Rachel and Justin share a deep passion for landscaping, building, and various forms of art, each excelling in their own areas. Justin's interest in building started in childhood, when his father taught him to mow the lawn and care for their property. This sparked his fascination with both natural elements and the equipment used to maintain them. By grade school, Justin was landscaping for neighbors, eventually turning it into a business that continued through high school. Although he paused his landscaping work to focus on college, Justin continued to assist friends and family with their properties, even designing landscaping for his father's and grandfather’s businesses. After college, he spent decades working in the family business, specializing in sales and building specialized machines for the military and automotive industries. Landscaping took a back seat until COVID-19 led to the unexpected closure of the company he worked for, leaving Justin uncertain about his future.

Rachel, on the other hand, demonstrated a natural talent for painting, sculpture, ceramics, and drawing from a young age, winning awards in middle school. Her passion for art grew stronger throughout high school and beyond, culminating in a Liberal Arts degree. Alongside her artistic abilities, Rachel inherited a deep knowledge of gardening from her grandmother, who maintained one of the most beautiful gardens in the neighborhood. Rachel honed her gardening skills through trial and error in this garden, eventually realizing that her love for art and gardening were intertwined. After college, Rachel worked in an office while running an art business on Etsy, primarily selling paintings. Unfortunately, after the pandemic, she was laid off, which, in hindsight, became a blessing.

Before both Justin and Rachel lost their jobs, they had been dating. Their unemployment pushed them to finally pursue their long-held dream of starting a business together. A friend, impressed by their work on his yard, referred them to others, whose enthusiasm led Justin and Rachel to start a landscaping company. The combination of Justin’s experience in landscaping, building, and sales, with Rachel’s artistic and gardening talents, made this venture the perfect fit. Thus, Prickly Pruners was born. Since then, the company has grown rapidly, and they’ve never looked back.