contractors Connect With Great Customers Featuring Drew Ainscough of Incline Marketing

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Eric and Drew talk about the intersection of craftsmanship and digital strategy. The discussion highlights the limitations of platforms like Yelp, where strict review policies can hinder a business's reputation, and emphasizes the complexity of Google’s advertising ecosystem. Ainscough explains how businesses can optimize their sales funnels by integrating social media presence with targeted performance campaigns to capture high-quality leads. Triplet shares personal anecdotes about maintaining a culture of care and using the "131 technique" to empower employees to solve customer problems...

S2-E55: Building a Better Reef: How Real Reef Rock Changed the Aquarium Game Featuring Gareth Scott

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Gareth Scott, the founder of , talks with Eric during the LA Pet Fair. The conversation highlights how the company developed a sustainable, man-made alternative to harvesting live rock from natural coral reefs, which was once the industry standard. Scott explains the transition from importing Tonga branch rock to manufacturing calcium-based substrates in the USA to prevent environmental degradation and the spread of aquarium pests. The episode covers the technical aspects of their aquaculture process, including how they achieve a purple coralline aesthetic and ensure biological stability. Key...

S2-E54: Building a Business You Can Sell vs. Owning a Job

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Eric and discuss the essential transition from simply owning a job to building a scalable business that can eventually be sold. They contrast their professional backgrounds, highlighting how strategic systems and team empowerment allow an entrepreneur to step away from daily labor while maintaining a profitable legacy. The conversation emphasizes the importance of high-level coaching and standard operating procedures to overcome common growth plateaus and avoid management burnout. By focusing on employee development and clear career ladders, they argue that business owners can foster a loyal...

S2-E53: Can Fish Really Fight Depression? Special Guest Evan Johnson

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Evan Johnson, the founder of the nonprofit , shares how he provides natural aquariums to senior living facilities to combat depression and isolation among residents and staff. He cites specific research showing that observing fish can significantly lower stress hormones and improve mental health metrics like the PHQ-9 survey. Beyond the scientific benefits, the conversation highlights Evan’s entrepreneurial journey and his focus on expanding his mission across several countries. Key Takeaways: Incorporate aquariums or natural elements into your living and work spaces to help lower...

S2-E52: The Cost of Being the Face of the Brand with Mike Garvey

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Eric and Mike Garvey from discuss the complexities of scaling a company when the founder serves as the primary personal brand. He recounts how his business, The Pond Digger, evolved from a solo identity into a team-oriented culture by intentionally highlighting his employees' diverse personalities. Triplett emphasizes that while being the face of a brand builds initial trust, it can eventually create a bottleneck if customers only want to work with the owner. The conversation explores strategies for succession and growth, such as introducing co-hosts or using timeless mascots to ensure the...

S2-E51: 25 Years Later: The Pond That Never Gave Up on Its Owner with Shad Dixon

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

This episode explores the enduring legacy of a water feature designed and constructed by Eric Triplett for his friend Shad Dixon twenty-five years ago. While many homeowners initially install ponds for aesthetic beauty or relaxation, the conversation reveals how these aquatic ecosystems become integral characters in a family’s life story. Over two decades, the pond remained a constant through major life transitions, including raising children, navigating divorce, and eventually caring for an aging parent. Despite years of varying maintenance, the original equipment and koi have survived,...

S2-E50: When Does Your Side Hustle Become A Distraction with Mike Garvey of Side Hustle Squad Podcast

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Eric Triplett and discuss the complex transition from a side hustle to a legitimate business. Eric reflects on his decision to pause a coaching venture to refocus on his primary passion for aquatic ecosystem design and filtration technology. The conversation contrasts their professional journeys, highlighting how Mike built a business while serving as a state trooper, whereas Triplett turned a lifelong obsession with fish breeding into a career. They explore the motivations behind pursuing supplemental income, noting that some ventures serve as financial safety nets while others are purely...

S2-E49: Behind the Booth: The Pond Digger Team’s LA Pet Fair Experience

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes debrief from "The Deep End" podcast, where host Eric Triplet and his crew discuss their experience at the LA Pet Fair. The team explores the preparation and logistics required for the event, highlighting the transition from napkin sketches to handcrafted wooden plant displays. They credit the booth's success to a high-energy atmosphere, tropical soundscapes, and the centerpiece attraction: a massive Victoria lily. Each member offers a unique perspective on the fair, ranging from the challenges of security and humidity to the joy of educating new hobbyists. The...

S2-E48: The Mission Only Grows as Fast as the People Do - w/ Mike Garvey of The Side Hustle Squad Podcast

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

In this podcast, Eric and explore the transformative philosophy that scaling a business is fundamentally about scaling people. He recounts his professional evolution from a solo entrepreneur to the leader of a team, emphasizing that investing in employees is the only way to achieve a $50 million vision. Triplett explains how empowering staff to handle sales and technical decisions removes him as a bottleneck, ultimately fostering a culture of excellence and personal growth. The discussion highlights that setting high standards and providing daily motivation through team meetings are essential...

S2-E47: A Look Inside The Machine - With Employee Jacob Orduno

The Deep End with Eric Triplett

Eric interviews his twenty-year-old apprentice, Jacob Orduno, as part of a series titled "Look Inside the Machine." The conversation highlights Jacob’s exceptional work ethic and "old soul" demeanor, attributes that have allowed him to thrive in a demanding construction and ranching environment. They explore the importance of clear expectations and personal accountability, contrasting Jacob’s dedication to long-term mentorship with the short-term financial focus of his peers. Triplet reflects on his own leadership evolution, specifically his shift toward investing heavily in his team's...

More Episodes

Today's episode features a discussion on the Cobra Effect, a phenomenon where superficial solutions to problems inadvertently make them worse. The speaker illustrates this through historical examples like bounty-driven snake breeding in India and China’s one-child policy, which eventually led to unsustainable demographic shifts. He translates these lessons to the business world, warning entrepreneurs against underbidding projects or failing to delegate tasks like equipment transport and technical sealing. By micromanaging or incentivizing the wrong behaviors, leaders often create a "purgatory" of low margins and stagnant growth. To counter this, he advocates for the 131 method, which empowers employees to propose their own solutions rather than relying on management.

Key Takeaways:

Implement the 1-3-1 method by requiring team members to present one specific problem, three potential solutions, and their single best recommendation before you provide an answer.
Commit to a persistent sales strategy by following up with leads between five and twelve times to capture the significant portion of business that most competitors abandon.
Create video-based Standard Operating Procedures to ensure that critical training and techniques are not lost in translation as they are passed down through your team.
Empower your employees to make small, daily efficiency improvements by adopting a lean methodology that encourages everyone to identify and eliminate wasted time.
Carefully analyze your business incentives to ensure they do not trigger the "Cobra Effect," where a well-intentioned solution accidentally makes the original problem worse.