Eric Wilson, YPTC Houston Manager, had a perceptive idea of his future by the time he was five years old.

“My dad has this project that I did in kindergarten that asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’. And I wrote, ‘a CPA’,” he recalled with a laugh.

His father is a CPA, which explains Eric’s early exposure to the field. It’s also the reason he ended up pursuing accounting as a career; though, following familial tradition wasn’t the driving factor. Instead, it was a piece of advice imparted by his father that inspired Eric to create a legacy of his own—one not marked by tradition at all.

“Before I went to college, my dad told me, ‘If you go into accounting, you can do anything,’ and I wanted that. I wanted to be able to do anything,” Eric stated.

This ambition led Eric to a 5-year master’s program at Texas Tech University and translated into his burgeoning unique approach to accounting. Unlike many of his immediate peers, Eric wasn’t attracted to the idea of working for a large corporation post-graduation; instead, he wanted to work for a record label.

Though Eric didn’t go into the music industry, he continued to stand out as a young professional. After earning his degrees, he went to work for a smaller public accounting firm in Houston that specialized in audits of nonprofits. In doing this type of work, Eric realized that “doing anything” as an accountant could also apply to helping others and making a difference.

As fate would have it, when Eric set out on a new career trajectory guided by his passion for nonprofits, he heard an advertisement for Your Part-Time Controller, LLC (YPTC) on NPR. So, he decided to investigate. In his research, Eric found that he was drawn to the company’s ethos and hands-on, client-facing structure.

On what ultimately pushed him to apply, Eric shared, “[YPTC] kind of hit exactly what I was looking for. It was important for me to be able to work beyond what public accounting limited me to. I didn’t want to just come out once a year and tell a client what we found, and that they had to fix it for the next year. I liked the idea of being in a position where I could spend the time with the client to find those issues and work together to actually make them better.”

In the five years since Eric was hired, he’s grown in a multitude of unexpected ways. Uncoincidentally, as Eric has grown into his role as a leader, YPTC’s presence in Houston has followed suit. For his integral role in expanding YPTC’s client base and team in Houston as an Associate, Eric was the first to be promoted to a management position in 2019. He’s also participated in several public speaking engagements, helped reconstruct YPTC’s educational and orientation resources, and remains a member of the YPTC Equity Committee.

Houston Director, Tanya Pal, remarked on Eric’s tremendous impact, “A lot of [Houston’s] success is predicated upon Eric supporting the entire team. The success of keeping clients, especially in the early years when it was just Eric and me, is truly because of Eric’s technical skills and composure when dealing with difficult situations.”

Eric cited YPTC’s Culture of Support as what makes exploring personal interests while evolving professionally possible. “We’re here to be that supportive person for our colleagues, either directly through training or workshopping best practices among ourselves or developing and sharing resources. It’s not just about what I can get out of something, it’s about empowering the other people that are here and doing what I can do to position them to come along for the ride as we grow,” he said.

Now, Eric has set out on a different adventure with a move to Dallas. While he re-located there to be closer to his husband’s family, he recognized the same potential for innovation as when he accepted his position in Houston. This time, however, he’s helming the ship for YPTC.

“One thing we’ve accomplished in Houston that I think has been really neat is the networking and relationships forged within the nonprofit community. And that’s something I’m excited to do in Dallas – being able to liaise with nonprofits that are operating here, honing in on the community aspect, and improving the lives of people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. There’s a lot to be gained by doing what we do, and doing it well,” said Eric on what he looks forward to accomplishing most in Dallas.

The strongest pillars of Eric’s success story have always existed inside of him—an individualistic mentality, expressive nature, and funnily enough, the aspiration to be an accountant. While he’s felt slightly on the fringe at points in his career, at YPTC, he’s found that not fitting the mold isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, it’s what makes him great.

Your Part-Time Controller, LLC is currently hiring nationwide. If you are an accounting professional looking to use your skills for good, contact us today or apply now.  We can’t wait to meet you!