Loading summary
Transcript40 lines
- [00:04]
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.
- [00:46]
B
What's happening, rockstars? Welcome back to another episode of the Deep End podcast. It's Triplet here, and last week I found myself completely fired up about watching the Kentucky Derby. And it's interesting. It's not because, you know, I'm a horse race fanatic or anything like that. It's because typically when you watch a big race like this, somehow it's buried inside of it is buried something special. Those races usually have a lesson for a contractor to learn, an entrepreneur, human beings. There's always a really unique lesson and story behind what's going on there. And I think I really, I want to shed light on the story that, that was important to me. And, and each time I watch these races, the Preakness is in a, a couple weeks and then the Belmont Stakes, there will be lessons in those races. And like this one for the Kentucky Derby this year, you know, a horse that not a whole lot of people believed in. I think he was 23 to 1 odds when he was in the gate and they shut the gates behind him. No one really believed that he would be the one. And he came from behind, last placed and shocked the world. And the trainer behind that horse, the first woman in history to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Now you see what I mean? This is not just a racing story. There's a beautiful life lesson story in this race. Because if I think about it in a contractor's world or in just a person's life, you know, whether you're a entrepreneur, a contractor, or just hobbyist or whatever you're doing, but too many people right now are judging their future based on their, either their current position and then they start talking themselves out of the wind. They think that because they're behind financially or physically, emotionally, spiritually, professionally, somehow the, the race is already over. Like the, they've already, they've already carved their destiny. But the lesson in this one, the race isn't won in the first turn. Sometimes people who look like they're behind, they're just getting ready to make their move, right? And sometimes if you're behind. If you're talking to yourself the wrong way, you will stay behind. But if you, if you talk to yourself in the right way, you might put yourself in the position to win. So today we're talking about the pressure, persistence, belief, like all the suspense, the anxiety, like all that stuff that's built up in this race and why some of you are a lot closer to winning than you actually think. So let's get after it. What's happening? What's happening? What's going on? Welcome to Weekly Compass 209 and wow the dude. I'm running like crazy. I feel like I just running a marathon. Lots and lots of cool stuff are happening going on. Am I missing any people trying to get in? We did change the time of our slot from 9am to 9:30 is our new time for Weekly Compass calls on Friday. So it might take a little bit of time for people to get that figured out, but we're going to rock and roll with who we have. Love the one you're with. Right, Listen. Today's call is called Golden Tempo and as you can imagine, this is about the Kentucky Derby that we just had last weekend. I don't know if some of you remember that. Been with me for a while. Alex, you probably don't remember. Toodle. You probably do because you have a great memory. You take notes, everything. But last year around this time, I think it was a little bit later in the year, June, I did a, I did a podcast compass call called the Contractors Triple Crown and it's about, you know, it's basically a tribute to the races and the, how important the Triple Crown is and everything, what have you. Right? But something amazing happens at these races. You know, it's, it's pretty, pretty rare that it's, there's something anti climatic happens at these races. There was a horse called, I think his name was Great White or White Shark or something like that. I think it was Great White and he had a lot of, he had a lot of things going for him. He was one of the fish. He was one of the fish. He was one of the horses that was, they thought was going to win and he scratched right before the race. Like all this training, all this work and the riders on there, it's his first race ever. He's on the back of the horse and somehow the horse spooks and basically and the horse ends up on his back. The trainer doesn't get hurt. But it's moments like this, you know, if we think of ourselves as contractors and as human Beings trying to get better, we get setbacks like this, right? And when we come to a big event like this, like the Kentucky Derby, there's a lot of stories. There's probably a special story behind every single rider. Now, I don't know how many riders were there this year. There could have been. You know, there's up to 20 that hit the Kentucky Derby, but sometimes there's 15 or 17. But whenever we get to a race like this, an event, something that's happening, there seems to be a magical story behind lots of different riders. Every rider probably has their story. I know that there was a horse called so Happy, and his trainer, you know, his wife just passed away three months ago. And it's like, we want you to win this race because, you know, it's a tribute to your wife. And the guy's grumpy, so they named the horse so Happy. And so, like, it's kind of a story. So my wife was like, I would really like to see this horse win. It's a special story. It's for his wife, you know, so there's a cool story behind that, right? Well, I don't know. I don't remember what the story was behind Great White, but that was, you know, the guy was. The horse was gray with this white stripe, and it looked like a great white shark. And so it was kind of cool. But I don't know what the other stories were. All I know is there's a horse called Golden Tempo, and he's in last place. And, you know, around the last spin, he just puts it on and he wins. And meanwhile, in the stands, there's