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A
Welcome to the Deep End with Eric Triplett, the pond digger. This is the show for contractors, tradesmen, and entrepreneurs who want more from their business and from themselves. Eric brings decades of experience as a seven figure contractor with expertise in leadership, sales systems, and the discipline it takes to build something real. Shaped by years in the aquatics world, his insights are rooted in precision, craftsmanship, and performance. If you're done skimming the surface and ready to go deeper, it's time to dive in.
B
What's happening, rockstars? It's Triplet here. Let me jump into a real quick question here. What if the biggest thing holding your business back is something you can't even see? It's happened to me. It's. It's happening to everyone. It's. It's. There's a lot hidden around corners that we don't know. And sometimes we don't even know what we don't know. A lot of us know that there's a certain amount of things that we don't know, but there's this huge section that we don't even know what we don't know. I know this sounds crazy, it sounds redundant here, but what if that's what's holding you back? Something you can't even see now you're pricing. You know, you probably need to raise your prices now, not your leads. You know, you either your leads aren't strong or you're not marketing well enough to get the right leads. You don't know your. You know, your. Your ideal client. It's not your crew. I know. You know, you could be more efficient. You know, you could train your crews more. You could see all that. But I'm talking about the blind spots, the stuff that's sitting right under your nose right in front of you every single day, quietly costing you time, money, momentum, and you don't even know because you don't know. Well, today I brought a guy on to the podcast who's obsessed with helping contractors break through those types of ceilings. Naylor Taliaferrell, personal friend of mine. We've been in masterminds together for over a decade. This guy's really getting after it. Now. This podcast today isn't one of those, like, follow these 10 tips and get better in your business episodes. It's not really what it is. It's more of a personal interview to find out, you know, what makes Naylor tick, why he's so passionate about helping contractors. And, you know, we dive deep on a lot of things like that. So, I mean, this is. This is an intro to Naylor to understand, you know, what makes him tick and why he's out to help people so much. Right. It's kind of a wake up call, if you will. We're talking about why so many contractors stay stuck, what's really going on beneath the surface and how awareness might be the most powerful tool that we're not using. So if you've ever felt like you're grinding hard but you're not getting where you want to go, this one's going to hit. Let's dive right in. Why do you want to help these business owners so much? Why are you so passionate about it?
C
I mean, honestly, 12 years ago when I started this business, it essentially saved me from a life that was crushing me. Like I couldn't. I came from corporate America and I didn't recognize myself. Like I was just a different person as a shell of myself and I had no quality of life. So I leaned into the only thing that else that I knew, which was a lawn technician. As a homeowner, I was really good at it, envy of the neighborhood. And then I applied my business knowledge and experience from 15 years in corporate or, you know, corporate America and said, oh, let me try and start a lawn care business. So by doing that, the last 12 years has completely changed my life and I've impacted so many other lives along the way because I found the online community like, immediately and I learned quickly, like to bridge that gap between corporate and my own business and lawn care and all of that by the few people like the lawn care millionaire, some of the OGs that were posting content 12 years ago. And then I got became a part of that community and I've learned so much, met so many people and so many stories just keep impacting me. Like for example, the first time I went to the Equip Expo, which is the largest trade show in the landscaping industry anyway, one of the largest trade shows in the country for contractors. And the first time I went was a couple of years into my business and a year and a half or so into posting YouTube videos. And some people knew who I was already and which was crazy because I was going there to meet like the lawn care millionaire and people that I had kind of looked up to that helped mentor me from YouTube but never met them in person. And then other people wanted to do the same thing. And some two different people came up to me. One of them, you know, we're good friends with from back in the day. Two of them came up to me separately, one of them with tears in their Eyes thanking me for the content that I posted that helped them get out of their corporate job and start their landscaping business. And they have. They haven't looked back since. Like, their life has never been the same. So that really impacted me. And that was, like 10 years ago. And I'm like, holy cow. Like, this is more than just posting content. This is more than just a lawn care business for myself. This is bigger than that, bigger than me, bigger than I could have ever imagined. So I've just been leaning into that. And the more I lean in, the more doors open, the more fulfilled I am and the higher quality of life. Like, the more people's lives I make better, the better my life becomes, because I become better in the pursuit of making other people better, I become a better person. Right? And that's essentially how everyone should live their life. So I'm just, I'm super passionate about. I'm obsessed, honestly, is the word.
B
Yeah, you are obsessed. You know, it's. It's said that you actually become so much better when you can teach, you know, because there's a, there's a, there's a process about, like, the better you can explain it, the better you become, the more knowledgeable you are at it, the better you can explain it in the circle. Kind of goes on and on. So what I heard from you right now was you basically were just worried about yourself. You, like, in the plane crashing, put the, put the oxygen mask on and survived and like, got yourself better. And then people were grown. As a grown ass man came up to you crying about how much you affected your life, and that became your why 100%.
C
I mean, my, my, my initial why and still is is my family. But now there's. Then there was an extended family, right? The law, landscape contractor family that I didn't know existed until it did. And it really put everything in perspective. It's when you get views and comments and likes and all that, that's great. But until you meet someone in person, it's. You can't experience what that, what that is and how you potentially change someone's life. And then when they actually tell you that, it's like, wow, this is, this is deeper than grass. Like, a friend of the community, Lamont Hairston, says a lot, it's deeper than grass. There's a whole lot to it.
B
Yeah, well, I could use that in my terminology, too. It's deeper than a pond. You know what I mean?
C
It's deeper than a water feature, for sure. There you go.
B
So I, you know, I've watched it develop over the past decade, or 15 years, I should say, because you said it was 12 years ago. I think we've been connected longer than that.
C
No, no, no, no, I do. It was 2014. 12 years ago was when I started my lawn care business. And I stumbled upon the community shortly after that and found you and Periscope probably like a year into that. So I think you and I have known each other for like, 11 years, so pretty close to 12 years.
B
So I met you right at the beginning. That was crazy. That's really, really crazy. So tell me this, because, you know, I've been running, you know, your profit Profit accelerator Live that you got going on. I've been running that on our podcast, you know, because I just. I'm so passionate about what you're doing and being involved with it, you know, but when I run says, like, hey, if you're a lawn care company, you know, and I feel like I'm just going to be transparent, bro. I feel like I know that the riches are in the niches and you're trying to help those specific people, but I think. I think you're a little bit bigger than that. And I feel like I wish I could cut that out of my. That piece that I have for you. So what I want to ask you right now is who specific. Who specifically is your mission for? And we got your why out of you, but who is it for and who's it not for?
C
It's for landscape contractors that want to improve. So it's for landscape contractors. Lawn and landscape. But landscape contractors is a bigger. You know, that includes you. You and everyone that's a landscape contractor that wants to make essentially put more money in your bank account and more time in your schedule. For the landscapers that are tired of being tired, right? You. You work all the time, and you don't necessarily see all of the money or any of the money at the end of the day, and you're like, what am I doing this for? You know, you miss dinners. You know, maybe you're having tough times at home. You know, you're wondering, why am I even in this business? I'm not. It's not paying me the way that I want it to pay me. Are you landscapers that aren't even paying themselves if they don't have a pay. If they're not. Even if you're not paying yourself, you don't have a paycheck, then, you know, that's the first problem. And you definitely. You don't even have a job yeah, right. You're working for free. Like, so, so many landscapers out there have the, the worst paying job or a no paying job, working more hours than they've ever worked before instead of actually having a business. So, you know, this event, Profit Accelerator Live, is essentially for us to really help dial that in for two days. For the contractors that go, it's for the people that are serious, not curious. So it's not for the people that are not going to do the work, that are not going to put in the results, right? So the people that attend are going to be there because they want to learn how to increase their profits fast in their, in their bank account, open up some more flexibility in their schedule so they can have the right work and not just bombard their schedule with the wrong work and low profit work and wonder why they're running themselves ragged and running at a time, right? They're going to put in the work, they're going to take notes, they're going to take action, and then they're going to improve. They're going to finish the second half of the year stronger than they started the first half of the year. So I said lawn care, or Mr. Producer said lawn care just because that's more specific for, for me. But essentially I usually say lawn and landscape because that's, they, you know, they go hand in hand. Like, not all landscapers do lawn care. Not all lawn care does, exactly. But we're all landscape contractors.
B
We need, we need to probably talk to Mr. Producer and like, fix mine a little bit because I feel like it cuts people off. Like, oh, that's not for me, you know, because I think, I think what you offer is bigger than maybe you even realize. That's why in my podcast I'm usually talking about like contractors and entrepreneurs, because I know a lot of entrepreneurs that are struggling from the same thing that contractors are struggling from. Hiring employees, standard operating procedures, missions, vision statement, you know, financials. Like, they're, they're all suffering from the same things. And so plus me as a landscape contractor and an aquatic specialist, a lot of my, A lot of my clients own businesses. They own restaurants and they own, you know, nurseries and they own other businesses, Right?
A
Are you mowing lawns, running crews, and still wondering where all the money went? You're not alone. Naylor Taliaferro of LCR Media has been there, and that's exactly why he created Profit Accelerator Live. Join Naylor and expert speakers John Pajak and Eric Triplett for two powerful days of hands on workshops designed Specifically for lawn care and landscaping business owners in Richmond, Virginia, June 26th and 27th. This isn't a conference where you'll sit in the back and take notes. You'll leave with an actual business plan in hand, knowing exactly what to charge, how to manage your time, and how to attract better customers. Tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or a fellow business owner free with our two for one special. Tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or fellow business owner free with our 2 for 1 special. Only 75 spots are available and they will fill up fast. Use the link in the show description or go to profitacceleratorlive.com to secure your spot today. Put more money in the bank and more time in your schedule with Profit Accelerator Live.
C
You know, the things that we're going to talk about over two days or teach essentially and go through and workshop is, is technically for any business owner, but because we're in the service industry, it's, it's really catered, you know, to, to that. But at the end of the day, you know, I'm going to be teaching the money flow system and how to manage your money, your bank accounts, the money flowing in. So you're never broke and you don't, you know, you know, how to actually manage your money properly. Like anyone can use that. Right. And any business owner. But, you know, we, the majority of our listeners are landscape contractors. But I mean, anyone can benefit from that, just. And everyone can benefit from time management as well.
B
Exactly.
C
You know, so those are two of the main things that I'm going to be going over is money management and time management with a lot of other great stuff woven in there and how to be more profitable. And some of that's more catered to landscaping and lawn care. But you can still interpret that however you want. But time management and money management is a universal business principle for anyone. And you and John Pajak have more frameworks and business principles that are more broad as well for contractors and service industry owners, you know, overall. So
B
I want to get back to that between John and I. No, let's, let's not. I'm going to go right there right now because I'm going to forget and I'll be so mad if it doesn't get on the podcast. So, you know, you've had me on stage multiple times and I'm just curious
C
why you're always last, why you're always at the end.
B
No, no, but if there's a, if there's. That, if you have a reason behind that, I'd love to hear that. But I also love to hear, like, when I'm up there, like, where's those cringe moments? You're like, eric, please don't do, please be care. Please don't go off the rails. But you know, like, because sometimes I, I'll say something, I like, oh, maybe I hope HR is not in the room. And I look over at you and you're like, shaking your head like, oh, my gosh. So what, what's, what's your biggest concern about me on stage? And what's your, like, what's your most exciting, excitable moment about me on stage?
C
I, I don't, honestly, I don't have any concern. I haven't, I haven't and don't have pre determined concerns. When we had our, you know, our, our mastermind with, with my inner circle, you know, that, that was a smaller group and more private. And, you know, the stuff wasn't going out on social media and I forgot what it was. But you definitely did say some, some controversial things that were funny. But, but definitely HR related. But, you know, we're a bunch of contractors. Everyone's like, whatever, but you know, like on the main, on the mainstream main stage, like, there's nothing ever. I mean, I remember you were joking when Stan was on. You're like, oh, my gosh, I get at least five F bombs. Like this guy's dropping them left and right. I'm like, yeah, that's concerning. And I'm looking over at, you know, Meg with Chris, you know, one of our sponsors, and she just shaking her head and laugh and she's like, poor nail. Like, she's feeling bad for me because she knows how uncomfortable I am and she's just laughing about it. But I'm uncomfortable because she's there. And I'm trying to, like, make like a professional, you know, experience. But at the end of the day, we're all contractors and everyone knows that we're all having fun. But I think what you're best at is your real, honest, authentic interpretations of what it is like to be a landscaping contractor. And I think that's where everyone can connect with you, right? You're no bs. Whether you drop an F bomb here or here or there doesn't really matter. It's the fact that the words you say, the way you say it, your tonality, your passion, you're just, you're, you're just no nonsense. And you Keep a real raw and authentic. Honestly, I mean, you can clip that up. Real raw and authentic. That's, that's Eric Shiplett right there.
B
I like to call them colorful words. Let's just call them like. You can drop a couple of colorful words.
C
Yeah, you have a lot of colorful words, for sure, but. But they're, they're all relevant to the, to whatever you're talking about. You know, you can tell your passion. And, and I think that's where everyone really, really resonates. I mean, the people in the inner circle that attended the master class, they were, they were really excited. Like, you know, one of them told me, like, you know, is we were going into the spring rush and their wife was like, do you really want it? Because wife slash business partner was like, do you really want to take two days off, you know, to go there? And he's like, well, one, I paid for it, so that's gonna hurt if I don't go. And, and two, two, I want, I wanna, I want more time with, with triplet and paycheck, you know, like, no offense to you meaning me, you know, neighbor, but, you know, I, we're on calls with you all the time, but I wanna get this access to triplet and paycheck. And I'm like, well, there you go. I, I gave them to you for two days unhinged. And then, yeah, they ate it up.
B
I thought it was, I thought it was fun. I. Especially those private moments, those private groups that you put together, they're like so valuable because those are the moments where you can be like, like you're speaking to your best friend or your, or your, your partner or your kids. Like you can just. Because some of these kids are young, bro. There definitely could be my kids, right?
