Greg Wittstock, The Pond Guy Pondcasts

A VERY unique pond business model is discussed with my long-time family friends Lisa and Michael Ballentine. They're figuring out a way to make a profitable business that also fits their lifestyle! Lisa taught me a very valuable lesson using our Hands of The Artist Coffee Table books that I will forever share with every Certified Aquascape Contractor.

Dive deep into the world of pond building and retail business ownership with Alan, a seasoned veteran with 34 years of invaluable experience. In this episode, Alan reflects on his journey and shares his hard-earned wisdom around "knowing your numbers." He reveals how mastering this fundamental strategy could have transformed his trajectory much earlier in his career.

An inspiring tale of a determined entrepreneur who went from having to sell his truck to afford the Aquascape Academy to being nominated for Artist of the Year. In this episode, we explore how changing your mindset can profoundly impact the growth of your business, your art and your life.

Join me and Diego as we discuss his journey from hitting roadblocks in landscaping to being honored as Aquascape Artist of the Year. We'll explore how he pivoted his business, incorporated stunning water features, and developed a passion for crafting breathtaking waterfalls and ponds. Tune in for inspiring stories, valuable business insights, and tips to elevate your landscaping and water feature business to new heights!"

You don't want to miss the story of Paul Holdeman who's been a Certified Aquascape Contractor for 20 years and enjoys a million-dollar business. Paul initially worked in property manager after graduating from Arizona State University. Most of his job involved problems with landscaping and water features. He became a partner in a landscaping business and was particularly drawn to water features. He separated from his business partner to focus solely on water features as "The Pond Gnome" after attending one of Aquascape's pond-building workshops. Paul became a Certified Aquascape Contractor and grew his business into a million-dollar success. Listen in as he shares his exciting story.

Matt initially pursued a career in jewelry design, but a neighbor suggested he take landscape classes at a nearby college and that's how AquaReale landscaping got started. Laura earned a master's degree in marketing and lent her talents to promoting the landscape business. A friend of Matt's suggested going to Pondemonium, Aquascape's pre-eminent training event for pond builders. As a result, both Matt and Laura were hooked on water features and eventually became Certified Aquascape Contractors. Listen to the interview to learn how AquaReale is running their successful business today.

Marc started his adult life as a police officer with a side job at a garden center. While at the garden center, he picked up a water features catalog and was intrigued. Marc was drawn to water and eventually left his police job and started his own water feature company in California. He became a Certified Aquascape Contractor and grew his business. Three years ago he moved his family and business to Utah to enjoy a less stressful life. He found a 2-acre ranch and now enjoys quieter surroundings and lower taxes. Marc connected with a local rock yard for referrals and reached out to Ewing for Aquascape product. Listen to hear how his story continues, along with the challenges of moving his business to another state.

Marc Domina always had an interest in nature and studied horticulture in college. He loved ponds and was disappointed there were no water feature courses. From there he became a greenhouse manager. Marc tried various water feature products and found Aquascape. Interest in ponds at the greenhouse increased and now the business installations water features in addition to selling pond products, fish, and aquatic plants. Not long after, the company asked Marc if he wanted to buy Agway, and he agreed. Listen to the full podcast to hear the rest of this water feature success journey!

Lee Frisbee joins Greg for today's pondcast about the water feature business. Lee started his landscaping business primarily mowing and caring for lawns. In 2012, he was invited to attend Pondemonium, a training and networking event for pond professionals. Lee was impressed with what he learned and met a few friends who were already successful with water features. The friendships continued and Lee realized he could be more profitable if he dropped servicing lawns. By 2014, Lee was strictly building and maintaining ponds only. Listen in to hear how his success grew even stronger from there.

Jonathon Marston is 27 years young and enjoys owning a quarter-million pond business. His mother had a pond installed when he was in school and Jonathon watched a DVD that the Aquascape pond builder left behind. He was hooked. He always knew he wanted to design and build things, and installing water features allows him to do just that. After high school, Jonathon headed to college in Canada and was allowed to create his own major in water features. He apprenticed with Marcel at Streamworks Designs. His last college project was building a beautiful pond in the center of campus. Realizing he needed more exposure to the industry, Jonathon attended Aquascape's Pondemonium event for contractors, retailers, and distributors. He started FallingWater Scapes back in his home of Massachusetts, became a Certified Aquascape Contractor, and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Listen to his story to find out how he quickly grew his business.