A word from Regional Owner, Bill Pankonin

LOVE WHAT YOU DO- A WORD FROM REGIONAL OWNER, BILL PANKONIN

Bill Pankonin

"I love the real estate business and I love what I do. It's the best career choice I ever made. 

When I was a kid my father was a real estate broker and at the end of our driveway on a fence post hung a sign that read, “Pankonin Realty - Kenneth Pankonin – Broker, Licensed and Bonded.” I really didn’t know what my father did for a living, I just knew he would sit in his car in the driveway with strangers for what seemed like hours. 

You see, with seven kids and three hired men, our farmhouse was always busy and probably loud. So, I guess he used his big old white Cadillac as his office of sorts. His actual brick and mortar office was three miles off of a major highway on a gravel road.


When I look back, I wonder how he became so successful against all odds. He had no technology, a party line phone, farmed 2,500 acres, served on the school board, sold seed corn, had 500 head of hogs and 250 head of cattle. My father had an eighth-grade education.

As a real estate agent, my father sold land in the Red River Valley in Minnesota and North Dakota in the early 1960’s and 1970’s when it was still mostly sod and took seven hours to get there. But, he found his niche and sold over 100,000 acres in just a couple of years which allowed him to get started in his own backyard where locals thought of him as being just a local farmer. They soon realized how successful he became, and they brought their business to him. He simply out-worked the competition and he had the ability to delegate.


I knew as a kid that someday I would have my own real estate business just like my Dad.

As a real estate broker you can really only focus on 2 things to be successful: 

  1. You have to learn to delegate.

This is something we all need to work on. I think it’s an issue that many business owners face, and it stagnates their growth. If an entrepreneur excels in a particular area of his or her business, they should just work hard on that and delegate the rest. I know it’s not easy; I struggled with it for years. They should look within their own organization for emerging leaders. I now teach that to the brokers I work with and their businesses have grown tremendously. Often all someone needs is a chance to lead. It’s not always about pay; sometimes it’s just an opportunity to do something the leaders do. That’s often how new leaders are developed. Delegating allows you to focus only on what it takes to get the desired results you want. You have to keep your head down and not look up until you put in your allotted time to
get your desired goals.

  1. You have to have a business plan.

If you want different results this year you will have to do something different than what you did last year. A simple step towards finding success in Real Estate is by creating a business plan specific to your goals. You might even have to get uncomfortable, and reach out and deal with the fear of the word “No.” But, my friends, when you become passionate about what you have and what you do, the fear will go away. Your dreams and goals are much bigger than fear can deter.

I love the real estate business and I love what I do. It's the best career choice I ever made. Is it time to consider following your passions and doing what you love, too? Let's talk. 

-Bill Pankonin

Nancy Shaver on 5 years ago
Love your story, Bill Pankonin! Love your passion! #LOVEXIT!!
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