Real Value

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There is a Hindu proverb that says: “Rivers do not drink their own water. Trees do not eat their own fruit. Clouds do not swallow their own rain. What great ones have is always for the benefit of others.”

Real Value is a thought-provoking documentary film by award-winning filmmaker Jesse Borkowski. It offers a refreshing point of view about how businesses can be used to add value that extends beyond profit. In the film, social entrepreneurs share motivational stories about how this idea applies to working in agriculture, apparel, insurance, and biofuel. The film also includes stimulating details given by the world-renowned professor of psychology and behavioral economics, Dan Ariely, about the science behind our perception of value.

Our brain is active all the time. It’s constantly trying to draw conclusions and interpret the world. In order to do that it relies on the available cues. Some of these cues are relevant, but many are not. Our perception of value is dramatically subjective and it depends on many factors within each individual’s environment. The value of an item, product, or service is largely determined by how much people are willing to pay for it.

When it comes to giving back, Philanthropy is old school. It was a system in which one would give to others the wealth that had already been created. These days there is a more modern approach in which wealth is created by serving others or serving the environment. In other words, it is creating a profitable business that does good, that protects the environment, that offers a healthier lifestyle to its employees, that provides well-being to the community. Profits that carry a social benefit are superior to other types of profit.

There is a growing sentiment among many Americans regarding the way corporations do business. Many people believe that the obsessive focus on the bottom line has been to the disadvantage of society. It seems that as long as there’s a profit, many businesses don’t really care about the damage that is being done. This has made people lose trust in corporations and see all businesses as driven by greed. When a business owner makes himself or herself transparent, it fosters trust in both its current and prospective clients.

This film seeks to inspire business owners and entrepreneur by showing them that there is a better way to make a profit. This is for all those who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of what happens when a business deliberately puts people, the planet, and profit on equal footing. Watch this now.