Ashleigh Hansberger

Ashleigh Hansberger is an award-winning brand strategist, trailblazing entrepreneur, and audacious rule-breaker. In 2005, she co-founded Motto, the much-buzzed about branding agency, with $250 in startup capital, zero experience, and her partner in bold leap-taking, Sunny Bonnell. At the time, she was a 22 year old college drop out. Five years later, she made the list of America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs for Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30.

In her debut book, Rare Breed: A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different (HarperCollins, September 2019), coauthored with Sunny Bonnell, Ashleigh goes against conventional thinking and shines a spotlight on the controversial traits that can lead to incredible breakthroughs and triumphs in business and in life. “Society often forces us to conform our ‘undesirable’ qualities,” Ashleigh notes. “It’s an especially important read for those who are tired of playing it safe and allowing society’s norms to restrict who they can be and what they can do.”

As Motto’s Chief of Strategy, Ashleigh has worked with ambitious startup founders in wide-ranging fields–food, technology, fashion, beauty, and humankind–and with household names like 20th Century Fox, USA Today, NFL On Location, E & J Gallo Winery, and The Hershey Company. She has been featured in major publications and national media, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Cheddar, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and CNBC.

Her approach to branding is much like her culinary prowess – high on creative spirit, particularly when following a recipe. Ashleigh stands out for her ability to pull a compelling and meaningful story from any brand. She believes every brand has the potential to be remarkable; it’s simply a matter of finding and leveraging its uniqueness, and holding it together with a big, bold idea.

Along with her passion for building standout brands and challenging the status quo, she enjoys traveling–and dreams of sailing around the world. She is a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an elite organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs, and lives in New York City where you’ll find her silently judging coffee shops based on their choice of fonts.

Follow Ashleigh:

Instagram: @ashleigh_hansberger
Facebook: @ashleighhansberger
Twitter: @ashleighhansberger
Linkedin:@ashleighhansberger