Steve Caster was a successful certified public accountant working for prestigious firms. Then he decided he wanted more. He wanted to run his own business. In doing so, he became a better CPA.

Caster, a West Des Moines native, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in accounting in 1991and joined Ernst and Young as a staff auditor. He then transferred to the tax department. He said clients were much happier to see him when he was helping them maximize their tax benefits that when he was performing auditing duties. In 1995 Caster went to work for a locally owned firm, Larson Watson Bartling & Eastman. He wanted to apply his skills locally and work at a firm that allowed opportunities for growth.

Eventually, he decided he needed to start his own firm. He left Larson Watson Bartling & Eastman in 1998, taking one of the partners with him and forming Eastman and Co. The practice has three partners and six employees. Caster says he is proud of his firm’s growth. It has approximately 600 clients, which can make things hectic during tax season.

“It’s challenging to serve clients as well as you want to, as well as they deserve,” he said.

He must guard his time vigilantly, dividing it among the several accounts he must deal with each day. Eastman and Co. is a certified public accounting firm that provides payroll and accounting outsourcing, flexible benefits administration and proactive tax and business planning.

“What I try to do is form a personal relationship with my clients,” Caster said. “I want to be less of a tax adviser, and more of a business partner. We have to have a rapport.”

Finding that rapport is easier now that he runs a business, Caster said. He must deal with some of the same challenges his clients face, such as staffing, cash-flow and general business management. He says being an entrepreneur is his favorite part of the job.

“I always wanted to work for myself,” he said. “I think I’m a much better [accountant] now than when I was specialized in a larger firm. I’m a more well-rounded CPA.”