C
17 for sure.
B
Yeah,
C
No, I know. And that's the whole point of why I created the LCR Summit and now Profit accelerator Live. So they're like mastermind type atmospheres, right? They're not too big and they're not too expensive and they're not too small. It's like the sweet spot where you can be in a room with enough people to network and learn from the people you're in the room with, as well as be able to engage and connect with the people that are presenting versus being on a big stage. And, you know, you bang out an hour presentation and there's no time for Q A. Or if there is, it's like this whole big ordeal, right? Like the morning show at Equip, you know, someone's got to Run around with a mic or you got to stand
B
in line, there's 600 people in there, like what?
C
Right? So that's a totally different environment.
A
Right.
C
You just can't have the same impact as like at the LCR Summit and Profit Accelerator live the events that I've been putting on where, you know, yeah, you have to pay with your money for the ticket, but you also have to pay with your time and you have to pay attention. So those three forms of payment are required to be in that room that's a small enough room for you to be able to connect with everyone there, including the speakers, and engage and interact. There's plenty of Q and A time, there's panels, there's all kinds of in between breaks and dinners. And sometimes the conversations you have, you know, with an attendee or you know, someone that's speaking at the event, just in between stuff could be the one conversation that is your breakthrough moment. I know that's happened to me many times. So you never know what you're going to get there, but it's always going to be value. But that's my point.
B
You know, what's something I want to share with you and maybe you haven't given it this kind of thought or consideration, but in the intimate masterminds that you've created, it's a little different. And I, and I hope this helps you. But if you're in a big, big hall, there's 100 people in there. You know, you're basically being coached. People are telling you what to do, how to do it, like how you know, it's affected. Here's the success story from some of my people that I've helped. Da da da da. And then like you just basically get lectured at for a certain amount of time. And like you said, sometimes two or three or six or seven questions get answered, but there's a hundred people in the room. What's really special about these smaller mastermind groups is like, it's almost like you have a tutor, you have like a business tutor that helps you specifically do this. And that's what I've loved about these, you know, LCR Summit, these other things. Because by the time you get and of course the mastermind and now the profit accelerator live, like what's gonna happen is there's just enough people in the room to where after you drop the coaching part, if you will, like, you know, that experience kind of thing, then you're like, hey, what are your problems in your business right now? And they're like, hey, I'M suffering from this, this and this. I'm like, have you done this? No. I want you to go home and do this and I want you to do that. I want you to do this and let us know how it's going. Hey, what about you? What's your problem? And maybe I can help you. Not to say that I have all the answers for everybody, but if I can say, hey, I've, I've seen other contractors go through this hurdle and this is how I've gone through the hurdle and this is what I think that you should do in your environment and blah, blah, blah. So it's like, I think that's the magical piece about that. It's almost a coaching, you know, environment, plus like a tutorial, like go home and do this, like hands on. Right?
C
Yeah, I agree 100% that that's, that's by design. That's exactly how I want it to be. And it's not something that really exists in, in, in the green industry anyway. You know, lawn and landscape industry that I've been a part of there, There are a few kind of events like this or have been in the past that were more for like the Million plus club, the Million Dollar plus club, like the, you know, the elite groups where you have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to be a part of this mastermind mentor program and you get some of these in person meetups and then you get your coaching calls. And so that there really hasn't been much of this and especially not for the Million Less club. Right? Like there's so many more businesses out there that are right at a million or just below a million or starting out somewhere along the way, 100k, 300k, whatever it is, and they're struggling to get to a million. Like how do you even get to a million if that's your goal, you know, or how do you be more, the most profitable and the most efficient at wherever you are in your business, however big you want it to be. And there's just really nothing, there really hasn't been anything for that except this like podcast social media, which is great, but that only gets you so far, right? You read a book, you can get so far or listen to a book, you know, you, you listen to a podcast, you watch a YouTube video. Like there's only so much you can get from that. You can't really have much Q and A. You know, you can leave comments and things like that, but there's not, it's really not the same kind of live thing that's why we do some of these live, you know, master classes on, on online, like on Zoom or wherever, so that we can have more engagement and more interaction with a smaller group of folks. And this is the same kind of thing that, that's why I created these different, smaller conferences, if you will. But they're more like MasterMinds, like the LCR Summit Profit Accelerator Live to give everyone else the opportunity to connect. And whether they're at a million dollars and want to get to 3 million or they're trying to just be whatever, wherever they are, start, start. I say from startup to scale up. You know, there's something for everyone because you know, you, you, you are at one level. I'm at one level. Paychecks at a different level. Like, we're all at different levels, but we all have decades of experience at different levels. So there's really something for everyone to offer at, at these events. And that's, that's the whole point. So there's, so there's, there's more for us to help grow contractors.
B
If you're sick making enough money, you might suck at sales and you don't even know it. Or worse, you suck at sales and you actually think you're good. Before you get upset with me, I sucked at sales too. And for a long time, here's the difference. I pulled my head out of the sand and I forced the change. That's why I know what you're up against and how you too can turn things around for you and your family. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I got really uncomfortable. I trained hard. I studied books and podcasts, videos, courses, role playing, and I took guidance from mentors and coaches while spending thousands of dollars. But trust me, it was all worth it. I mean, I turned my struggling company into a profitable seven figure construction business. I put together a list of the critical sales techniques that I use to flip my business from surviving to thriving. And I call it my contract for Sales Secrets. I want to share the list with you with no, no expense. Just to get you moving in the right direction. It's my way of contributing and giving back to my community and the construction industry that I know and I love. The list is available to you@contractorsalesecrets.com I promise you, with these sales secrets, some grit and discipline. I know you can dramatically change your life. So stop what you're doing right now and go to contractor sales secret secrets dot com. That's contractorsalesecrets dot com. Have you identified your mission for that side of your life, that side of your entrepreneurship and business. Because, you know, it's interesting because I know you sold, you know, you built up a big division a build big business, and then you exited basically that route, sold it to another company, and then you built another route. So it's like. And I was like, that's interesting because you have, you're, you have two different lives, right? You're like this business coach on one side and you're still, and you know, still a lawn care guy on another hand. Right? But it's really interesting to me, like you built up this whole route, sold it someone else you're coaching and you go start building another route and I imagine you'll sell that one and then. So, like, tell me what that looks like.
