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“Your beliefs become your thoughts, 

Your thoughts become your words, 

Your words become your actions, 

Your actions become your habits, 

Your habits become your values, 

and your values become your destiny.” 

―Mahatma Gandhi

The spoken word is a wonderful gift—one that we humans use every day, every hour, as a means to communicate with each other.  In the English language alone, there are thousands of words at the tip of our tongue, words that help us reach out and connect with other people.  But have you ever really thought about the words you speak and what they actually mean? 

People throw around the word value a lot, but have you ever stopped and wondered about what the word actually means?  Value can mean different things to different people and in different industries. Even Merriam-Webster has several definitions. At Markon, we see value holistically—as something that affects every aspect of our business and our personal lives.

Let’s break it down into three ways we use value every day: 

• In reference to things, such as value-added products.
• Any product that has been modified in a manner which brings additional value to it.  Example: Value-added salads are whole-head green leaf, iceberg, and romaine that are washed and chopped to save prep time.
• Processes that improve or bring efficiency to a business and make it faster and easier.  Example: Cognos software program easily queries data for review of sales and purchasing so it does not need to be done by a person (who will take longer and could make mistakes). 
• As an expression towards a person or a business: “Our relationship with you is very valuable.”
• When someone is a true friend, you know they will be there for you through the good times and the bad. They encourage your successes as well as comfort you in times of need and you do the same for them. This makes the relationship worth something that transcends money.  
• When companies work together as partners to reach a common goal and achieve success, their relationship can be measured in actual dollars (both saved and earned).
• As a precious resource: “Our time is very valuable.”
• In today’s fast-paced world, every minute counts. Here value is equated with time in the sense that we only have a certain quantity of this resource (for a project, for a vacation, for living our lives), so each moment has worth relative to how it is spent.
• This is especially true in business, where each step and every interaction comes out of the budget. Streamlining time schedules can be of great importance.

Markon is working hard to provide that value on many levels, including product innovation, food safety standards, purchasing proficiency, volume leveraging, industry leadership, and effective communication. So no matter which of the several definitions applies to you, we’ve got you covered.