Exploring Life & Business with Casey Slusher of InchBug

Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Slusher.

Hi Casey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2012, I squeezed everything I owned into my Honda Civic and drove 1,400 miles from New Jersey to Texas to start my first “adult” career. I had just graduated from Physician Assistant school and during my training, I’d spent some time in Austin and fell in love with the city, the culture and the people. The city and the opportunities here made such an impression on me that after graduation, my boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to move to Texas. I practiced medicine for roughly eight years until 2020, when I became a mom to our daughter Elliott, born in May 2020. Like for many people, the combination of the pandemic and new motherhood turned the world and my place in it upside down. A change was in order. I gratefully had the ability to leave the workforce in October 2020 to stay home with Elliott full time. I was a content operating day to day home with Ellie and had no different plan for the foreseeable future. Then an opportunity to acquire a small business came up. Initially, I had doubts. How could I run a company? What qualifications did I have? There must be someone better suited for this? Self-doubt and self-sabotage tried to creep in, but my husband was there to pull me back. Who better to run a kid’s brand than a new mom? A new mom with a resilient, hard-working nature? After a few sleepless nights, I took a deep breath and jumped in. I would run InchBug, an online personalized children’s label brand, as its owner and CEO. And now I can’t imagine my life any other way.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Pivoting from healthcare to running an e-commerce small business seemed out of reach to me. I was plagued with self-doubt and self-sabotage. My thoughts were telling me I couldn’t do this, I didn’t have the right background. Over time and with the support of my husband and family, I was able to challenge these thoughts and take the leap. You really are your own worst enemy and hardest critic. Believing in yourself is so much easier said than done, but the rewards for doing so are enormous. Balancing family life with running a small business also presented its own new set of challenges. It’s hard to shut off and leave work at work, and your mind is constantly thinking of new ideas or new ways to grow your brand. It is a daily practice to stay mindful and present for each part of my day and be intentional about when it’s time to leave a task for the next day. As a mom of a vibrant two years old, she reminds me daily to slow down and focus on even the smallest detail.

We’ve been impressed with InchBug, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m the owner and CEO of InchBug. We’re on a mission to make organizing life with children easy, fun and practical. Founded in 2004, we created the Orbit Label – the first-ever personalizable and reusable bottle label. This unique silicone label fits snugly around bottles and allows you to reuse it over and over again — from baby bottles to sippy cups, to sports bottles. It’s waterproof, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and BPA free. Our product line also includes high-quality, waterproof adhesive labels. Put them on everything and anything you need to keep your family organized – clothes, bags, backpacks, shoes, snack containers, notebooks, binders, pencils…

I’m joined by a phenomenal team of 12 wonderful people at our facility in Austin. They put their hearts into this brand and truly care about the quality of the product and the customer experience. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with this team and I look forward to spending many years with them.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up on a 3rd generation family farm in southern New Jersey. Over 300 acres of wide-open fields were my backyard and playground as a child. Summers were the best, with long, sunny days and hours of outdoor time in the cornfields and creeks. I worked beside my mom at the local farmer’s market every week selling our corn. I rode with my dad in the tractor often, making the long trip in one direction across the field before turning back to do it all over again. Life on our farm gave me a sense of patience, independence and resilience that has propelled me down life’s path. I credit so much of my success with those early days and the support of my hardworking parents.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.inchbug.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inchbug/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InchBug/
• Other: pinterest.com/inchbug

Image Credits
Headshot – Christopher Zebo – ATX Photo Truck Black and White Mother and Daughter Photo – Alison Eden Original Orbit Label Ad Photo – Alison Eden (photographer) and Cheyenne Brown (graphic designer) The Ultimate Mom Hack Ad – Cheyenne Brown (graphic designer) Oceanside picture – Karen DeGrazio InchBug office photo

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