RYAN DAUGHTRIDGE
"THE WORLD WORSHIPS THE ORIGINAL, NOT THE COPIES."
- Ingrid Bergman
20 years of building brands and learning from the best.
my own brands
my past clients.
Growing up as the son of a preacher man, I was exposed early to one of the oldest forms of brand storytelling. A preacher’s job isn’t to invent the message — it’s to deliver it in a way that resonates deeply with people’s lives, values, and imagination.
My dad always said I’d make a good preacher. And in many ways, I’ve become one — just with different tools. For over two decades, I’ve built brands, led creative teams, developed products, and told stories that connect with real people. From launching companies out of my dorm room to consulting for global brands like Ralph Lauren and Porsche, I’ve learned how to build brands that move people — and move product.
Today, I’m looking to bring that energy, insight, and creative direction to a growing brand that’s ready to scale its identity, story, and impact. If you're building something meaningful and looking for a hands-on creative partner, I’d love to connect.
​
- Ryan Daughtridge,
Creative Brand Director | Founder | Global Product Developer
"INSIST UPON YOURSELF TO BE ORIGINAL."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
expertise.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
With two decades of experience bringing physical products to life, I specialize in helping brands expand their product lines with purpose. From apparel to accessories, I guide the entire process—from concept and prototyping to sourcing and final production—ensuring that every item aligns with your brand story and bottom line.
marketing & SALES
You have a great product—now it’s time to build a movement around it. I help brands craft marketing systems rooted in clear storytelling, campaign rhythm, and social presence. From positioning to post-launch, I help elevate products into brands that resonate.
FOUNDERS
APPROACH
I partner with founders and teams to sharpen their business model, strengthen brand foundations, and prepare for scalable growth. Whether you’re refining your positioning, product mix, or long-term strategy, I bring a founder’s lens and a creative playbook.
BRAND & STORY
In a saturated market, story is everything. I help brands connect their roots to their future, crafting narratives that guide identity, messaging, and content. From mission to visual voice, I build stories that scale and stick.
"INSIST UPON YOURSELF TO BE ORIGINAL."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
services.
investor & acquisitions
Positioning matters—especially when growth partners are at the table. I help brands prepare for investment or acquisition by aligning story, numbers, and future potential. From pitch decks to product roadmaps, I’ve been there and can help.
social media strategy
Social media should feel like an extension of your brand—not a to-do list. I build systems and content strategies that make your message consistent, visual, and share-worthy—without sacrificing authenticity or voice.
website strategy
Your website is the heartbeat of your brand. I design or direct digital experiences that express your brand clearly—from landing pages to product pages—guiding developers and creatives to build sites that convert and connect.
leADERSHIP SUPPORT
As a founder and creative leader, I know the weight of growing a business and leading a vision. I support other founders and executives in staying energized, aligned, and creatively engaged while building brands that matter.
"MARKETING IS NO LONGER ABOUT THE STUFF THAT YOU MAKE, BUT ABOUT THE STORIES YOU TELL."
-Seth Godin
about me.
Growing up in Hagerstown, Maryland, I was lucky to grow up in a loving home with parents who worked hard to make our humble circumstances something of a dream. I was taught from a young age that anything was possible if you have a vision and work hard.
​
My optimism served me well through grade-school as I flourished into a decent student and decorated student-athlete. It was a small town and I was a small town hero. However, by the time I made it to Syracuse University on a soccer scholarship you could say that my head had officially swollen to the size of a prize southern watermelon. This made college precisely the perfect time to get my first, strong punch in the face.
Within days of arriving on the posh and privileged campus of a New York private school I came to realize that the story in my head was way, WAY off. I was not the best soccer player, I was not the best student and I was not the guy who would get all the girls. Thanks to a malleable ego I absorbed the punch and found out that life was about learning who you are and what you do best, not about being great at everything.
