We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Travis Borkenhagen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Travis, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

One of the best decisions I have made in my life has been, starting my own business. For myself, I’ve never had to contemplate what it would be like if I had taken a traditional role with an employer. At the time, just before I decided to begin my business, I had worked for other employers for about a decade and it was never right for me. I believe that a lot of people work well within the job force and that self employment is not for everybody. However, I’ve always known that entrepreneurship was the path that I was destined for. The day that I decided to quit my 9-5 position, was the day that I was forced to face that reality. I had given working as an employee my everything and it was never going to be enough; I just didn’t belong there. Therefore, I never had to have a moment of, “I wonder if” because I already knew. My life was about to become infinitely better.

And so it did. The last 15 years of working for myself has been everything that I hoped that it would be, and so much more. That’s not to say that being a business owner doesn’t come without it’s fair share of stress, and isn’t undoubtedly challenging but, it’s my stress and they’re my challenges; not somebody else’s. It is far more satisfying when you’ve completed an arduous task for yourself, rather than the person who stamps your timesheet. I had been painfully successful in my previous career, working my way up yet, never being appreciated or fully respected for my dedication and ability. Self employment is the one true answer to that dilemma.

In fact, self employment comes with a myriad of positive attributes. When you when your own business, “the sky is the limit”. There are no restrictions on how successful you can be nor, how profitable you can be. Furthermore, when you accomplish something amazing and create incredible results, it is a success that you can share directly with your clients. In my particular industry, we form close relationships with our clients over time. Therefore, when myself and our team is successful, we get to share it with someone close to our hearts. So when asked, if I’ve ever had a moment of reflection, to ponder what might have been, I’m happy to say that the thought has never crossed my mind.

Travis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The very same day that I left my career of nearly a decade, I knew that I needed to be in business for myself – it was the only way that I was going to be able to truly make a difference. That’s not to say that I’m out here making the world a better place as a whole but, for two people in love or a close knit family, we are! Before I began my business, back in 2009, I had been hearing from many close friends that they were unhappy with the wedding photographer that they had hired. Either they were too pushy, made them feel uncomfortable, or they simply didn’t like the results. This affected me in a very specific way. It was personal to me because these were my friends and it was such an important day for them – I can only imagine how much it affected them, personally. When I think about it, this is perhaps the reason why we form such incredible bonds and relationships with our clients.

At the time I was in the middle of college and needed some form of income that also allowed me the time to dedicate myself to my studies. I began learning everything that I could about photography. I purchased a decent camera and began practicing, and to be honest, it didn’t go very well at first. I had found that this was going to be quite a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. In fact, even when I had thought that I had gotten the hang of it, I was still way off. Anyhow, one thing lead to another and what began as a way to put myself through college, quickly turned into something I was uniquely passionate about and finally quite good at. Business was good because I had fully dedicated myself to learning and truly cared about the couples that were finding me.

Once I graduated college, I had plenty of opportunity to rejoin the workforce. I had graduated with honors, accomplished many accolades and genuinely liked my field of study – but, it wasn’t photography and I knew that it would never come with the connection that I’m able to make with dozens of newly engaged couples every year. So, against all odds, I stuck with it! Now, many years later, we have expanded into more than weddings, family portraiture, newborn photography and all things family oriented, we also specialize in corporate events. One of the things that I love about photography is that fact that you don’t ever have to stop exploring and there is no shortage of exciting new things to learn.

Phoenix has become a destination location for many weddings over the last decade and corporate events don’t shy away either. Our corporate event brand dedicates itself to countless symposiums, seminars, product launches, and more every year. While wedding photography comes with a uniquely distinct set of challenges and corporate event photography is a speciality all on its own, they both fit perfectly within my interests and background, respectively. Having worked in the corporate world for nearly a decade, I’ve come to understand the workflow and expectations of the larger enterprises. I know the importance of excellent results and how to function within a structured setting. You have to be specific when it comes to working within corporate events. It requires the ability to see things differently than many do; the angles, vantage points, depth, and more. Of course, there are many similarities as well such as; effectively managing a detailed timeline, meeting deadlines, and working with people.

Needless to say, I’ve found my calling. Photography turned out to be the one specific things that I was naturally inclined for but have also found an overwhelming interest in; one which was ceases to fade away over the years. It’s not only a natural inclination towards the specialty that sets our brand apart, it’s a dedication that comes from my background in the military (Marines), the years I’ve committed to obtaining a college education, and about a decade in the corporate world. I not only see things differently, just purely by nature but, am highly driven and dedicated to our clients. When I set out on this journey, I set out to provide a better experience to our clients. As much as that sounds like a sales pitch, it couldn’t be more important to me. We live in a world where consumers never see quick replies (or at times, any for that matter), in a world where diligence and dedication is a thing of the past. We are plagued by feeling like we are all just another customer, a drop in the bucket. I set out to put an end to that approach and designed a more dependable process, a kin to a luxury experience; one where you feel important at all times.

I never wanted to just do a job day in and day out and I never wanted to create just another business. I’ve always wanted to create something special. The quality of the work that we provide is unparalleled but, that is clear from our online presence and decade and a half long portfolio. It’s in the experience for us. It’s in how you’re treated and valued as a client, to make your life that much easier, when you already have a million and one other things to contend with on a daily basis. Wedding planning and managing a corporate event is challenging enough on its own. What makes us different is that you know that we care, and you can feel it when you’ve trusted in us to take your memories to the next level of excellence.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Without a doubt, the most resilient any business owner has to be is during the start up. By far the most challenging element to becoming a business owner is in the creation. It is froth with challenges and overwhelming in the parts which make up a successful company. For myself, I had begun my business immediately following that departure from my former career, a career in which I had healthcare benefits, and other forms of support. Incidentally, it was also about month before my son was to be born. My company was formed knowing that if I failed, I would fail my son, who’s not even see what this world looks like yet. My company was built in the midnight hours of feeding a newborn baby every 2 hours. Starting your first business and learning to take care of a newborn is perhaps the two most challenging things one could put side by side; and it was still worth every bit of effort.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The most important aspect of what built our reputation is, our dedication to our clients. All of the things that I’ve mentioned previously here are all of the things that collectively have created a dependable reputation. When you are truly dedicated to client satisfaction and are able to make connections with the people who come to you for something special, it goes a very long way. The quality is there, it’s always been there and that’s great but, our clients expect great quality. It’s the unexpected that matters in the end. The moment when you are able to say, “I never expected to get all that we got out of this experience”. It’s the things that you can’t really market or advertise and is surprising. It’s the big bonus that you get and the comfort and satisfaction that you’ve made the right choice. If you can do that, then your reputation will always proceed you, in a great way!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.loveleephotos.com & www.elevationeventphotos.com
• Instagram: @loveleephotos & @elevationeventphotos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loveleephotosaz