We recently connected with Javier Cortes and have shared our conversation below.

Javier, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

Customer service a key component of my business. Because I don’t have a high volume of sales and I am servicing a small niche of the bonsai industry, I must meet and exceed expectations to succeed. I strive for high quality, personalized customer service. Oftentimes my customers are other bonsai artists, so they are extremely knowledgeable. I pay particular attention to shipping my trees and make sure all materials are high quality. And, I make myself accessible at all times for any questions regarding not only the trees my customers buy from me but also any other questions they have about any other tree. One of my business priorities is to service customers at a very high level and responsiveness is of upmost importance.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Mexican American, and I grew up in Acapulco, Mexico. I have always had a love for nature and trees.

About nine years ago and after many years of working in the finance industry, I discovered the art of bonsai. At that time, the real estate market was in a severe decline, and I became a stay-at-home dad with our second daughter. I was training in mixed martial arts and was looking for something to balance out my life. I took my first bonsai class and purchased my first tree. Ever since then, this ancient art form has become my way of life.

For several years, I studied bonsai under Erik Wigert from Wigert’s Bonsai in North Ft. Myers, Florida, and I have participated in a multitude of workshops with several well-known bonsai artists, such as Robert Steven from Indonesia, Felipe González from Mexico, and Marc Noelanders from Belgium. I continue to study bonsai with world-renowned bonsai artist, Nacho Marin from Venezuela, and have studied at his schools in Mexico, Ecuador, and Brazil.

I started my business, Vago’s Bonsai, in August 2015. I’ve been fortunate and blessed to grow my business out of my backyard, mainly through social media and word-of-mouth advertising. And now, I’m shipping trees all over the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Since Day One, I started building my social media audience by posting pictures of my trees on Instagram and Facebook. I post one picture every single day to show the development process – some trees are represented in the beginning stage of development, others are featured mid-development, and I post trees that are well-developed as well. I try to show many different species of trees in various styles of bonsai. I’m probably known for my non-traditional styles. I don’t always follow all the bonsai art “rules,” so I tend to create some unusual, abstract designs with my trees. I like to take whatever nature gives me and create a beautiful piece of art from that. I also like a lot of movement and drama in my designs, and so I can’t always get there following the rules. Sometimes I post short videos so the audience can see my trees three dimensionally, and occasionally I post pictures of me working a tree to show the audience specific techniques. Finally, I name each of my trees with catchy, unique names typically related to a specific character of the tree or the style of tree. Over time, people have started to like my work and share my posts. I have just under 30,000 followers on Instagram from all over the world.

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

As a one-man operation, it’s as easy or difficult as I want to make it. Running my business is not so much a challenge but more of a balancing act for now. I’m also a stay-at-home dad, which makes it difficult sometimes to find enough hours during the week to dedicate to my work. Because bonsai is a living art form, the trees need constant attention, especially during the growing season (Spring/Summer). Many times, my entire work week must be condensed into just the weekend.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vagosbonsai.com
• Instagram: @vagos_bonsai
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/vagosbonsaiflorida