a woman who. Her name is Sherry, I think Deva. Something to that effect. And she's the first woman in history to train a horse to win the Kentucky Derby. So there's the special story, right? This last place horse that, you know, that is always seems to be in last place and wins the Kentucky Derby. And someone believed in this woman enough to make her, you know, the one that was in charge of training this horse to. To win the race. And so there's a special story behind that. If you watch the behind the scenes of the girl, the woman watching her horse in last place, and it starts to make its move. And, you know, I got goosebumps just even thinking about this. It starts to make its move and she's like, let's go, Jose. I think. I think she's saying, let's go, Jose because the. The rider was named Jose. And she just like, imagine she probably said it. I'M just gonna paraphrase and imagine this. But she, imagine she says it 20 times in, in this, in 40 seconds, the last part of the race. Let's go, Jose. Let's go, Jose. Let's go, Jose. And every time she says it, it's a little bit bigger, it's a little bit louder. It's a little bit more like passionate. It's a little bit more like, you know, anxiety and hope and passion and love and like the, just to watch that alone, you know, it's the underdog, right? So this horse wins the race and the, the whoever comes in second place. I think it's, I could be wrong. Joe might have to correct me, but I didn't do too much research on this. But I did watch the race. It was exciting. It was a lot of fun. What was it, Joe?
- [08:22]
C
They were brothers. They were first and second place.
- [08:25]
B
First and second place. They're brothers, right? So like all of a sudden from the, from behind, the last place guy comes up and it's the guy's brother who's in second place. And so what's amazing is the two brothers, they were like so happy. Like, whoever was number two wasn't mad. That brother won it. He was totally excited, right? Like they were like dabbing it up high five in, like, it was just amazing. Can you imagine winning the race with your brother 1 and 2? It's just crazy to think about.
- [08:55]
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, and how to attract better customers. Tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or 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
- [10:05]
B
Accelerator Live, of course, this podcast and this call right here, this coaching call, it's not about. It's not about horses, right? It's not about horses. It's about believing in yourself. It's about timing. It's about, you know, applying pressure, peer pressure, identity, like, who we are, what's our story, you know, refusing to, to let off your current position to determine, you know, like, that's not going to determine your finish line. Wherever you're at at the moment, that is not your finish line, Right? So I think a lot of contractors fall into this trap. You know, maybe they got started too late. Maybe they, they're not. They don't have the finances to do it. Right. They don't have the physicality to do it. Or, you know, they, they, they don't have the belief systems, they don't have the right peer group, they don't have the training. They're behind on social media, they're behind this, we're behind that. We're behind on hiring, like, you name it, like, we'. And I think a lot of times this can break people down, break contractors down. You know, we've talked about this before. Being a contractor is hard. You know, you, you're getting beat down by the community, you're getting beat down by the bank, by the vendors, by your customers. Sometimes, like, you're getting beat down by your employees. Like, it's. Sometimes it's hard to break through this. But you can't let where you're at currently in life define you. Because if he would have let himself define, like, I wish I could get inside that guy's mind and the determination, he's like, probably just like, hold the line, hold the line, hold the line. Don'. Fall too far back. He might have been thinking, look at the difference between thinking to yourself and talking to yourself and saying, don't fall too far behind. I just don't want to be. I don't want to lose by 10 links. Like, you got to stick close to. I don't want to lose by 10 links. Just try and stay the line. Right? There's the difference between him thinking that or him going like, hold it, hold it. I got goosebumps again. Hold it. Keep. Stay on them. Stay on him. Don't lose too much energy. Don't waste your energy because we're going to pull it out that last turn. We're going to go for it. We're going to go for it. Hold it on. Hold it on. We got him. Let's creep a little bit. Let's creep a little bit. I'll tell you when to go. I'll tell you when to go. Like, if the rider's thinking like this, he has a chance to win. He has a chance to change his story and catch his brother. You know what I mean? But if you're talking to yourself like, oh, I don't want to be 10, you know, like, that's the difference, right? So as contractors, oftentimes we get caught in that. It's like, oh, I can't find good help. I can't find good. I talked to someone the other day, like, I just can't find good help. Yesterday, one of my buddies. Yeah, we just got a small community. I can't find good help. So I'm just. This is where I'm going to be. This is where I'm going to go. I'm just not going to. I'm not going to finish 10, you know, 10 links behind. I'm just going to just stick right here and just ride the line. This is where I'm going to finish. This is my finish line. And I've refused to believe that. And it's moments like these when you watch a horse like Golden Temple come from behind and win. It's crazy. A horse that nobody believes in, right? Except their owners, except the rider. Long odds, you know, I don't remember the odds were. I think the odds from that guy were like 7 to 1, which was actually pretty good, if I remember right, because I was looking at the odds like 72 to 1, 50 to 1. All these numbers.
- [13:12]
C
You know what, Joe, he closed 23 to 1 when the gates opened, 23 to 1.
- [13:19]
B
So, I mean, like, no one. He had such long odds. I mean, no one thought he was going to make it. But the story, this woman that's leading the charge, back behind there, Sherry Deval, first female trainer. What an amazing story, right? And what does she set the precedents for little girls today riding their horses? Little girls, you know, loving this, you know, aspect of training and all that stuff, right? History doesn't really care how long it takes you guys. You don't have to be young, you know, think about Colonel Sanders. He didn't start his chicken business till he's in his mid-60s, you know what I mean? History doesn't care how long it's going to take you. You just got to stay persistent and talk good to yourself, you know? That's what makes this story powerful, is because it gives us hope in wherever we're at in our life. You might think that you don't have what it takes, but that's the problem. You have to believe in yourself before you can make it happen. I don't care if your family doesn't think you have what it takes. I don't care if your neighbors don't think it has what it takes. I don't care. When you put out there into the world that I build a $50 million brand and I want to be powered by a 100 top employees, get out their kick ass and take names and change our community. Like when you say that, I don't care. When the guys say, good luck, good luck with that, I don't care. It's what you say inside your head. So stop saying, I started too late. I'm already 45, my business is a mess. I can't find good help. I'm too far behind. I'm not good on social media. You know, I missed my shot. Like, dude, that, you need to stop that because the race is not over. You're still breathing, you're still waking up, you're still getting out there. You can literally change the whole direction of your business now. That's business. And if I think about, if I think about it in this horse race mentality, like, right, like out of the gates, I don't know if this, I don't know if Sherry and this horseback rider had a plan to, you know, just work this horse easy in the back and let's pour it onto the end. They all seem to want to do that. It seems like that's the right thing to do. But a lot of times contractors want to sprint early out of the gates and they get burnt out and they get beat down and then they breaks their mentality. Everybody wants success early, bro. I make 57 this year. I make 58 this year. And like, I, I look back to where I was, you know, as a kid and where I'm at now, I am, like, so thankful and blessed and I'm so much farther along, but I sure wish I was a lot farther along, but I'm not going to let that hold me back from putting my dream out there to the world. Everybody wants success early. Everybody wants the big trucks and the revenue screenshots and the, you know, all these highlight reels of, you know, they. People go onto your Instagram and go, oh, my God, this guy's got it together, right? It's, it's not that simple. You just have to stay disciplined. You have to have the steady pace. You got to Keep going. You have to stay focused on who you are, you know, Like, I've never been more focused focused and more like, I don't want to say anxious. Like excited is maybe a word and anxious and excitement is maybe a very close parallel. But like I'm very excited every morning because I know, like I, these, these things I'm trying to tick away at, I feel incredibly focused, right? So you have to stay focused. You just can't get burnt out. You can't get burnt out. You have to be doing something that's making you excited, you know, so there's that difference between energy and excitement and anxiety, right? You can't let those things collide too much, right? I don't know, man. I, I, I feel like I need more stats to talk about this, but not really. You know, I guess what I, I guess what I'm trying to flip this to is you don't need a, you don't need permission from your industry, let's say, to become legendary. Because this writer, 23 to 1, they didn't give him permission to win. They're just like, oh, he's not going to pull this off, right? We got these guys, we got these guys, we got these guys. We're going to win. These are the ones, these are the big players. But he didn't need the permission from the, let from the industry to become the legend, right? So he will go down as a legend of this, like a big legend because he helped this woman be the first one, like she will be talked about for the next century. So you don't need permission from your competitors, you don't need permission