"I wanted the lights on me. I wanted the ball. Win or lose, I wanted a shot to control my own destiny."
Eric Moses came from humble beginnings, growing up in a single-parent household with limited means after losing his father at the age of five. His dad, a Navy veteran who saw active combat in the Vietnam War, died at the age of 38 from a brain aneurysm, leaving his mom to raise him and his two siblings on her own—no college degree, no pension, no life insurance.
Witnessing his mom struggle invoked a powerful resilience and a hunger to succeed. In high school, Eric focused on sports, emerging as a standout soccer player and helping lead his high school team to a state championship and #1 national ranking. He also received scholarship offers to play at numerous colleges and universities including Virginia Military Institute—where he originally planned to attend so he could also later have the option of entering the Navy (as his dad did) after graduation. That is until a seven-hour car ride with his uncle…
"My uncle, who had become the father figure in my life, talked me out of Virginia and into enrolling at Presbyterian College…with the plan to become a doctor."
But freshman biology put an end to that:
"I just wasn't good at it; the pig dissection really got to me…I started to look at other options. I wanted to be challenged and do something I could be great at."
That's about the time accounting was introduced to him. Only one
semester in, Eric changed his focus from pre-med to accounting, which quickly
proved advantageous. Accounting came easy to him, and like high-school soccer,
he quickly became a standout "player."
A few years later, after landing an internship with a mid-sized
firm, Eric not only found his stride, but also a dedicated mentor in the firm's
founder, Larry Evans. "Larry became another father figure to me and was central
to my success. Eventually, he offered me a path to partnership."
The road wasn't always smooth, however. Eric built a successful
career at the firm, making partner as planned. But over time, as the firm grew
rapidly and evolved, he began to recognize that he was ready for an environment
more closely aligned with his values and long-term aspirations.
That same resilience that helped him overcome the challenges of
his early years to a full-ride college scholarship and a partner track would
also propel him to make his next big change.
A lengthy breakfast interview at Cracker Barrel led to leaving
his partner position and starting a new career at Nichols Cauley, where today
he serves as Strategic Growth Leader for the Accounting Services practice
areas.
Even with all of his success, both on the soccer field and in
the workplace, Eric's quick to say that it isn't just the work that drives
him—at the core, it's family.
"My family is my guiding light without question. That's what drives me professionally. I want to give them the life I wasn't able to have when I was young."
That's why he strives to be his best every day—to succeed, to
grow, and to prosper. According to Eric, part of that success comes from an
innate gift to "cut through the noise."
"I can read people really well and get to the actual pain
point pretty quickly, so we can get to a solution. Clients and colleagues trust
that relationship-first-style approach, and that builds loyalty."
His advice for anyone navigating their own career path lies in
his own origin story—one lined with people who both believed in and bet on his
success over the years:
