Case Belcher
Owner
Four Barrel CrossFit
“It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and to move along with business as usual, but you’ll soon be forgotten if you cease to innovate and improve.”
In terms of growth and economic development, where would you like to see Southern Indiana in 10 years?
Continuing along a similar path. It’s been great to see the growth of places like River Ridge that drive a lot of employment opportunities in Southern Indiana. Even within the business park in New Albany where we operate, we’ve seen several existing businesses expanding, reinvesting and adding jobs. All this means good news for us and a lot of the service and retail business that are helping drive the redevelopment of downtown (which we’re big fans of). At Four Barrel, we want to help build a happier and healthier community, and I think as more jobs move into the area, so will more projects that promote healthy communities (parks, bike lanes, greenways, etc), thus continuing to improve the allure of our area
Who or what motivates you?
My wife, my son, my family and my community. Sounds canned but it’s true. I probably didn’t even recognize the lessons at the time, but my family taught me a lot about the value of hard work and community growing up. Fast forward to today, and we run a business whose product is literally about teaching people to work hard and creating accountability through community. We’ve built so many relationships and have learned so many lessons from our members that the value of tribe –community – and being accountable to others really hits home in terms of motivation.
What habits/routines have helped with your success?
Focusing on small incremental improvement. We ask our members to aim for small improvements in training each day, and we apply the same to business. Some days are better than others, but creating a mindset focused on daily improvement – no matter how small – creates a big net positive over time. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and to move along with business as usual, but you’ll soon be forgotten if you cease to innovate and improve.
What pushes you through your most difficult times?
Two things. First, the accountability I have to my family, my team and our members. Second, the examples of everyone who’s gone before me. Working through all the problems that come with building a small business can be challenging and even lonely. There’s comfort and motivation in seeing the examples of people and companies who have been through adversity and who have worked hard to come out on the other side as better leaders and better businesses.
What are you most proud of professionally?
The community and the culture we’ve built. Like most companies, there have been bumps along the way, and we still have a long way to go, but we get the opportunity to see daily examples of people showing up for each other and supporting each other to be healthier and better versions of themselves. We couldn’t ask to be part of a better community or a more rewarding endeavor.