from your family. You know, when I told my mom I wanted to play with fish and make money at it a whole my, my life, she didn't think, you know, it was even possible. In fact, she was like, why don't you go to work at Sea World? That might work for you, you know, but I, that wasn't for me. So you don't have to have permission from your family. You don't need to have permission from an old boss, right? I don't know where you're at in your life and your business, but you don't need permission from those guys that doubted you to say, good luck with that, right? Some of you currently could be in the back stretch of your life right now thinking you're losing, when in reality it's just time to make a move, right? Just, just by him getting to the Kentucky Derby alone is a big, is a big deal. And it's enough for some people. Like I made it to the Kentucky, Kentucky Derby. It'd be like me living on the fact that like I played the troubadour and I played the whiskey when I was playing music. I, I rarely, rarely ever talk about that. Well, because while it was a cool accomplishment for me, it didn't define me. You know, I ended up not being that type of rock star. I became a rock star building waterfalls, right? I mean, so, but some people just making it to the Kentucky Derby's enough. Like, I, I know guys that still talk about the past 20 years ago like it's their big win of this year. Like, bro, you' only good is your next step bat, right? So the, the, the, the race isn't one at the first turn, right? I feel like I'm in the, I feel like I'm in the, the final turn of my career, right? I'm in the final turn. Like I can pour it on and I could still build a $50 million brand. I have all the training, I have the resources, I have the experience. I'm ready to do it. So the race isn't one in the first turn. Just like, you know, Golden Tempo didn't even show up until the final turn. That's when he turned into a legend. So it's won by the ones that can endure the long term pressure, staying focused the entire time, keeping moving forward when everybody else mentality breaks. Right? So some of you are one disciplined season away, one disciplined season away from shocking everyone around you, and that includes myself. So I want to leave you with that. No one would have predicted that horse was going to win the finish line. And maybe some people don't predict that you might finish as hard as you're going to finish, but you have to believe in yourself before you can even make it possible. So let's leave it with that. You guys want to talk?
- [20:34]
C
Sure.
- [20:35]
D
I just want to say thank you, Eric. That really resonates with me. Funny enough because my wife's grandpa is a famous jockey.
- [20:46]
B
Wow.
- [20:47]
D
Yeah. He almost won the Triple Crown twice.
- [20:50]
B
No. Are you kidding me? Joe, did you hear this? You had no idea. This is so cool. 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, that's as tough and reliable as it is efficient. Whether you're a first time pond builder or a 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.
- [22:35]
C
Can you share his name?
- [22:37]
B
Yes.
- [22:37]
D
Yeah, it's Ismael Valenzuela.
- [22:42]
C
Ismael.
- [22:43]
B
Yes. My Ismael Valenzuela. How cool is this?
- [22:47]
C
Awesome.
- [22:49]
D
Yeah, so I wasn't really into horse racing until I, you know, met her and then her grandpa passed away before. Way before. But yeah, I've, I've always kept up with racing a little bit and you know, her family's part of the track and seeing how hard everybody there works and then you talking about, you know, it's literally just that last turnaround that can make or break someone and finding their place in history just really resonated with me. So thank you.
- [23:30]
B
That's amazing, dude. Thank you for sharing, Joe. Can you believe this?
- [23:33]
C
That's awesome. Yeah, what I was thinking about is as you're coming around that, that turn, some of us like Golden Tempo are built to have targets out in front and it like that horse. If you listen. I listened to Sherry on another program talk about that horse and she said that that horse needs a target in front, something to conquer, you know, and how the horse behaves when it's cheek to cheek with another horse, how the horse behaves when it's at another horse's rear end. You know, they know all this stuff and you know, like some of us, we want to be out in front and some of us want to have a target to shoot for, you know, and some of us are like, hey, you know, fourth place pays little. I'll be happy with that, you know, but for Jose Ortiz, that was his 13th time that he tried to win the Kentucky Derby.