C
Well, so the two biggest reasons why I still have a lawn care business is because I, because it provides content for the industry and for my audience as well as it keeps me educated and relevant. Yeah, yeah, it keeps me relevant. Relevant. But the biggest thing is it keeps me educated, right? Like, I know exactly what's going on in business because I'm in business where if I step away for a certain amount of time, things might change and I might not really have my finger on the pulse. I might be giving some false information I might not have. Like, it just makes, yeah, I guess relevant is the right word. Just makes me so much more relevant, relatable, but I just have more real time content to share as well as to teach. Right? Like, I'm, I'm not talking about what I, I mean, I am talking about what I did and what I went through, but I'm also talking about what I'm going through or what I went through recently. So that, that's really the biggest, the biggest reason why I still have my lawn care. I mean, I do enjoy it as well, you know, I do enjoy it, but they all go hand in hand, right? Like my. Everything else that I do is for landscape contractors, so it only so they help each other, right? Like me staying in the business and being relevant and being constantly educated and getting as much new content to teach as well as new content to show and learning new things like, oh, wow, I didn't realize that something new happened. Did you guys know about this or that there's no disconnect, you know, like, because I'm always, I'm always there in the business knowing what's going on. So that's, that's, that's the, really the, the main reasons why, why I keep it. But, and, but I Have to keep it manageable. So that's why I just, you know, sell off certain things so that I can keep it manageable so that it's not too crazy. But I feel like sometimes when people sell the whole thing, you know, and then they. They have a lot of knowledge, obviously. But even Jonathan, the lawn care millionaire Jonathan Ptochnik, said this to me right before he did his first LCR summit with me, which was the year before you went. When we were talking about it and discussing dates and what my vision was and what he was going to talk about, he was telling me, and this was maybe three years ago now, he said, and he had been out of his business. He still owns a huge landscaping business in Texas, as well as he did own a CRM, a huge CRM, but he sold that. So he sold the CRM and took like a sabbatical for, like, I forgot how many years. Maybe like two years, I think he told me. Two years? Yeah, like two years off. Because he just made so much money, he didn't even have to do anything anymore. But he just. He worked so hard for so long, so he took two years off. But he had also, in that two years was also adding to another, like three years or so prior to that, that he hadn't been actually in his landscaping business. You know, it just. It runs itself with the whole team. He didn't even remember, like, the code to get into the. To the shop or anything. Like, he had to call, you know, the CEO. CEO and all these things. But he was telling me that he felt disconnected and he needed to get back into the swing of things. Like, as he was coming off his sabbatical, you know, and getting ready for the LCR summit things, he was like, yeah, I really want to kind of get back in the field a little bit. Like, maybe I'll work on some marketing for City Turf, which is the name of his company, you know, because without me there, I was the marketing engine. So there. There's no one. I never really replaced myself. So there's no one pushing the marketing and sales part. So they haven't really grown at the. At the speed that I would have thought they would have. But that's because I'm not there anymore. So operationally they're excellent and serving their. Their community, but there's no growth. So he's like, I need to get back in there so I can help them, but also get more relevant and reconnected because so. And so his COO was like, yeah, we don't say that anymore. Or like that's not even a thing anymore. We don't do that anymore. Like, you know, like. And he was like, oh man, I need to get back in the swing of things. I'm like telling people the wrong, the wrong stuff, like the wrong technical things, you know, the wrong tactics, business.
B
It's like when Dr. Evil, they, they thaw him out and he's trying to hold the ransom, he's like $1 million. Then they laugh at him because it's like million is not that much. Right? That's Jonathan.
C
Right?
B
We don't do that anymore. They laugh at him.
C
Yeah. He's so out of touch. He's like, I got to get back in the field. And even Stan told me once too. Stan genetic a couple years ago, in between that time he had said to me, he said, don't ever get out of the bit. Like we were. He asked me a similar question that, that you did and, and I gave similar answers, but I wasn't even really into the coaching as much at that point yet. But I was doing events and everything. But he said, don't, don't ever get out of the lawn care because you'll be disconnected. Like don't ever get out of your business because then you'll just be disconnected from it all. He's like, I, that's why I said I don't have to work, but I do. Not only just for content, but to stay relevant, stay connected so that I' always have the right information all the time because I'm right there in the business, not a college professor that did something 10 years ago and now we're still talking about it. So it's interesting that these two high level achievers said the same thing to me. So I never really planned on an exit strategy anyway, but that just kind of reiterated my whole point of wanting to continue my lawn care business so that I can stay, keep my ear on the streets. Right?
B
Yeah, yeah. So you mentioned your vision, like what Jonathan said, was it excited about your vision? Can you share your vision with us?
C
Yeah, I mean I really, it was, it was essentially what we talked about. When you asked me in the beginning. One of the first things you asked me, like why am I doing this? And it's because I'm obsessed. So my vision is to continue growing this industry, the landscape industry, through the online community. So, and that's through content and events. So I am super obsessed and passionate with creating as much value through content like social media, podcasts and in person events, now coaching as well. But those all Kind of go all together hand in hand. And that grows the online community with their knowledge and scale and size of their business, their mindset. Right. Their skill set, all that. And then that is helping grow the industry from the inside out. Because the online community is a much smaller group compared to the, what, 600,000 I think it is. Registered landscapers.
B
I think there are 700,000.
C
700,000, yeah.
B
Dude, it's a lot.
C
It's a lot. So that's a huge number. So all those people aren't watching, you know, some of the biggest YouTubers. There's a lot of homeowners mixed into those millions of views. Right. My point is that's a big number to affect and there's a lot of like set in their ways, folks that, you know, the grumpy old trolls that live under their bridge and you know, they're not really future thinking, they don't really have vision. They're just, they're stuck in their big business doing big things, but they're not thinking of the future of the industry. And the future of the industry is these 17 year old kids, right, that, that, that we talk about. And Those are in 16 and 15 and 13. Like they are the future of our industry. They're growing up with technology, with social media. They know how to use it, it's just automatic for them. So they're able to actually like grow their businesses by leaps and bounds ahead of any of us because they're already born into AI and all the social media and all the technology. So they know how to use it like it's nothing. Right. Like it's super easy for them where we have to learn how to use this stuff and it's second nature. So they're able to really collapse time. And so they are the future growth of our industry. So whatever I can do to be a part of that impact so that we can grow that faster and better so that the industry gets better. Faster. Right. We don't have all of the. Because the biggest thing, when I first started this industry it was so frustrating that everyone looked so down on landscape contractors. Like, like, like we're just some guys with a shovel and you know, whatever, you know, we're cutting grass. Yeah. Lawnmower. And what's, what's your real job like? It's a very, we don't, we don't get as much respect as we should get. I mean we're, we're, I mean it's a lot better now, but 12 years ago it was kind of like some people were Almost embarrassed, you know, to be like, what do you do for a living? Oh, I mow lawns or I'm a landscaper. And really, you know, and, and I mean, I know it's come a long way in a short time, but I, I really couldn't stand that. And, and, and I, I started with branding, you know, branding myself and my, my equipment and my, my business, like right out the gate. Like I was not the no name, no logo, no this, no that smoke billowing out of my stuff. Like, don't get me wrong, I had to do whatever I had to do and I had used stuff, but it was all in good working condition and was taken care of. I was all about the perception and the image so that I could help in my little way at that time improve the whole industry's image. And I think it's getting better and better quickly as the years go on because there's more of these younger generations that grow up seeing that, seeing us and just having that new mentality and they just, they just go hard with everything's branded and looking epic and they do an amazing job and they price high and profitable, get those premium customers and they're, they're changing the game. The industry is like, yeah, a whole nother level now and it's just only going to keep growing. So I'm upset, sick when you, it's
B
sick when you see like a 25 year old lawn care guy driving a Raptor. You're like, wait, wait What? That truck's 120 grand. How are you doing that?
