As Eric answered the phone he could hear a strong but somewhat anxious voice on the other end. It was a business owner he had known for some time. They had met while attending a Bible study. The successful business owner had a problem: he needed to be in two places at once. Eric calmly assured him that he could help and offered to be his representative at one of the two places. Knowing Eric’s ability to communicate successfully, and believing him to be the perfect representative for him and his company, the business owner was relieved.

Not long after that experience, Eric started his own company called Your Business Concierge. His mission statement is simple and clear:

Eric Bezko has years of experience in business. From 18 years as a mortgage banker to serving on boards of national and international ministries, Eric knows how to be successful in the business world and he uses those years of experience to help others. He knows that being successful in business takes a lot of work and more importantly, a lot of time. Often, time spent on business is time taken away from family and personal spiritual growth. Eric’s goal is to mentor men and women in business so they can also be successful spiritually and with their families. “Next door or around the world, if you need another you—contact me,” Eric says with the enthusiasm of someone who values business success and people.

However, Eric was not always grounded in the Lord. He was raised in a religious family but did not have a real commitment or relationship with Christ. At age 22 he was married and traveling extensively for business. One Sunday, while visiting a large church, he sat in the audience and listened as the minister asked if anyone wanted to accept the Lord. Eric gave his life to Christ that day. Three weeks later, while traveling alone, Eric turned on the television in his motel room and found himself watching a church service produced by the same church he had recently visited. In fact, it was the exact same church service that he had been sitting in three weeks earlier. Taking it as a sign from God, Eric renewed his commitment, started attending church regularly, and began living for the Lord.

In addition to becoming successful as a mortgage banker, Eric also raised his sons and foster children. Now, as the owner of Your Business Concierge, Eric has numerous opportunities to share his faith with others. People have a spiritual void that can only be filled with the Lord. Those people include entrepreneurs and owners of successful companies. In addition to Eric’s goal of helping people in business, he counsels them about spiritual issues. In addition to his laptop, suitcase and cell phone, Eric considers his Bible a tool for his business. Opportunities abound as Eric interacts with people from various companies, ministries, and countries. His ability to relate to people, whatever their background, contributes to his success in the business world and in the church. He has offered to pray for his clients and provided biblical counsel when requested.

One challenge Eric faces when sharing his faith comes in the form of advice he receives to be more generic in his terms and spiritual services. But he insists, “I am done with being generic in terms of relating faith and business. I will say it like it is and not try to sugarcoat the truth of the gospel as it relates to business.” Eric pushes aside the idea that he could be even more successful if he did not talk plainly and openly about the impact of faith on business.

Eric does not want to be successful in business alone. He knows that success in business relies on spiritual success. Combining the two, and helping others do the same, is his ultimate goal. To him, being the best concierge for business begins with being the best concierge for Christ. |L

Susanne Dacus graduated from Pacific Christian College with a degree in Christian Education. She and her husband Brad work with Pacific Justice Institute in Citrus Heights, California. Brad and Susanne reside in Sacramento, California with their two children.

OTHER COLUMNS:
May 18, 2008 - Working by faith 24/7
April 20, 2008 - Motown, music, and ministry
March 23, 2008 - Be One Sportswear
February 24, 2008 - Fighting for the faith
January 27, 2008 - Healing for the Healer
December 30, 2007 - Parenting faithfully
December 2, 2007 - Building physical and spiritual strength
November 4, 2007 - Taking Christ into the classroom
October 7, 2007 - Changing lives through music
August 12, 2007 - Strategies for business and life
June 17, 2007 - Finding fulfilling work
May 20, 2007 - Faithful to his calling
April 22, 2007 - An unstoppable witness
March 25, 2007 - The perfect plan
February 25, 2007 - Teaching with faith
January 28, 2007 - Changing a community—one event at a time
December 24, 2006 - Business by the book
November 26, 2006 - Growing through life’s storms
October 29, 2006 - Giving God his best