The moment you stop asking yourself who you are or what you stand for is the moment when you stop growing as a person. Here at One Source Reps, we believe the same can be said for organizations, that's why we make it a common practice to ask and analyze these types of questions on a regular basis.

In a business sense, this is often viewed as core values and a company mission statement, so we recently took some time to contemplate these ideas as they relate to One Source, and the customers we serve. Here's what we determined:

1) Food is important to our relationships.

At the end of the day, it's all about the food. It's what brings people together. There are few things more intimate than breaking bread and clinking glasses, so when we invite our customers into our test kitchen, we do so with the belief that this is the biggest honor we can bestow. Whether it's a random Wednesday afternoon or a meaningful holiday in the One Source Live Kitchen, we're honored to host our guests.

2) Our culture is important.

Whether it's how we treat our customers or how we interact with one another in the office or test kitchen, culture is at the center of everything we do. We believe deeply in the value of community, and giving back to that community. We also know sales-driven organizations are typically less successful than those driven by the desire to help, to educate, and to provide value. Relationships are a two-way street, and business isn't just about "the sale."

3) We live by our core values.

And what are those? We recently met as an organization to determine what are values really are and to document our mission statement. At the end of that meeting, we left with a list of our core values:

• Teamwork: Enjoy every day to its fullest
  
  
• Relationships: Develop, maintain, strengthen, and make a difference through charity, education, and professionalism
  
  
• Reliability: Be consistent with order processing, following through on service calls, and quoting
  
  
• Innovation: Develop platforms, consider software when applicable, and use video technology to enhance the way we do business

4) Follow our mission statement.

At the end of the day, our mission statement is rooted in our perception of our relationships. Our mission statement is:

"Working together to provide reliable and innovative practices that reshape the role of a foodservice manufacturer’s rep."

Want to experience some famous One Source hospitality? We're all about hosting, so please join us for our upcoming Oktoberfest event in the One Source Live test kitchen.