C
You know, or a cyber truck, you know, just to do sales calls, bro.
B
Okay, tell me this, tell me this. What does winning look like for the contractors that you're helping in three to five years from the work that they put in today? Are you a contractor looking for growth training and to level up your contracting business? If so, join the TWT Contractor Circle. It's our free Facebook group where like minded professionals go to share insights of success, strategies for growth and a place to find some accountability. In fact, we have a powerful accountability call every Friday with a live Q and A session at the end. And whether you're seeking advice, collaboration or just a supportive community, this is a place for you request to join today and start building a valuable connection with me as well as our amazing network of contractors, Tango Whiskey Tango. That's TWT Contractor Circle on Facebook. I'll see you on the inside. Now back to the show.
C
Being able to have more time in their schedule and more money in their bank Account and having a happy, healthy relationship with people they care about, whether that's a spouse, children, future spouse, or children, their neighbors, their community, their extended family. I mean, whether you're all by yourself or you have a huge family, what does that impact look like? And my wish and my goal is for them, for everyone that I can impact, to be able to impact those around them, because they're not struggling financially and they're not struggling with their time either. So they have more time to help impact others and they have more money to help impact. Because when you're broke, you feel like you can't breathe. You feel like you have no time. That's the number one thing. When you're broke, you literally feel like you have no time because you're like, I gotta keep working. I gotta work every second of every day. I can't even sleep because I'm not making enough money. Like, so I need to make more money. And that's not the answer. That's the farthest from the answer. To work more like, don't get me wrong, we're all about working hard and working a lot, but work smarter and more profitably, right? Like, if you're not pricing properly and if you're not even doing the right services and you're not performing them properly, you're doing more of that is not going to fix the problem. You're just going to keep putting more water into a bucket that has a hole in the bottom of it. You have to patch the hole first so you can actually fill the bucket up with water and do something with it. Otherwise you're just gonna keep running back and forth, filling this bucket up with water, and it just keeps dumping out. It just keeps running out the bottom. So that's kind of like my, my word picture there. And I really want everyone to understand that, that that's how it is when you don't know your, when you don't know how to price your jobs. You don't know what type of clients, what your ideal clients are, what services they need and that they want and, and what, how you can execute them profit profitably. Like, that's, that's the best, that's the best answer to solving your financial problems. And then, but then you need to be able to manage the money when it's coming in because then when it starts flowing, you know, oh, I got all this money in my account and they start doing crazy things with it and then you're back to being broke again. But when you get your money problems straight, then your Time seems to open up a little bit because now you don't have to work all day every day, you know, sweating your, your, your guts out. Now you actually have a little more time to, hey, take, I'm taking the wifey out. We're going to do this, we're going to do that. You know, like, I'm going to take a shower and get dressed up and go on a nice date and feel good about myself and make my wife feel good about herself and spend time with my kids and, you know, bring them to work with me, you know, and all these things that you don't even think about when you're broke and busy. Be productive and profitable. Don't be broke and busy.
B
So with that being said, I think this kind of ties us into, like, what are some of the, what are some of the beliefs that contractors have that are completely wrong, that you are working hard to fundamentally change the way they think?
C
The biggest one is the belief, like, this is it right here. This is literally the biggest one, the belief that time is money. I feel like in our industry, that is like the number one saying, time is money. Come on, gotta go, gotta go. Time is money. Let's go. Time is money. That is literally the biggest, biggest, and most expensive lie you could ever buy. Because think about it. You can always make money, but you can never make time. Time is not something you have any control over. None of us do. But here's the thing. We all have 24 hours in the day. We all have the same access to the same 24 hours. It's just we don't all have the same mindset, skill set or tool set to utilize and get the most out of those 24 hours. But it all starts with the, the understanding that time is not money. Time is infinitely more valuable than money because you can never get it back, right? When you run out of money, you're broke. But you can make more money, especially if you have skills, you know, and tools. But if you run out of time, you have no more life, right? When you run out of time, you run out of time. You can't get more time back. You know, if you run out of time in the day, the day's over. You know, it's the next day. Or if you run out of time in life, you're dead. Like, so you can never get that back. You can't go backwards. You can't make more time. We're just flowing through time. So once you understand that, that time, and we all do understand that, right? Because, Eric, let Me ask you this question. If I were to say. If I were to say I'll give you a million dollars tomorrow to post this podcast for me to promote my event, what would you say? Would you say, yes.
B
Million dollars a day. Okay.
C
Right, right. But if I said. But the catch is, after you post this podcast, you have to end your life. Like, you.
B
What if I said I get. I get to meet God tomorrow, then.
C
Well, that's true.
B
And I mean, leave a million dollars to my family.
C
No, but then you won't have the million dollars anymore. Like, it'll be gone.
B
No, you gave it to me. You're gonna give it to me and then. Then I die. But so it's. It'll be mine.
C
Yeah, but what if I say the catch is you die and then I take the million dollars back.
B
Now you got this. You got this. This. This is all screwed up. You got to get this fixed. Because literally, I just took it like, so. Yeah, it's like, what if it was 10 million? It was 100 million. Okay, but you're going to be dead tomorrow.
C
So obviously, from a spiritual perspective. Right, I get all that, but my point is, people will end their own life to save the loved one's life, someone that they love and care about so much else's life. That's my point, is everyone knows how important life is, right? How much important time is. There's no amount of money that you wouldn't be willing to spend or lose to save your wife or your child's life, is my point. Is that fair? Is that a fair point?
B
Yeah. Yeah.
C
So that. That. So inherently, we all do subconsciously understand that time is infinitely more valuable than money, is my point. Or for whatever reason we've bought the lie from wherever that time is money. Time equals money. And if we believe that, then we will sell a whole lot of our time for a little bit of money. That's the problem. And we'll stay broke and busy and so productive.
B
Yeah, it's great because, I mean, but there's. There's so many little things, you know, it's like, I remember when, you know, speaking from stage at the last event I was at with you, I was like, you know, I was talking about, you know, how much man. You know, how much profit you need to make per man per day and how many men you need to make this happen. And we were talking about those numbers, and I remember one of the guys was like, oh, I could never charge that in my area. You know, and so. And so there's all Those, these, these beliefs, like, I can't charge that in my area. My, my community would never allow that. And, you know, I'm not smart enough and time is money and like, there's just, there's so many contractor conspiracies that are just, you know, clouding.
