Jessica Abo sits down with Ryan Devlin, co-founder of This Saves Lives, to talk about business and fatherhood.
May 17, 2019 3 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
After spending a few minutes with Ryan Devlin, you’ll quickly learn how passionate he is about leaving the world a better place than how he found it. On a trip to Liberia with fellow actor Todd Grinnell, Devlin got a glimpse of how severe childhood malnutrition is around the world. Together, he and Grinnell decided to tackle the issue by creating a snack food company that actually helps others. They asked their friends Kristen Bell and Ravi Patel to come on board and their social impact company was born.
Devlin says it’s been incredibly meaningful to see This Saves Lives grow over the years, both in impact and products. But what struck me most about our conversation is how happiness and parenthood play a role in every decision Devlin makes. “We’re all looking for happiness,” he says, whether it’s business owners trying to make consumers happy or customers seeking products that make them a boost.
For Devlin, knowing This Saves Lives donates a lifesaving food packet to a child in need with every purchase of one of its products, gives him immense pride. To date, This Saves Lives has donated more than 11 million food packets to more than 70,000 children.
He also lights up talking about his bath time routine with his four-year-old son and how much joy he has being a present parent. Parenthood, Devlin says, has inspired him to make more mindful decisions and made him a better entrepreneur. “My son understands there is a need in the world because we have those conversations.”
In today’s social media-obsessed, compare-and-despair world, Devlin says he’s committed to fostering a sense of gratitude, compassion and service in his child. “The science shows a recognition of gratitude is one of the most important things that you can foster in any human being, but especially kids, because you’re setting them up for success in future relationships.”
It’s advice he hopes helps others both in life and in business.
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