A Message From Newsletter Subcommittee Chair Chuck Sacco '06

Taking an idea and transforming it into a commercially viable product or service requires an incredible amount of hard work, great teamwork, and strong business skills. When you say that you were able to attribute much of those to your Drexel education, it makes those long studying nights and dedication to your degree even more satisfying.

I was fortunate to participate in a Drexel MBA program from 2004 to 2006. During that time, three classmates and I had the seed of an idea during one of our marketing courses. We ended up with a great team, a great idea, and the passion to take it to market. Today that seed is a technology startup company that has begun to make its mark by helping other companies achieve their goals.

Of course, many things helped us along the way to transform our idea. While we still have more work to accomplish, in retrospect, I think there are three key dimensions that brought us to where we are today: inspiration, mentoring, and connecting.

Inspiration. Inspiration is a fuzzy word, but it is one of those things that you just know when you feel it. The intersection of the right idea, the right time and the right place creates a sense that tells you to go for it. Inspiration will come at you from many angles.

Mentoring. Without mentors I would not be where I am today. A valued mentor pushed me to pursue my MBA, and I still count on mentors today to help me stay sane during the crazy days in a startup business. As alumni, we should all look to mentor someone. It's easy to do. Offer advice and follow up. I guarantee that you will make a difference.

Connecting. Connecting today seems to be more of a numbers game. For example, there's LinkedIn and Facebook misuse in which people seemingly aim to get the most connections or friends without regard to the quality of those connections. If we don't give something back to our physical or virtual communities, then the community, no matter how big, becomes a wasteland. Connecting should be about contributing at least as much as you take. Quickly transforming students into business people has always been a Drexel strength. We as alumni should be proud of what we have achieved and let inspiration, mentoring and connections transform our businesses. Hopefully that makes us even more valuable to our friends, family, and communities.

Finally, I am pleased to report that the newly formed LeBow Alumni Council Steering Committee will be taking a more active role in future alumni communications.

Part of this mission will be to provide all alumni with the opportunity to contribute more broadly to The LeBow Network. In this era of user generated content such as blogs and social networks, we have a unique opportunity to leverage these tools to create and share content that is relevant to our needs. Over the coming weeks the Steering Committee will be reaching out to you for your ideas and contributions.

Chuck Sacco '06 is the CEO and a co-founder of PhindMe (www.phindme.net), a mobile-marketing technology company that helps businesses use cell phone technologies to improve how they reach and interact with consumers.