C
This is why I spend so much time on mindset. This is why I spend so much time on mindset. Because you, me pay Jack. We can spend two days teaching you, everyone listening. We teach you, we can give you the keys to the castle, teach you all the things, tell you exactly how much to charge for all of your services, which is difficult with doing that for everyone in the room. But we can give you the formula and the foundation so you can figure out your own specific numbers. But we can do all that. But if you don't have the right mindset, you may not even apply it properly, you won't, you're not going to do a single thing with it that you should do with it. So you have to have the right mindset first. Like, because, like you said, triplet people, oh, I can't charge that much. I can't, because they don't have the right mindset. So then that means you're always going to be broke or you're going to be leaving money on the table. You're going to be working harder than you need to for less money. You're going to be trading a whole lot of your time for a little bit of your money. And you're going to wonder in 10 years, what the heck happened in my life. This business sucks. No, the business doesn't suck. You suck because you didn't actually think about improving your mindset. And I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I know triplet's audience and his, his, his, his mentality is no joke. So hopefully you guys can, can handle that. But it's been a rude awakening for me early on, 12 years ago, too. Like, you have to, you have to put your big boy and big girl pants on and understand that if there's an issue in your business, it's because of you, not your business. Your business isn't autonomous. It doesn't do its own thing. You run your business, but your business can seem like it's running you when you, when it just goes off the rails because you don't have the right mindset, the right skill set and tool set and you don't have any systems. You don't, you have all these disbeliefs, oh, I can't do this or that, that Only works for this person or that person. I'm not a million dollar business, so I can't do this. And you just have all these negative beliefs that are keeping you, you know, behind you're keeping you struggling. And, and, and as soon as you change the way you think, all of a sudden you start identifying ways of improving and ways that are going to work. It's just like when you say I'm having a bad day, you seem to really actually have a bad day. Yeah. You have an even worse day. Yeah, yeah, go figure.
B
Well, why don't we do the other confirming it?
C
Correct. It's a bias. You're just confirmation bias. So let's just do the opposite and convince ourselves to have a good day. Convince ourselves that we have a good business or we will create a good business, we will fix our business. Whatever it is we have to say that's in the positive forward thinking way so that we can actually, then our brain in the background subconsciously will start thinking, okay, well what do we got to do to fix this? What do we got to do to make our business better? And you start identifying all these ways like oh, the Profit accelerator live or oh, this podcast or oh, I want to ask this, this business, you know that I see him at this gas station all the time. They look like they got stuff together. I like his setup. I'm going to ask him. Before you just kind of ignored them or you didn't even notice. Like all of a sudden your mind just, your eyes open up to what your mind is listening to and recognizes. Just like when you meet someone for the first time and then you see them everywhere, you know, or you're, you're looking for a car that you want to buy or a truck and you see that truck everywhere. You see that raptor everywhere. Sudden it's because you've put it in your subconscious mind and now it's focusing on it. Instead of focusing on the negative stuff, focus on the positive stuff.
B
So as long as I've known you, I've seen you set standards for where you want to land and where you want to be. Share with us what you're not willing to compromise on, even if it costs you revenue,
C
I'm not willing on compromising my priorities. So that's one of the things that I share with my inner circle. It's also something that I'm going to go deep into at Profit Accelerator Live, which is how to like in real time help everyone or as many people as I can in attendance, how to prioritize their Their time, how to prioritize their schedule, how to list their priorities, not prioritize their list. Like I literally have a cluster of priorities. Like making my wife feel more loved, spending more time with my kids, playing, going to the gym to work on my health and fitness, eating healthier. All these different priorities that I schedule first, I write them in my schedule first instead of just letting my schedule fill up with whatever it'll fill up. And everything else works around that, it just works backwards from there. For example, Thursday night's date night and that's for my wife. And there's plenty of other opportunities that we spend time together, but at least I have that one sacred night, you know, minimum, right? And then there's times with my kids and days that I go to the gym every week and I prepare my food whenever I like. I prepare my food beforehand certain days of the week, for the week so that I'm not feeling like I need to go to the 711 or whatever it is that's close by and get some unhealthy pizza, chips and soda, right? That's going to make me feel awful and it's not going to be good for my health, right? So now unfortunately, I learned that the hard way because I had some health issues not too long ago. So it made me rethink some things. Even though I'm a fit looking person, doesn't mean internally you're fit. So I had to rethink things. The older you get, the more your body changes. So that, that by default had to happen. But it was, I'm glad that I discovered that now because I'd rather pay for that now than pay later because you know, for your health it's going to be so much more expensive. For example, paying for doctors, emergency visits, all these things versus spending the time and money now to buy better food, better snacks and plan ahead of time so you're not feeling rushed, you know, especially during the spring rush. And then you compromise all kind. Everything just starts falling apart. You compromise your schedule, you compromise your health, you compromise all of your priorities that you have on your list. So I have a. Those priorities are not compromisable. I schedule them purposely and intentionally so that I. They don't get, they don't get compromised, you know, they don't get left or no matter what's going on, those things are a priority. There's things that I cancel many times because I of the, of these priorities. So I'm very, I'm. I'm obsessed with time and everything around time because Like I said, in the beginning, when I started this business, it was to get my time back. Like, I had no control over my life or my time working in corporate America, and I was a depressed, terrible version of myself. So when I started my lawn care business, I was obsessed with time. And for the last 12 years, I've been figuring out how to be super efficient with my time in my business and my life. And in the last couple of years, I've really dialed in time management for my life, my business. That's just been. That's been on autopilot. That's. I've had that unlocked for a while now. But my. My personal life, you know, I mean, you know, we're doing podcasts and social media. I've got events, people like, how do you do all this stuff? Well, because I have a time management system that works for me and everyone that I share it with or at least helps them think differently about managing their time and, you know, they can tweak it however they want. But I actually just told a good friend of ours. I just. That's crazy. I just talked to a good friend of ours recently and he was sending me a message on. He's like, man, I wish you told me this stuff sooner because this has really changed my life. Like, I, you know, I went from one transition, one thing in my life to another thing, and I. I didn't have any boundaries and I had. I was just. My schedule was all over the place and I wasn't getting anything done. I was running myself ragged and. And you really spoke life into me. And I'm like, super organized now. Like, I'm waking up at five in the morning, I'm doing this, I'm doing that. I got a plan. I got all my boundaries, my schedule set. Like, all these things that he just wasn't thinking about. And I just was like, you know what I feel like you need? I just felt like a calling to just say this to him and I just told him all this stuff and he was like, wow, that it was just a breakthrough for him. So it's all about. All about time. Because that's the stuff life is made of, man. Once it's gone, it's gone.
B
Yeah, it's crazy. Who. Who's losing right now by not hearing your message? Hey, it's Triplett here. Listen. In a world where quality is often overlooked, Helix Life Support stands proud, bringing you American made excellence for your koi ponds and water gardens. And I want you to know I worked in the field for over 15 years and had professionally built nearly a thousand ponds before I designed my own proprietary filtration equipment. So trust and believe when I say that Helix Life Support is a product line that was crafted for those who demand durability, advanced technology and a deep commitment to fish friendly designs. Now at the heart of the product line is our patented award winning Helix pond skimmer. Built with the safety for your koi and other fish as our top priority. No sharp edges, no unnecessary risks, just an innovative fish friendly skimmer you can trust. And every piece of Helix equipment that's made is with high quality materials so you can get a filtration system that's as tough and reliable as it is efficient. And whether you're a fan, first time pond builder or professional contractor looking to elevate your game, my team and I are ready to help you realize that vision. For personalized pond design assistance or to get your hands on Helix Life Support filtration equipment. Give us a call today at 800-522-5043. That's 800-522-5043. Support American craftsmanship and choose Helix Life Support for your pond. Built for koi. Built for life. Built for you. For me, Coaching, like I the amount of money I make in my coaching business compared to my construction and business and retail and manufacturing, it's like a lot of business advisors would have told me, like, just throw that coaching on the shelf. Like, you don't need that. You can, if you, the amount of time you put into coaching and the amount of money you get out of it, it's peanuts compared to what you would get if you just dove in harder into the business. And so I think about me, if I stopped coaching, if I gave up on that mission, who loses? So I guess I'm asking to you, not that your mission's gonna fail, but if you stop on your mission, who loses? Who's going to suffer without you and who's suffering because they haven't heard your message yet.
