I met Tim at a birthday party in Cabo San Lucas and from the get go I knew how creative and articulate he was. He is a captivating photographer and a great conversationalist. His business started with nightlife photography and red carpets, where he says, “Any celebrity that has been to Vegas, I’ve shot. I would shoot for other media outlets. It was a great start to my career but then I moved forward to publish my magazine, Deluxe Version Magazine.
LAS113: How a 30 year old started a successful digital luxury magazine with Tim Hancock, owner of Deluxe Version Magazine
Get to Know Timothy
I met Tim at a birthday party in Cabo San Lucas and from the get go I knew how creative and articulate he was. He is a captivating photographer and a great conversationalist. His business started with nightlife photography and red carpets, where he says, “Any celebrity that has been to Vegas, I’ve shot. I would shoot for other media outlets. It was a great start to my career but then I moved forward to publish my magazine, Deluxe Version Magazine.
He was born and raised in Vegas and mentions his parents giving him the “entrepreneurial bug.” Both of them were youth pastors and really taught him how to be someone that reached others and related to them, which helped him step into leadership. He took what was going on in his home life and was able to put it into practice in order to network, grow and continue to reach people.
How did you determine there was a need for this type of magazine?
He tells me that he started out by doing monthly mixers for entrepreneurs in Las Vegas. The casinos would work with him and their venues and the mixer would honor business people. They chose ten business people a month and those people would bring their network and they would celebrate them and it became a community of lifting people up. Their first mixer was at the Bellagio. Tim says, “When you do that consistently you build a brand and community and that’s how the magazine got started. We gave people who were movers and shakers a spotlight in the community that didn’t exist before.”
That was seven years ago, and the company is now in their fifth year of print. They spent two or three years online and then went to print after the network grew and became demanding.
How did quarantine impact your business?
Tim jokes that digital holds no viruses so you can enjoy their online publication at your leisure. The company had Shania Twain as a covergirl during quarantine that detailed her amazing story, and they even featured her as the Woman of the Year. Though summer was hard for many, it was rewarding to stay active and focused and not let circumstances control the outcome of their business. Tim is proud that they are a group of people who wake up every day and decide to do the very best they can.
“When you find the best in every situation, you WILL find the best and you will grow.”
On Starting a Magazine
What did you need to get the magazine started?
The most important thing to Tim was the creative process. He knew he needed a writing team to supplement his photography. In order to get content going it’s important to get a great writing team. Once you build a community you build capital and their community thrived on the content they were creating.He says it took about three years to make things profitable.
“If you can dedicate that much time to develop a brand then it will turn into something that will be profitable for a lifetime. Build something that people will integrate into their life. Deluxe Version isn’t something you hear in music but as a magazine, it’s a luxury lifestyle and a way to help people become the best version of themselves.”
The motto of becoming a better version comes at a great time in 2020- lots of people are going through tough times and have to find a new normal or even a new career. Some people are having to reinvent themselves and for some people this year is their first setback. The magazine puts a fresh approach on being the best version of yourself.
How important is it to surround yourself with skilled people on your team?
“Your circle is everything.” Tim mentions that you’re not building your career or building a better life for yourself if you’re not motivated by the people you surround yourself with. It’s important that you feed off the energy and the ideas and motivation of people around you. You have to wake up every day and make the decision to surround yourself with the right people and to not isolate yourself. Although it can get lonely as an entrepreneur you have to have those moments where you must focus. Even during those times you can stay active with people who are like minded and reach out to them.
Future plans for yourself and the magazine?
The company is excited to expand the interior design editions of the magazine. They come out with an additional home design cover and it reaches home builders, interior designers, architects, real estate agents and brokers. It’s a great market in any city that you go into so they’re very excited to include the housing industry.
How do you stand out as a magazine?
Deluxe Version Magazine is a much more personable company than a typical publication that requires a large staff and large overhead. Tim says, “WE do the work instead of assigning and delegating tasks.” They are inspired by a collaboration of Vogue, GQ and Architectural Digest but they aren’t direct competitors.
The magazine puts out 20,000 prints per quarter totaling to 100,000 per year. Their age demographic ranges from 25-55. They reach people who are active in their lifestyle and like to find ways to better themselves in health, wealth,travel and business.
Spiritual Faith
Faith is an essential corner in Tim’s daily life and he says that without the peace of God he wouldn’t have the calmness and relief from anxiety. This is especially important considering the world of fear we live in right now. He calmly states, “If you know that God is good, you know that all things will work out eventually.”
He mentions a book that had an impact on him was “Own the Moment” by Carl Lentz who is the senior pastor at Hillsong Church, which Tim attends. It’s all about taking what God has given you and using it for good. It’s a gentle reminder that each moment you’ve been given is the opportunity to do the best you can.
What is the biggest misconception about you?
“Everyone thinks that I grew up in a successful home and everything was handed to me. I built things from scratch. If you can’t tell, I’m actually 80% deaf. I’ve had every major setback you can imagine growing up and I worked twice as hard to achieve the goals I had for myself.”
If you could go to dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?
“The President of the United States, whoever that would be at the time. I am blessed to be an American business owner. Whether it’s someone I liked or didn’t like I would want to pick their brain, pray for them and show them respect. It would give me a chance to talk about what’s on my mind about the current state of the world and also learn about what’s on theirs.”
What gives you confidence?
“Knowing that there’s only one of me. You have to understand that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made by God and you tap into a confidence that’s so profound and so unique that nothing can shake you.”
What do you wish you really understood?
“Fear. Why people react emotionally to things they’re scared of rather than facing them head on. ‘Your greatest victory is on the other side of fear.’ There are so many people that lead such capable lives but choose to live in so much doubt. I’ll never fully be able to grasp it but I wish I could better understand it and help people through it.”
Where can people find you?
Instagram @timothyhancock @deluxeversionmagazine
