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STARTING AND GROWING YOUR CAREER AS A FREELANCER/CONSULTANT #phxmobi

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DONN FELKER @DONNFELKER - DONNFELKER.COM FREELANCING AND CONSULTING: 15YRS #phxmobi

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#phxmobi

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AGENDA - HOW TO GET STARTED - SURVING AND THRIVING - HANDING YOUR BACKOFFICE - WORKING REMOTELY SUCCESSFULLY* * - IF WE HAVE TIME. #phxmobi

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SO YOU WANT TO FREELANCE OR CONSULT #phxmobi

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#phxmobi

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BUT WHY? #phxmobi

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LOTSA MOOOLA! #phxmobi

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FREEDOM! #phxmobi

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LEARN NEW THINGS! #phxmobi

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ALL OF WHICH ARE POSSIBLE, BUT ... #phxmobi

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SO IS FAMINE #phxmobi

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CONSULTING - FEAST OR FAMINE #phxmobi

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IN A FAMINE SITUATION, YOUR FULL TIME JOBS IS ... FINDING NEW WORK #phxmobi

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#phxmobi

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CONSULTING AND FREELANCING: A CALCULATED RISK #phxmobi

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HEALTH INSURANCE Lets get this out of the way #phxmobi

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YES ITS QUITE A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE BUT YOU SHOULD BE MAKING A LOT MORE TOO, SO IT EVENS OUT #phxmobi

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OPTIONS HEALTHCARE.GOV HEALTH INSURANCE BROKER HOP ON SPOUSES PLAN #phxmobi

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THE SMALL GROUP HIRE YOUR PARTNER, SISTER, BROTHER, COUSIN, AUNT, ETC SMALL GROUPS, USUALLY 2-50 EMPLOYEES, GET CHEAPER BENEFITS BECAUSE OF A 'GROUP' PLAN. YOU AND ANOTHER PERSON WOULD HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME PLAN. TALK TO THE BROKER ABOUT THIS. #phxmobi

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THE BROKER CAN HELP FIND THE BEST RATES FOR YOUR GIVEN REQUIREMENTS. CAN ALSO HELP FIND DENTAL, VISION, LIFE, SHORT AND LONG TERM DISABILITY. THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANIES, NOT YOU. #phxmobi

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HEALTH INSURANCE EVALUATE AND EXECUTE THEN MOVE ON KEEP YOUR BROKERS NUMBER HANDY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. #phxmobi

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BACK TO CONSULTING AND FREELANCING #phxmobi

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SO, HOW DO I START? #phxmobi

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YOU NEED CLIENTS #phxmobi

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O Clients, Where Art Thou? #phxmobi

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PIPELINE IS STOCKED? #phxmobi

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RIGHT ON! #phxmobi

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STARTING FROM A CLEAN SLATE? #phxmobi

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WHERE TO FIND CLIENTS ODesk Recruiters StackOverflow Careers / Jobsites Craigslist Friends/Family #phxmobi

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LANDED A CLIENT #phxmobi

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How Much Are you Per Hour? #phxmobi

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If I make about 90K a year, thats almost $44 an hour ... so... if I charge $50 or $55 I should be good. — Every Programmer Ever #phxmobi

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NOPE #phxmobi

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WHEN IN DOUBT, START FROM $75/HR AND MOVE UP. I PERSONALLY RECOMMEND STARTING AT $90 AS A MINIMUM BUT SOME ARE AFRAID OF LOSING CLIENTS. #phxmobi

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PROBLEMS WITH UNDER VALUING YOUR WORTH #phxmobi

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RESENTMENT & REGRET (RE: HIGHER PAYING CLIENTS) UNFORESEEN OVERHEAD COSTS, OOPS LOWER PAYING CLIENTS CAN BE A LOT OF TROUBLE #phxmobi

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TIPS DONT EVER GIVE A NUMBER. GIVE A RANGE. E.G. - $90-$120 DEPENDING ON ROLE ALWAYS BE OK WITH THAT LOW NUMBER THIS IS WHAT WORKS BEST FOR ME. #phxmobi

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EXAMPLE SCRIPT IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT TO SAY REPEAT THIS AS IF YOU WERE SPEAKING TO A POTENTIAL CLIENT I charge anywhere from $90-$120 an hour, depending on the role. If you need basic staff augmentation, then its 90$, if I'm leading a team, training your team, or architecting/etc its $120/hr. BE HAPPY WITH THE LOW NUMBER AS THEY'LL TRY TO GET YOU THERE. #phxmobi

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GETTING PAID NET30 IS STANDARD FROM THE POINT THE CLIENT GETS YOUR INVOICE THEY HAVE 30 DAYS TO PAY IT. #phxmobi

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YOU WORK 9/1 - 9/30 INVOICE SENT OCT 1ST PAYMENT IS DUE ON OCT 30TH #phxmobi

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IF YOU BILL MONTHLY, YOU WILL NOT GET PAID FOR POSSIBLY 60 DAYS #phxmobi

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HAVE A NEST EGG HAVE OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME #phxmobi

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SURVIVING AND THRIVING #phxmobi

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HOW DO YOU SURVIVE? Lets Talk About it #phxmobi

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REQUIREMENTS TO SURVIVE: GET AN ACCOUNTANT GET A LAWYER MORE ON THIS LATER #phxmobi

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TWO THINGS 1. SURVIVE AND THRIVE 2. MANAGE YOUR BACK OFFICE #phxmobi

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SURVIVING AND THRIVING #phxmobi

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MARKETING IS KING #phxmobi

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IF NO ONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE ... HOW CAN YOU LAND A GIG? #phxmobi

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BUT I SUCK AT MARKETING, HOW DO I DO IT? #phxmobi

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METHODS OF SELF MARKETING BLOGGING SCREENCASTING PRESENTING GETTING PUBLISHED Always Do Great work #phxmobi

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MINIMUM OF TWO OF THESE AND YOU'LL THRIVE AND SURVIVE #phxmobi

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Always Do Great Work #phxmobi

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BLOGGING YOUR OWN DOMAIN USE WORDPRESS JUST WRITE! DONNFELKER.COM/BLUEHOST #phxmobi

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BLOGGING AIM FOR ONCE A WEEK TWICE A MONTH IF YOU CANT SWING ONCE A WEEK PUBLISH TO NEWS AGGREGATORS #phxmobi

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BLOGGING EMAIL CAPTURE MAILCHIMP Rss To Email Campaign #phxmobi

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THE RESULT OF BLOGGING Indsutry Notoriety Speaking Engagements More Gigs #phxmobi

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REMEMBER! ITS ALL ABOUT MARKETING #phxmobi

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SCREENCASTING Tools CAMTASIA SCREENFLOW CAMSTUDIO #phxmobi

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SCREENCASTING #phxmobi

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SCREENCASTING #phxmobi

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PLACES TO PUBLISH SCREENCASTS YOUTUBE INDUSTRY VIDEO SITES TUTORIAL SITES #phxmobi

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THE RESULT OF SCREENCASTING Indsutry Notoriety Speaking Engagements More Gigs #phxmobi

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PRESENTING PUBLIC SPEAKING ISNT THAT BAD #phxmobi

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What should I talk about? #phxmobi

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When you're speaking front of a crowd, you're an expert to someone. — Someone Smart #phxmobi

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You know something a lot of people don't. Look at your experiences and go from there. #phxmobi

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PRESENTING WHERE TO GET STARTED CODE CAMPS USER GROUPS MEET UPS #phxmobi

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Level Up by Speaking at LOCAL CONFERENCES REGIONAL EVENTS NATIONAL CONFERENCES INTL CONFERENCES #phxmobi

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PRESENTING TIPS Practice Makes Perfect AIM FOR AT LEAST 4 A YEAR (ONE PER QUARTER) #phxmobi

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THE RESULT OF PRESENTING Indsutry Notoriety Expert In Your Field More Speaking Engagements Publishing Opportunities More Gigs #phxmobi

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GETTING PUBLISHED #phxmobi

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THE FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO GET #phxmobi

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WHY GET PUBLISHED? #phxmobi

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PUBLISHING INCREASES CREDIBILITY WHICH IMPROVES OTHERS PERCEPTION OF YOU IN A POSITIVE SENSE #phxmobi

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GETTING PUBLISHED ANCHORS YOU AS AN EXPERT. #phxmobi

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WHERE TO GET STARTED WITH PUBLISHING? #phxmobi

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Remember that Blog of yours? Sites like TutsPlus.com Small Industry Magazines Then go for book publishers (if you want to write a book) #phxmobi

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IMPORTANT NOTE YOU PROBABLY WONT GET PAID FOR ANY OF THIS. Remember ... marketing ... marketing ... marketing #phxmobi

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WHY DO ALL OF THESE THINGS? WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT? #phxmobi

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IT MAKES YOU GROW. IT BUILDS YOUR NETWORK. IT TURNS YOU INTO AN INDSUTRY EXPERT. #phxmobi