C
Yeah, no, no, I agree with you 100%. And what that makes me think of is how we're all put on this planet to serve each other, to serve others. And one of the biggest breakthroughs I had a couple years ago was becoming obsessed with serving and serving at the highest level. And I realized I was underserving my community a couple of years ago. Like, I just, I just, I wasn't giving more that I could be. Like, I wasn't living up to my full potential. So every other business owner like me or beyond, like anyone that's just starting their business. Anyone that's at any point in their business that's struggling financially or with their schedule, with their time, they're just running themselves ragged and they feel like why am I doing all this? Those are the people who I want to continue to serve in all of the ways that I can. And I'm sure I'll discover new ways. But right now the biggest thing is my in person events, coaching network and opportunities still content because that reaches a lot more with content and social media and just, I'm just. If I were to only like I've said this before to people, I can only help so many Susie's and Joes with lawn care, right? Like that's great. Beautifying their, you know, that's part of life as well, right? Like tending to the, to the planet and everything and Kingdom and Dominion and a lot of those sort of scenarios. And I can impact so many more of contractors that have a hundred or two hundred Susie and Joe's and there's. The impact is exponential. Like I enjoy helping Susie and Joe beautify their lawn and, and make it all great. But I can only do so much. We can only do so much. Even if I just keep scaling and have this massive business that's still nothing in comparison to all of the contractors that have their own businesses, whatever size it is that I can impact their life in some way or another or we can impact their life in some way or another that that's going to impact because it's just so exponential. Like each contractor that I help, even if it's just them, solo owner, operator, I'm not just impacting them, I'm impacting whoever else is around them. So let's just say it's just one other person. Let's just say it's one contractor and an employee. Well, that's. Now I helped that contractor that now got impacted and now they impact their employee. So now I've just helped two people for one, right? I just impacted the contractor, but I also impacted the employee. So I impacted two people with one message. And I mean you just can do the math. If there was one contractor with 10 employees, you know, and those, and each employee has a family of some sort, whether they have a spouse and kids, maybe they have a brother, sister, mom, dad, whoever, you're impacting them too. So as a business owner, we all have more than just one employee. We have one employee with their family. If it's just us, we're the employee. We have some, some family most likely or want to have one. So what impact are we making? And then I me, I want to impact them so that they can have more impact because it's just a compounding effect. And when I realized that, it's like it's game over, like, let's go. Like, I want to create as much impact as possible because it's worldwide, it's limitless. I could do this till I'm, till I'm, you know, dead and in the grave because that's not something that I need to. I don't need to be physically digging a hole somewhere to speak life into someone or just share something that might change someone's business trajectory or life in some way. I have all kinds of conversations about a lot of different things that are usually about business but sometimes turn into personal stuff. And it could just be a light bulb moment for somebody. And I've been told many times in the past that I missed my calling and I should have been like a psychologist or a therapist and all these different types of that realm. And I feel like I'm right where I need to be and I'm. And I'm right on time because I am able to impact all of the contractors that I connect with and will continue to connect with in so many ways, just like you. That's why you're doing it, because you connect so much. It's so, so much deeper than just making money. Right? And you can, you can make so much more impact and have a more fulfilling life than building this massive, you know, landscaping business. That's all well and good and yes, you're still serving people, but if we feel called to serve at a higher level to beyond our customers and we want to actually help other contractors, then I feel like we should follow that passion because it's been put in our, our heart for a reason. And clearly we are not stopping. So we're just going to keep, just keep getting after and keep helping contractors. So I feel like the people that are missing out are the people that, that I just haven't made myself findable enough for them to find me.
B
We got more work to do for sure. Yeah. Tell us about the event when it's coming up, how people get involved, how do we get tickets? Tell us about it.
C
Yeah. Profit Accelerator Live. So you just go to profit accelerator live.com, you can Google it or you can type it in, whatever it all come up. I'm sure trip a little, put, put something somewhere. But Profit Accelerator Live, accelerate your profits. Pretty self explanatory. It's June 26th and 27th in Richmond, Virginia. So it's a beautiful time of the year in June. It's. It's positioned properly so that it's after the spring rush, before the summer, super summer heat and burnout vacations, all that. So you spend a weekend with us. Me, you triplet. Right. Pay Jack. Some other special guests are going to pop in. All about helping you dial in the profits in your business. Right? More money in your bank account, more time in your schedule. Because for me, profits are more than just money. It's also time. So how to figure out how to get more time in your. In your life and more money in your bank so that you are going to be as profitable as possible. So it's going to be Friday. It's a Friday Saturday. So just you can come spend the weekend with us. Richmond, Virginia. June 26th, 27th. It's going to be a game changer, that's for sure. Yeah. I promise you, you will leave after those two days with a new perspective on how to be profitable in your business, I guarantee it.
B
Yeah, it's always fun. I haven't been to Virginia yet, so this will be my first time there. I'm excited about coming out there.
C
Cornell's going to be MC in the event again, so he's driving down with his wife because I drove up there, you know, when we were there last time. So it's only like a four and a half hour drive. So he's like, yeah, yeah, we'll come down.
B
Cool.
C
Be a good time. Maybe we'll get some PA folks. I've already been connected with some of the PA folks from his Win in Life meetup. And I'm like, hey, you want to come to. You heard about my event? Oh, yeah, we love to come, you know, but anyway. But if you use Code eric, you get 50. I almost forgot. You get 50% off the ticket for a limited time. So let's go, Eric. Keep it simple. And then you get 50% off. And also right now, for a limited time, if you bring a spouse or a business partner, they come for free. So it's a buy one, get one. So you buy two. Two tickets, and you get them both for the price of one if you buy two at a time. So the 50% off doesn't apply to that because you're already getting. Getting that. But if you're just buying one ticket for yourself, then you can get 50% off with code Eric.
B
Nice. Let's go. All right, cool. Well, let's wrap it up right there, man. You got Any final words for everyone?
C
Just, I hope, I hope you're all having a great spring rush, but the spring can either make you or break you. So let's, let's get together in June and we, you know, bring, bring some, bring some intentions with you so that we can help you schedule things out and get your business right on the right track. Like, we can celebrate how well you did or help you get through some challenges that you had, or a little of both. And you can finish the second year of the, of the second half of the year stronger than the first half that you started.