- [24:42]
B
Wow.
- [24:43]
C
So it doesn't matter to him if it was a million dollar purse for him, the money didn't matter at all. He makes money every day riding horses. So the fact that he can go home and hug his wife and kids.
- [25:05]
B
I did it. Yeah. Yeah. It's emotional.
- [25:10]
C
His little babies. Daddy, you did it.
- [25:13]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [25:16]
C
You know, that's. There's so many great jockeys that haven't got one of those yet. They haven't won the Kentucky Derby, the Prickness, or the Belmont, so. And there's guys that have done it twice. And you got Mike Smith in there at 59 years old, like, trying to win, you know, Just one more.
- [25:43]
B
Just one more.
- [25:43]
C
One more. Come on.
- [25:44]
B
I'll retire. Just one more.
- [25:46]
C
Don't put me on the shelf yet, you know?
- [25:49]
B
Yeah.
- [25:50]
C
So, yeah, it was real emotional. I was. I was watching that race with my brother Louie. He happened to be at my house at that moment, you know, so it was great.
- [26:05]
B
Alex. I did a podcast last June. It's called Contractors Triple Crown. If you. If you go to itunes or. Or Spotify and just put in the pond digger. Contractors Triple Crown. That one. That one was emotional. I cried in that podcast. Like a little. It was. It was a good podcast. It was emotional me. So you might check it out. I think you'll like it. Toodle. You got anything for us today? No. You're not into horse racing? Okay. It's the Nickelback song in the beginning of the. Of the. Of the podcast that ruined it for you, right? I didn't know what that was either.
- [26:54]
D
Sorry.
- [26:56]
B
All right, cool. Well, let's wrap this one up. I. In fact, I'm loading up my horse trailer right now. I'm gonna go pick up a horse for someone who works for us, who is very special to me. So we're gonna take the some time off and go grab a horse for. For her right now.
- [27:11]
D
Awesome.
- [27:12]
B
So. All right, guys, have a great day. Get out there and kick ass. Take names. Hope you're winning. Hey, it's triple here. Let's be real. In a world of reels, swipes, and virtual trends, it's easy to forget what really moves the needle. Pond Trade magazine isn't chasing clicks. It's preserving the craft of water features, arguably the last stronghold of long form education in our industry, where real pond builders, koi pros and innovators share their knowledge unfiltered and unrushed. You won't Find gimmicks or clickbait in pawn trade. You'll find depth, detail, strategy, story. From advanced filtration systems and aquatic plant care to retail strategies and contractor spotlights. Pond trade is where the best in the business speak freely and where the next generation of pond builders learn what it really takes. If you build ponds for a living, maintain them, design them, or dream about doing it all better, this is your magazine. Delivered free, written by professionals, received, expected by the entire industry. This isn't just content for the algorithm, it's content for legacy. Subscribe now@pond trademag.com Stay connected to the heart of the pond. Now back to the show. All right, people, thank you so much for your ears and attention to the podcast. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you guys. You know, getting out there and just putting my feelings out there and hopefully sharing some lessons right there. If this episode hit home for you, please do the world a favor and share the podcast with somebody who needs to hear this inspiration, you know, in the final turn of their life or the, you know, or in the turn of their business that they can just, if they pour it on, they're gonna win. Like, just someone needs to hear this, that, you know, somebody out there is exhausted and doubting themselves, wondering if they missed their shot. Maybe this message is exactly what they need to hear, to kick their ass in gear and push them over the edge and get, get rolling, right? And listen, if you want to go deep with us every single week, you can join us live inside the TWT Contractor Circle on Facebook for our weekly Compass calls. We do live trainings, accountability conversations that are designed to help contractors and entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves in business and in life. Because just because you're behind today doesn't mean your story is over. So get out there and make your move. I'll catch you on the next episode.
- [29:50]
A
Attention all pond professionals. Are you looking to elevate your business, connect with industry leaders and stay ahead of the curve? 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 feature 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.