Her Campus was lucky enough to attend the “This Bar Saves Lives” event and ask co-founders Ryan Devlin and Ravi Patel and brand ambassadors Patrick Adams and Troian Bellisario questions about their involvement in the brand. All of the information of the company can be found in an article linked HERE!
But, the most meaningful question we asked them was “what advice would you give to college-aged students who want to create an organization like this one or give back in a meaningful way?”
Ryan Devlin seemed to have the go-for-it approach. He suggested that “if you’re entrepreneurial, find an opportunity with your idea to give back…to do good.” Have an idea, but not sure how start? Devlin suggests that “if you have an idea, find what gives you passion in a way to give back and make an impact in the world and then go after it.” Not sure how to begin or worried about starting a company or a non- profit alone? Devlin also stressed the importance of finding the right people to do it with: “Find one or two that share [the same passion] and build it with them.” Finding the right friends to create and develop your ideas is key to creating a lasting company and your friends will help you through trying times. In summary, “find that idea, find the people who share that idea, and go for it. We need you!”
Ravi Patel, another co-founder, had similar advice. He told us that “starting a company is one of the greatest privileges in life,” so why not go for it? You might be afraid of failure or you might think that your company or organization might not be successful (whatever that means), but Patel says that “the real success is in the pursuit.” Through the pursuit, “you get to learn, not only about yourself but whatever it is you’re doing.” He also emphasized the importance of surrounding yourself with mentors: “one of the greatest assets of any big pursuit is surrounding yourself with people who want to help you get better at what you’re doing and who have experience.” So, what I took away from Ravi Patel was to enjoy the entire process, not focus on just the outcome, and to surround yourself with those who are rooting for you and your project!
The lovebirds, Troian Bellisario of “Pretty Little Liars” and Patrick Adams of “Suits”, teamed up for their answer to our question. Adams said that the key to starting a company like that of “This Bar Saves Lives” is to “find people on campus that are working in arenas that are important to you.” He implied, and I agree, that college campuses are full of the right people and opportunities to make starting a similar company possible. Troian thinks that you should “take the time to think long and hard about what matters to you in the world and what causes really speak to you individually” and implied that when those causes are in line with your passions “you’re going to work even harder to make sure that you really make a difference in whatever that cause is.”
All in all, Her Campus learned the importance of running with your idea, especially if you think it could make a difference in the world. I know that finding the right people might seem like a daunting task, but it is possible even on a big college campus like UCLA.