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CLIENTS LOVE TO HIRE EXPERTS. #phxmobi

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CLIENTS LOVE TO KEEP EXPERTS. #phxmobi

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BUILD YOUR NETWORK THROUGH MARKETING #phxmobi

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WHO WOULD YOU RATHER HIRE? #phxmobi

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THE INDUSTRY EXPERT #phxmobi

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"THAT ONE GUY" #phxmobi

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PROBABLY THE EXPERT #phxmobi

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MARKETING IS KING #phxmobi

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MARKETING EFFECTIVELY RESULTS IN EASILY ACQUIRING NEW CLIENTS, KEEPING EXISTING CLIENTS AND KEEPING YOUR PIPELINE FULL (STAYING AWAY FROM FAMINE). #phxmobi

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MANAGING THE BACK OFFICE ACCOUNTING, PAYROLL & LEGAL #phxmobi

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GET AN ACCOUNTANT #phxmobi

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TOOLS I RECOMMEND QUICKBOOKS ONLINE FRESHBOOKS XERO ONLY CHOOSE CLOUD OPTIONS #phxmobi

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DO BOOKKEEPING MONTHLY AT A MINIMUM #phxmobi

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HATE BOOKKEEPING? ! THEN OUTSOURCE IT #phxmobi

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PUT YOURSELF ON PAYROLL ZENPAYROLL.COM #phxmobi

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GIVE YOUR ACCOUNTANT A LOG IN TO YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTING. YOU WANT TO STAY OUT OF THEIR OFFICE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. #phxmobi

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DO YOUR TAXES OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE IRS #phxmobi

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GET A LAWYER GET ONE BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO AGREE AND SIGN ANYTHING. #phxmobi

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THEY WILL ASK FOR A RETAINER USUALLY 1-2K Pay It. #phxmobi

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"Why do I need a lawyer? I trust the guy I'm working with."" #phxmobi

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THATS FUNNY. #phxmobi

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Everything goes good, until it doesnt. — Unknown #phxmobi

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LAWYERS ARE AN INSURANCE UNDERWRITER FOR YOUR REVENUE, CAREER AND FUTURE. #phxmobi

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SO, YES .. YOU NEED A CONTRACT A CONTRACT IS THE INSURANCE POLICY FOR THAT CLIENT #phxmobi

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A CONTRACT INCLUDES STATEMENT OF WORK COMPENSATION TERMS PAYMENT TERMS (NET15, NET30, ETC) LIABILITY CLAIMS AND MUCH MORE #phxmobi

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WHEN THINGS GO BAD, YOUR CONTRACT IS THE SAFETY NET. #phxmobi

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FIND A GOOD TECHNOLOGY LAWYER #phxmobi

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There are two bills I enjoy paying every month. One is my accountant. The other is my lawyer. Because of these two I know I'm taken care of. — Mike Monteiro (paraphrased) FROM THE TALK "F*CK YOU, PAY ME" VIA CREATIVE MORNINGS #phxmobi

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LAWYERS AND ACCOUNTANTS KEEP EVERYTHING IN BALANCE SO YOU CAN DO YOUR WORK. #phxmobi

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THANK YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @DONNFELKER #phxmobi

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PLANNING FOR THE FAMINE CONSERVATIVELY, PLAN FOR A FAMINE EVERY 6-9 MONTHS. #phxmobi

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SAVE 3-6 MONTHS OF HOUSEHOLD COSTS #phxmobi

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SHARPEN THE SAW KEEP YOUR SKILLS SHARP DON'T STAGNATE #phxmobi

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REMOTE WORKING REMOTE ISN'T EASY #phxmobi

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HOW TO WORK REMOTE BOOKS: REMOTE, ROWE, TEAM GEEK AND MANY MORE #phxmobi

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BENEFITS OF WORKING REMOTE YOU PROBABLY GET MORE WORK DONE BETTER WORK/LIFE BALANCE (SOMETIMES) AVERAGE COMMUTE TIME IS 8 SECONDS #phxmobi

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PITFALLS OF WORKING REMOTE DISCONNECTED FROM TEAM IT CAN GET QUITE LONELY CABIN FEVER IS REAL #phxmobi

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GET OUT COFFEE SHOPS COWORKING LOCATIONS SHARED OFFICE SPACES #phxmobi

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INTERACT WITH OTHERS USER GROUPS MEET UPS CONFERENCES #phxmobi

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COMMUNICATION IS KEY HIP CHAT SLACK SQWIGGLE JIRA #phxmobi

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#phxmobi