B
So I think it's perfect time of the year to recalibrate. That's what I really, that's what I love about it. Because spring is crazy. You're going, you're going nuts. And it's easy to get burnt, you know, it's easy to get tired. And I think this is just an uplifting time to recalibrate. Get your stuff dialed in and then you can finish the summer strong and head into the fall, like with real intentionality. So cool, man. I can't wait to be there. All right, man, I'll see you soon.
C
Awesome. Thanks.
B
Later.
A
Attention all pond professionals. Are you looking to elevate your business, connect with industry leaders and stay ahead of the curve?
B
Curve?
A
The Pond Professionals alliance is your gateway to a thriving community dedicated to excellence in the pond and water feature industry. The PPA offers exclusive networking and training events designed to help contractors like you level up your business with a heavy focus on community education and support, ensuring you have the resources needed to succeed with your water feature business. If you're a pond professional, get active in the PPA's vibrant Facebook group where hundreds of water features specialists share insights, advice and opportunities to help your business. Don't miss out on the chance to be a part of a community that values integrity, innovation and collaboration. Visit pond professionalsalliance.org today to learn more and become a member the Pond Professionals alliance, where community meets opportunity.
B
Thank you so much for your ears and attention to the podcast today. Here's the deal. I hope this, I hope this one hit you. I hope someone found some value in this, you know, because the truth is we can't fix what we can't see. And that's what takes someone who's been around that corner, that blind spot and can kind of tip us off about what, what's next. So if something hit you in this episode, if you felt a little called out or a little uncomfortable, little wake up call, good. That's where the growth starts. That's why we do what we do. Awareness is step one, action is step two. And most people, if they get the awareness, they stop right there. Don't be that person. If you want to go deeper on this, check out what Naylor's doing with Profit Accelerator live. I'll be there on stage throwing it down, trying to get, you know, as much valuable content to people as possible so they can get better, too. Get in the room with us. Get around people who are actually pushing forward and pushing you forward. Because if you surround yourself with contractors that are getting after it, you will get better through osmosis. And if you want to surround yourself with contractors who are doing the work every single week, come and hang out with me over inside the TWT contractor circle. It's over on Facebook. We've got our weekly Compass calls every Friday. Real conversations, real accountability, real Q and A. No fluff. Share this episode with someone who needs a wake up call and maybe doesn't even know it yet. You know what I mean. You know exactly what I mean. And as always, get out there, do something remarkable. I'll see you soon. The deep end.
Date: May 8, 2026
Host: Eric Triplett (“The Pond Digger”)
Guest: Naylor Taliaferro (LCR Media)
This episode centers on the hidden obstacles holding contractors back—those blind spots in business and life that you can’t fix if you can’t see. Eric welcomes long-time mastermind collaborator and fellow contractor advocate, Naylor Taliaferro, for a candid conversation about purpose, passion, and transformation in the trades. Unlike “10 quick tips” shows, this episode explores Naylor's personal journey, the mindset shifts critical for growth, and why awareness and community are the keys to breaking through ceilings in contracting.
[00:46]
Eric highlights that most contractors struggle not because of the problems they see—like pricing, leads, or crew efficiency—but because of hidden limitations:
“But I'm talking about the blind spots, the stuff that's sitting right under your nose right in front of you every single day, quietly costing you time, money, momentum, and you don't even know because you don't know.”
(Eric, 00:46)
The episode’s purpose is a “wake-up call” for entrepreneurs stuck grinding, unable to spot the invisible forces chaining them to mediocrity.
[03:17]
Naylor shares how leaving a “soul-crushing” corporate job for lawn care saved his quality of life and set off a ripple effect through content and community:
“The more I lean in, the more doors open, the more fulfilled I am and the higher quality of life. Like, the more people's lives I make better, the better my life becomes... I become a better person. Right? And that's essentially how everyone should live their life. So I'm super passionate about. I'm obsessed, honestly, is the word.” (Naylor, 04:47)
Early feedback from people his online content helped—like contractors “with tears in their eyes”—shifted his purpose beyond profit.
Memorable Quote:
“This is deeper than grass... there's a whole lot to it.” (Naylor, 06:32)
[08:43]
“It’s for the people that are serious, not curious.” (Naylor, 09:54)
[10:59, 13:03]
[17:59]
Eric explains the difference between big conferences and “sweet spot” masterminds:
“In these smaller mastermind groups, it’s almost like you have a tutor, you have like a business tutor... what’s your problem right now? Have you done this? Go home and do this.” (Eric, 19:38)
Naylor highlights the scarcity of affordable, small-group business coaching for companies under $1M:
“There really hasn’t been much of this [outside] the million-plus club... So how do you be the most efficient and profitable wherever you are?” (Naylor, 21:18)
[25:54]
[31:36]
Naylor’s bigger mission:
“My vision is to continue growing this industry, the landscape industry, through the online community. That grows the industry from the inside out.” (Naylor, 31:36)
He wants to help raise the profile and professionalism of landscaping—especially for the “next generation” entering with tech and media skills.
Addressing old stigmas:
“…everyone looked down on landscape contractors… I could help in my little way… improve the whole industry’s image.” (Naylor, 33:42)
[37:04]
[40:20]
Biggest myth: “Time is money”
“That is literally the biggest, biggest, and most expensive lie you could ever buy. You can always make money, but you can never make time.” (Naylor, 40:20)
Mindset trumps strategies: Without it, even learning what to charge won’t fix anything.
Eric: Notes pervasive industry defeatism: “I could never charge that in my area,” etc.
Naylor:
“You have to put your big boy and big girl pants on. If there’s an issue in your business, it’s because of you, not your business… As soon as you change the way you think, all of a sudden you start identifying ways of improving.” (Naylor, 44:40–46:10)
[48:07]
Naylor refuses to compromise on priorities—family, health, intentional time allocation—even when it costs short-term revenue.
He time-blocks personal priorities before business fills the schedule.
“I have a time management system that works for me, and everyone that I share it with, it at least helps them think differently about managing their time.” (Naylor, 50:53)
Having experienced burnout, he’s “obsessed with time,” and seeks to teach others life-balance by design, not accident.
[55:43]
“If I were to only... help so many Susie’s and Joe’s with lawn care, that’s great... but I can impact so many more if I coach contractors who impact a hundred or two hundred Susies and Joes and their employees and their families.” (Naylor, 56:47)
[61:24]
The conversation is candid, energetic, and occasionally raw (“colorful words”), reflecting the no-nonsense attitude both Eric and Naylor bring to the trades. Both advocate for tough love, shared learning, and personal growth as the only path to real, sustainable success. The episode is a rallying cry for contractors to get honest—see themselves and their business clearly, take action on what matters, and surround themselves with like-minded strivers.
“Awareness is step one, action is step two—and most people, if they get the awareness, they stop right there. Don’t be that person.”
(Eric, 65:53)
For more, join Eric and Naylor in Richmond, VA at Profit Accelerator Live, or connect inside the TWT Contractor Circle on Facebook.