We recently connected with Tori Bornholdt and have shared our conversation below.

Tori, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

As all business owners should know, there are a few fundamental “rules” to follow that can really make or break your business, and one of the biggest rules is knowing when to take a risk. One of the best things I ever did for my business was taking a huge risk, my make-it or break-it moment, and I’m so pleased to say that it was the best thing I ever did for myself and for my business.

But first, a little backstory – I am a photographer, and have owned my own business since 2018. My area is pretty saturated with photographers, to the point when I first started out I thought I needed to say yes to anything and everything. But the downside to that, as most will understand if you’ve been in that position before, is how easily and quickly it is to get burned out. Especially if you are fighting to win jobs based on your price.

After over a year of extreme burnout, I had to take a step back and wonder – is it worth it? And the cold, hard truth was that it wasn’t. I was burning the candle at both ends, working so many shoots, sacrificing my days, night and weekends AND finding the time to edit, often staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning. Missing time with my family, missing my friends, and saying goodbye to the joy that photography once brought me. This was not what I imagined what it would be to leave my full-time job in pursuit of more freedom. Business owners will know that sometimes (often) things don’t go the way you plan or expect. You have to be willing to pivot. Doing frequent assessments of what is working as well as what is NOT working is so crucial to staying afloat. I realized that I needed to make a serious change, and to do that required a BIG risk.

I went from offering a high quantity of photos at a lower price so I could retain my large client base, to drastically changing my fee structure to be at a much higher price, but of greater quality. The risk of course was I knew that I would lose clients. It was inevitable. The fear of not knowing if I was about to sink my entire business was a really valid fear, and one that I think a lot of business owners have when they make a price jump. However my sanity and the precious time with my family was more important. I chose to take my business back. I will not say it was always an easy process because it wasn’t. Losing some of my favorite clients was heartbreaking. However, by taking that risk and finding my own way, I’ve found success, new clients (and friendships), and most importantly, the freedom I sought in the first place.

My very first session fee back in 2018 was $40. I’m embarrassed to say that now, but it is part of my journey. Now I average thousands per client in custom sessions. By doing so, I’m able to give my clients a full experience, helping them every step of the way by including hair and makeup services, wardrobe services, in person ordering appointments, mocking up their wall art, and offering the highest quality products I’ve found on the market. Instead of flying through editing trying to keep up, I can take my time and ensure that each client is getting me at my best. I enjoy my work again and I don’t feel guilty when I’m taking days off to do other things. In fact, I purposely set working hours to prevent that level of burnout happening again. I can now say that I have an excellent work-life balance, and I truly love working again.

Taking a big risk is hard, but sometimes absolutely necessary. As business owners, we don’t always see what’s right for us until it is too late or until we are in the middle of burn out. I hope my story can inspire someone to see that while the path isn’t always clear, sometimes you just need to take the next step to get more clarity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a self-taught portrait photographer, specializing in high school seniors and families. I started out back when my oldest son was born in 2011, and I started my own business in 2018. I follow the IPS structure (“In-Person Sales”) and I’m in the luxury market. I’ve expanded my team in the past two years to include stylists and assistants.

I think what sets my team apart is that we are full-service, meaning we take care of our clients from beginning to end – hair and makeup, wardrobe selection/rental, in-person consultations, wall-art mockups, and a beautiful selection of products. I think clients are drawn to our editing style, which is true to color and vibrant. We put so much TLC in everything we do, which I hope our clients can see and appreciate. My team likes to make our clients feel like the process is comfortable, easy and most importantly, fun!

I’m most proud of how far I’ve come and my personal journey. I believe everything happens for a reason, and without failures, one cannot learn. My successes could not have happened without those failures, and I’m proud at being able to overcome those challenges.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson that I had to unlearn was that as a small business owner, you need to do it all. Wow, is that so far from the truth! Find your niche, what you’re really good at and what you love, and leave other people to do the rest. For me, that’s my genre of photography as well as some of the annoying back-end stuff that comes with a business! I hire out accounting, I have assistants that help me stay organized, and I have an editor who helps me with some of the more tedious editing that I frankly don’t want to do. Time is just as important as money. If you are devoting too much time to the things that you don’t have expertise in or don’t make you happy, you’ll be that much closer to burning out. When I outsource those things, it gives me more time to do the things I’m good at, therefore able to make more money.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

This could probably be a whole other interview topic, but I think a lot of Creatives struggle with ADHD and the effects of that in their business. I didn’t know I had ADHD until 2022, but once I received that diagnosis, a lot of my challenges started making more sense. Procrastination, decision fatigue, restlessness, and feeling unorganized are all common symptoms of ADHD and seems to be a common trait amongst Creatives. It makes doing the “business stuff” hard sometimes and finding focus can be a challenge. Further challenging, some of the medications prescribed for helping the symptoms of ADHD can dull creativity, making that side of our job harder. As a Creative, we have to do our art PLUS all the business aspects, meaning we are constantly bouncing back and forth between “creative-brained” and “business-brained”, which is especially hard for those with ADHD. It is a delicate balance, and I’m grateful that in my own instance exercise and staying active really helps my symptoms and my focus.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.toribornholdtphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toribornholdtphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toribornholdtphotography
• Other: Second Instagram:
  www.instagram.com/seniorsbytbp