Circle City Whiskey chats about RISE Commercial District
Introduction to Circle City Whiskey
IBWE Whiskey Company dba Circle City Whiskey Company is an independent bottler of American whiskeys. We seek out great barrels of whiskey from all over the country, then we decide whether to blend, finish in second barrels, or bottle as a single barrel, all with the simple goal of bringing great products to the local whiskey community. Circle City Whiskey has been at RISE Commercial District for just over 1 year now.
RISE asked Circle City Whiskey: “What is most exciting thing about being an entrepreneuer?”
There are a handful of reasons that people become entrepreneurs and most of it falls down to the passion for the product that they built. For Circle City Whiskey, being part of something innovative to the market and having it appreciated by the audience we built the business to serve is what excites them the most.
What was the hardest thing for Circle City Whiskey when it came to looking for space?
The owner of Circle City Whiskey responded, “Predictability, affordability, and appropriate square footage. For starters, most spaces we found were larger than we needed, so we’d be increasing our expenses unnecessarily, right out of the gate. Also, with most spaces, price per sq ft is just the starting point. As a startup business, knowing what to expect with month-to-month expenses is extremely important. Triple Net leases often come with unexpected maintenance costs, increases in property taxes, etc. Also, different business types incur different utility expenses. When taking a leap of faith starting a business, budgeting is of the utmost importance, so it was extremely daunting to take on a space that was likely too large AND would have commiserate utility costs and insurance/maintenance portions.”
It’s not uncommon for business owners to touch on the financial aspect of running a business. That’s why, at RISE, we try to make running the business as easy as possible by offering warehouse, office, or flex space that has no strings attached.
What influenced the decision for Circle City Whiskey to move to RISE Commercial District?
There are a lot of reasons that businesses choose RISE Commercial District for their warehouse, office, or flex space solutions. The flexibility and variety of options is what is most attractive to business owners. Circle City Whiskey answered, “The variety of unit sizes and ability to upgrade as needed was ideal. The all-inclusive utilities, maintenance, etc make budgeting easy and accurate. The amenities – community forklift, pallet jack, and dumpster eliminated costly up-front and ongoing expenses.” While RISE is a business space, it does offer perks such as the community forklift. At no extra charge, tenants are able to access the forklift for unloading and loading deliveries at the RISE facility.
What has been so special about leasing with RISE?
Circle City Whiskey responded, “It’s really cool getting to know your neighbors at RISE. It’s primarily small business entrepreneurs working toward building their dreams. Plus, it’s interesting learning about the unique businesses like various contractors, online retailers of sneakers, liquidation specialists, etc. It’s a cool mix of good people that are willing to support one another as relationships build.
We’ve been very fortunate to grow our business and have even managed to establish a licensing partnership with Butler University. The bottle was recently featured on Wish-TV segment “Indiana Grown” with one of our vendor partners The Gant Collective.”
