Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1313: From Passion to Paycheck: The Arborist Who Built a Purpose-Driven Empire w/ Brandon Pankey
In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with Brandon Pankey, a board-certified master arborist who transformed his lifelong passion for trees into Blue Pine Works, a thriving, mission-driven business. Brandon shares his raw and authentic journey from "glorified self-employment" to becoming a true CEO who leads a team, lands major city contracts, and builds a legacy. This episode is a masterclass in scaling a service-based business with integrity. You'll learn how to identify and solve problems to win clients, create a culture of purpose that motivates your team, and why simply "caring" is the most powerful growth strategy you can implement.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- How to proactively identify problems and present solutions to land major clients, including city and municipal contracts.
- The critical mindset shift required to move from a hands-on practitioner to a strategic business owner.
- A powerful leadership framework for instilling purpose and intrinsic motivation in your team, turning employees into future leaders.
- How to build a business that thrives on repeat customers and referrals by going above and beyond and owning your mistakes.
- The strategy behind turning a service business into a scalable enterprise with a registered apprenticeship and franchise potential.
- Why embracing your background and values is a superpower in building an authentic and resilient business.
📝 About Brandon Pankey
Brandon Pankey is a Board Certified Master Arborist, a Tree Risk Assessment Qualified arborist, and the founder of Blue Pine Works. Having grown up on a family forestry in Eastern Washington, Brandon has dedicated his life to the ethical stewardship of trees. He and his wife, Kay, lead their company in East Central Minnesota with a mission to serve rural communities and preserve urban forests. Brandon’s unique perspective combines deep, hands-on industry expertise with a powerful entrepreneurial drive to create opportunities, build leaders, and make a lasting positive impact on the world.
🎯 Brandon’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Care. As long as you're caring about what you're doing... if you genuinely give a hoot about what you're producing and how you're producing it and what the end product is for your consumer, it's going to work."
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “I need to provide for myself by providing for other people.” – Brandon Pankey
- “Even if you're not making the progress that you want to do, you're still beating the person on the couch. You can't get anywhere if you don't start.” – Brandon Pankey
- “Half the thing is just showing up.” – Brandon Pankey
🔗 Links & Resources