​
I changed my major from Pre-Law to Psychology because I wanted to understand why before I learned how. My main interest was NOT in dissecting and understanding other people, but rather in understanding myself. I knew that if I could tell myself a true story then I could unlock anything that I wanted in life.
​
After college I moved myself and my hobby-box of a skateboard brand to New York City. While I built the company I also built my portfolio and had some of the luckiest breaks of my life, learning so many skills and lessons from top companies and mentors. Often I'd wake up early to watch the sun rise over manhattan from the Hoboken waterfront and I think to myself "If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere."
​
Nothing was easy in New York and my beloved self-story was punched in the face again over and over with each new project I encountered. Every step of the way was a new adventure with fascinating and unpredictable projects and personalities, but I woke up every day determined to improve (and survive). Eventually Bustin Boards had two stores in New York and I had a rolodex of contacts around the world that proved instrumental to my survival and my growth as a designer, marketer and business man.
In 2012 Bustin Boards was named to Inc. Magazine's '500 Fastest Growing US Companies' list and my head started growing again. My next punch in the face came in 2014 when the skateboarding industry was holding on by a thread after a sweeping blitz of cheap knockoff boards hit from Amazon and Walmart. The industry was pinched and it was a very humbling few years in my entrepreneurial journey. Fortunately Bustin survived with a few bold pivots and some great advice from my friend and skateboard industry veteran Reggie Barnes; "The shake out period of skateboarding is here, stay true to who you are, don't follow the herd, and you will survive."
​
We survived, but most of our industry was wiped out and the industry norms were rewritten in corporate boardrooms with no connection to the scene we had built. Surviving and adapting out of the new few years was one of the hardest challenges of my life. Looking back, I like to think my heart and mind were forged in steel and humility with the experience of going from a self-perceived elitist entrepreneur to battered business survivor. Navigating the company through that time became my own chain-gang masterclass in innovating on product, building an unforgettable brand and refining your story.
​
In 2015 Bustin Boards formed a partnership with Kevin Plank, one of Maryland's most successful entrepreneurs and billionaire founder of Under Armour. Through the experience of working with Kevin's team and UA I have learned so much about business, marketing, branding and story telling, and made invaluable manufacturing connections. During this time I've met some of the most interesting people that I know and filled my toolbox further with more wisdom and tactical business know how.
​
In 2020 my wife, her mom and I opened our first restaurant concept, Free Range Cafe, during the worst year EVER to open a restaurant. Initially my role as 'Design and Marketing Director' meant mostly taking pictures and running the Instagram/Facebook accounts. However, the punch in face soon came in the form of a pandemic and my duties quickly swelled to new things like developing a digital model for online ordering and drive-thru service. Helping craft the strategy, brand and story for the restaurant has provided me with new perspective and new tools, and we are excited to see it grow. In 2022 we formed a strategic partnership with a restaurant operator which allowed us to step back from day-to-day operations and focus on what we're good at in product and brand development.
​
In late 2021, we sold a majority stake in Bustin Boards to an international private equity group, closing a 20-year chapter of my life. As part of the acquisition, I signed on to serve as Creative Director for Moonshot Brands, a portfolio of e-commerce companies that included Bustin and nine other product-focused brands.
​
At Moonshot, I had the opportunity to lead branding, product development, and marketing strategy across multiple categories—ranging from apparel to wellness to outdoor goods. Each brand required a unique identity, an omni-channel strategy, and products that made sense everywhere from Amazon to Costco shelves. The challenge was energizing—and sharpened my skills in positioning, sourcing, packaging, and digital storytelling.
​
Now, after three transformative years, I’m stepping into a new chapter. I’m looking to bring my experience, energy, and creative leadership to a growing brand that’s ready to scale with purpose. Whether as a Creative Director, Brand Strategist, or Product Developer—I’m excited to help shape what’s next.
​
If that sounds like something your team needs, I’d love to connect.
—
Ryan Daughtridge
Creative Brand Director | Founder | Global Product Developer