Meet Travis Borkenhagen

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Travis Borkenhagen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Travis with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I have always needed to work hard and find new ways to be efficient. A lot of it comes from experience, growing up in a home with a single mother who was trying to provide for me the best that she could. As an adolescent, I had to become independent at an early age; my first real job was at 15 years old. Since that time, there was no looking back, no slowing down because I knew that all it took was one missed step and every thing would fall apart. Additionally, I believe that genetics plays a roll as well. Some people are likely more predisposition to focus in more, and for longer periods of time – a blessing and a curse, I suppose.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

About 12 years ago, I founded Lovelee Photography in the hopes of bringing truly great photography to couples weddings. There was clearly a wide range of quality across the map of options out there in the state of Arizona. What initially stuck out to me was the lofty price points in the industry, matched with anyone deciding to pickup a camera and instantly call themselves a “photographer”. I want to bring the next level of quality to couples, given that this is such a monumental day for them. Additionally, we try to keep our pricing affordable to the quality that we present. I never wanted to be, just another photographer. I wanted to learn lighting, understand the power behind the camera’s settings, master the art of posing, and understand what a couple is truly looking for. Once I did that, I everything kind of fell into place. Of course, I make it sound a lot easier than it actually was. The fact is, if you dedicate yourself toward mastering your craft, you’re bound to find success in the thing that you love. The next thing that stood out to me during inception was, the fact that my fiancé (now wife) and I never received calls back when we were looking for our wedding photographer. I found through experience that, the world of weddings seemed to be in desperate need of diligence and commitment. Of course, that’s not true of everyone but, it was in our case. This prompted me to not only master the art of wedding photography but, bring another level of client care; responsiveness, organization, and true dedication to a couples most important of days. All things considered, everything have been a long term success, so much so that we were able to open up Elevation Event Photography, in order to bring the same level of quality and commitment to the corporate world! Of course, I can’t take all of the credit. I have been blessed with a team of incredibly photographers, all of whom I can trust on a daily basis; to help me carry the load and provide more time to dedicate to couples in love and corporations in planning.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

If I had to venture a guess, I would say that the skills which served me best in my business endeavors would be organization, commitment, and genuinely caring about what we do and the clients who trust in us – Being willing to give up on sleep likely an attribute as well (I joke). The thing is, you can’t accomplish your goals or care for your clients if your calendar or to do list is not organized. Efficiency tends to present itself within an organized lifestyle, as well. When you are organized and your thoughts are clear, clients are able to understand your goals and rationale more easily. Perhaps more important than the essential attribute of organization is plain and simple commitment. It’s a broad term but essential every step of the way. You have to invasion your success, hone your skills and dedication and be ready to grind it out. If you’re not committed to the goals that will lead you to success in business, you’ll never make it a reality. I could never hope to count the number of times or periods of time, where I had to put my absolute everything into keeping what we stand for a reality. Lastly, if you care about what you do, the commitment will come naturally. I spent about 13 years of my life working for different companies, in different industries that I just couldn’t find any interest in. I worked my way up with organization, efficiency and commitment but, it was pain staking and eventually I burned out. Every one of us on the team, myself included genuinely cares about these moments in time. I look for passion first and foremost, when bringing on a member of the team. Because without that passion for what you do, it will always be an uphill struggle.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

For myself, I never had a mentor; someone to guide me and emulate my direction off of. Without a doubt though, the person who has helped me overcome challenges and build would be my wife. She has the same dexterity that I have always embodied and I’ve always been able to count on her. When things get a bit overwhelming, she is always happy to step in and lighten the load. I would image that our clients, over the year would be equally as thankful for her support, even if her love and dedication goes unnoticed to all but myself (she’s a behind the scenes champion). Finding the right partner in life can go miles and miles. In order to develop my skills or knowledge base, I’ve simply had to learn, and often the hard way. However, I’m thankful for all of the mistakes that once took place, for without them I never would have become better.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,