About Eric

I wasn’t the kid with his nose buried in textbooks, far from it. In high school, I was the entrepreneur in the back of the class looking for the next side gig. I got rejected by the University of Ottawa’s accounting program and thought, “Well, that stings.” A buddy told me, “Go to Algonquin College, sign on the left side of the page instead of the right, you’ll still be an accountant.” So I did.

At Algonquin, I found my people, made the dean’s list, and even started the Accounting Club just because I could. After graduation, I doubled down on the CA route (yes, that meant one more university application—fun fact: I applied to University of Ottawa again and this time they said yes, scholarships and all).

Landing a first gig is tough when everyone wants experience, so I jumped on Kijiji offering bookkeeping services out of my home, no waiting for someone to hand me a chance. Those early clients, plus stints at CRA and OAG, set me up for my CPA designation at KPMG.

Then came my low moment: I flunked the final exam. I curled up at home, didn’t want to face anyone. But a friend dragged me out for lunch. For my next attempt, I blasted the 8 Mile soundtrack, and I reminded myself: “One shot, one opportunity.”. A month later, I passed, and yes, I still get goose‑bumps thinking about it.

Fast‑forward to 2017: I teamed up with that same friend who brough me to lunch and who was there in my lowest lows to launch Zenbooks. We envisioned bookkeeping as a weekly check‑in, virtual‑CFO service, an antidote to last‑minute tax freak‑outs. All while working remotely from California, coffee shop and anywhere. Today, we help over 300 businesses across North America sleep easier at night and have 20 people on our team working from anywhere in Canada.

When the 2023 CRA strike had Canadians waiting hours on hold, I started a petition calling for a fair filing extension, and in five days, I was in the spotlight as a main story with CTV, CBC, and more, fighting for small‑business owners and Canadians. That fire in my belly also led me to the Board of Cystic Fibrosis Canada in 2024, where I now put my finance skills to work for a cause close to home. I now spend my time writing articles, media commentary and having fun on my podcast with cool guests.

2023 was bittersweet: my dad passed in a tragic construction accident just as my first son was born. It was also the year Zenbooks hit the Ottawa Business Journal’s Fastest‑Growing list, The Globe’s Top Growing Companies, and was awarded Forty Under 40 honors from the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal.