Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Bostic.
Hi Eric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a native of North Carolina and have been a sales and financial services industry professional since 2001. Played football at Catawba College but after an injury, I went to the US Army and served for ten years. After I finished my military service and graduated from the University of NC at Greensboro, I became a Registered Investment Advisor for Great American Financial and Jefferson-Pilot Financial in Greensboro, NC. I also worked for the Tom James Company in Charlotte, NC for four years as well selling custom clothing to business owners and professionals. I created Eric Bostic & Associates, LLC (EBA Payments) in 2007 and built it into one of the most successful regional ISOs before selling it to First Data (Fiserv). I had some large national accounts and they wanted them as “house accounts” and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I was semi-retired and moved to Florida and was doing consulting work for other companies. After my non-compete was rescinded due to them losing the accounts, I relaunched my business & returned to the industry three years ago. I have settled here in the Maitland/Winter Park area and I absolutely love it here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh wow… Yes, it was a struggle in the beginning. I had no one to really teach me out in the field and had to learn on my own. I was in Charlotte, NC aka Bank Town USA and competing with them for business. Brick by brick, I built it though. Quick story: I had just been laid off, my wife was pregnant with our son and was put on bed rest. I promised my wife that I was not going to accept unemployment and would find something and make it my own. I literally had nothing and found this industry three days after being laid off. My son was born a couple of months later. We had one vehicle because I let the other one go back (read repossessed) because I couldn’t afford it having just been laid off. I would literally get up, get my son ready, take him to daycare, come back and take my wife to work and then work all day building my business. Then in the evenings, I would pick my son up from daycare, feed and bath him. Put him in the car seat and then go pick up my wife and bring her home. I did this for two years while I built my business and then told my wife one day that she didn’t have to work anymore. Struggles….yeah I had them. LOL!! #funtimes
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
EBA Payments has grown from a one man shop to an excelling regional market provider. EBA has specialized in providing quality payment processing and merchant services to the retail, lodging, and restaurant sectors for almost 15 years. We also realize the extreme growth in the demanding e-commerce and “mail order/ telephone order” market and specialize in this market as well.
With nearly a 100% approval rate, our courteous and well-trained sales staff can tailor a merchant account specifically designed for your business needs and provide you with the proper equipment and software customized for your business.
With EBA, you can receive the best payment processing services at the lowest rates. But that’s not all we’re about. We also recognize the importance of having complete trust in your Merchant Service Provider. After all, credit card processing will be a large portion of your gross sales.
We strive to be more than just a merchant service provider. We offer many peripheral products and services (some even for free) focused on helping you to grow. EBA is here to break the cycle of shady business practices in the merchant processing industry. We value our customers. We are successful when you are happy and informed. We believe you should be able to understand every part of your merchant services experience and receive real human support when you need it.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
One of the most important things I have learned during the “pandemic” is to not lose the personal touch with our customers no matter what. Even during the lockdown, I reached out to our customers consistently even if it was just a comment on a post on their social media page. Our customers really appreciated that and I received a ton of referrals because of that. Customers can forget sometimes what all you do for them but they will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@ebapayments.com
- Website: www.ebapayments.com
- Instagram: @ebapayments
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EBAPayments
- Twitter: @ebapayments
