Heather Buen, MBA – The 'Re-Invention' Agent for finding success in business, social and family life

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Heather Buen, MBA is an Energy Utilities Analyst, Teacher, Writer, and Mom Blogging Extraordinaire.

I have reinvented myself through life’s changes and I refer to myself as the ‘Re-Invention’ Agent. I have developed an efficient work life balance for myself and my family that works for our unique situation. I just celebrated my 8 year service anniversary at TXU Energy as a Sr. Analyst for Utilities Active Collections. I am in great company as I get to spend my days working with such awesome folks that are all part of an organization that is one of the top ten out of the Dallas Morning News’ Top 100 Places to Work for in Dallas-Fort Worth. I consider my career to be one of the Four Pillars of JOY in my life. These are the things that get me motivated and moving in the mornings.

My second pillar of joy is learning and education. I am a big advocate for continuous learning. It is why I got my MBA and why I have taught from 2013 at UT Arlington in their Continuing Education Department. It is why I will continue to seek more learning opportunities and educational experiences to further my life and my career. It is also the reason why I enjoy teaching and coaching others on their life paths,

My third pillar of joy is creativity. It’s the reason why I freelance as a writer and why I have such a large audience. Writing and reading has always been a hobby of mine and my personal outlet. Creativity is an essential part of how you think and helps you approach projects or challenges in work and in life in a different way. With creativity you are allowed to “free think” and it’s a way to come up with solutions at work, at home or pretty much anywhere. As a writer I am now getting paid for what it is I have to say. It has afforded me the opportunity to network with people I would normally not have networked with before. It has also brought with it a host of learning opportunities providing me expertise to teach others. Besides writing I enjoy music and art.

The last pillar of joy and a reason why I work so hard is for Family. I am a single mom with three children and my adventures resonate with others. It is the reason I started the blog, Dallas Single Mom, and it has quickly become of the top lifestyle blogs in Dallas-Fort Worth. It has helped me share my experiences with work life balance, learn about digital marketing in an experiential way (and Teach It), network with other social media influencers and open up a world of possibilities for me. My children get to experience things they would normally not get to experience. I am so ever grateful for taking a chance to talk about my experiences in such a profound way.

What does the future say?

I have begun taking all of those experiences and have started helping other Dallas Single Moms and women that are going through life transitions to become pillars in their families, their workplaces and their communities. Using the experiences and practices I have learned in analysis and forecasting I want to help others create a more successful life using tools and talents they already possess. People I have worked with are much more productive and open to change in the midst of short term life changes that can change the course of their future in areas such as business, career, relationship, divorce, dating, family and work life balance. I’m a do-er and I am pretty useful in these areas because I have been there.

Learn more about me in my Corporate Resume and view a list of my writing projects in my portfolio. In my spare time I enjoy cooking, traveling, art and being all about Dallas.

Awards and Honors include:

2016 – Part of Winning Team in TXU Energy’s First Case Study Competition
2015 – Featured VIP Panel Speaker and Presenter at 2015 Blogger 2 Boss Conference,
2015 – Judge at 2015 Dallas InnovateHER women’s small business challenge
2014 – Expert blogging panel member at Market Mommy
2014 – Influencer at zillow.com
2013 – Achieved Toastmaster’s Competent Communicator Status by completing ten speeches.
2010 – Completed Level 1 Leadership Practitioner for NLP Training Concepts – Building Powerful Relationships
2009 – Attended the 2009 Dallas Regional Chamber Women’s Conference
2007 – Customer Service Award at FedEx Kinko’s
2004 – June Employee of the Month
2003 – 2nd Place – Largest Corporate Fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – $12, 000
Nominated as best local blogger 4 years straight by Dallas A List.

Highlights of her career:

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2016

Reinvention Agent: 02.08.2016
Begin marketing at a life transitions coach under the name "Re-invention" Agent. Utilizing life experiences and experiential learning to teach those in transition how to use their present tools in a more efficient manner towards achieving their goals.

Newscastic Writer for CW33: 07.2016
Began writing for CW33 with Newscastic as a Dallas lifestyle writer.

2013

Seasonal Sales at Best Buy - Part Time: 15.11.2013
I worked for a short amount of time at Best Buy as a seasonal sales associate. I did it so I could refresh my selling skills and learn about new technologies and electronics. I was a top salesperson in Home Theater and Audio sales and I had the lowest amount of returns due to my thorough selling presentations and belief in customer satisfaction.

Adjunct Professor Continuing Education - UT Arlington: 10.2013
With the success I gained as a blogger and social media influencer, along with my experience in corporate training I successfully began teaching web marketing and Google analytics at UT Arlington in their continuing education department. It has been rewarding and I help students understand digital marketing, SEO, affiliate marketing through experiential learning and critical thinking.

2010

Start of Dallas Single Mom Blog: 05.2010
This was when I created my blog Dallas Single Mom to talk about my life as a single mom. Since then it has morphed into being one of the top mom and Dallas blogs and has led to much success as a digital expert, brand ambassador, social media influencer and more.

Freelance Writer - Examiner.com: 03.2010
I began writing for Examiner.com and ended my stint there when they closed for business in June of 2016. This was my first foray into paid publishing and I haven't looked back since. See the entire Examiner.com portfolio here!

2008

Started working for TXU Energy: 08.2008
In the summer of 2008 I got the pleasure of taking a position with TXU Energy and that is where I have been every since. For a few years I started with the telemarketing group managing the vendor relationship and performance of call center vendors and eventually ended up managing all communications in the Active Collections area. It has truly been a rewarding experience filled with a lot of great successes and challenges.

2007

Account Executive - Fed Ex Office: 02.2007
In Februrary of 2007 I took a position at FedEx Office doing inside sales and eventually transitioning to field sales. In this position I got the chance to meet with many FedEx counterparts and our commitment to success in the printing and shipping arena. It was great servicing business customers in this capacity and hitting sales goals.

2006

Graduated with MBA from University Maryland - University College: 05.2006

In May of 2006 I earned my MBA from UMUC and graduated with a 3.5 GPA. Working full time and going to school this was a great accomplishment for me. During this time I got to study abroad in Hungary working on a project with Accenture.

2003

Project Management Specialist - Verizon: 03.2003
As a project management specialist I learned the ins and outs of project management for some of the most advanced network technologies at the time. Utilizing Microsoft Office products such as Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Database and SQL and SAS technologies there were numerous product implementations, sales skills training and department objectives that I was glad to be a part of. Success was around every corner.

2001

Began work at Verizon Communications: 01.2001
The start of my post bachelor degree began at Verizon Communications as a part of their Marketing Development program. A two year rotational program offering graduates the opportunity to experience corporate level experience in various marketing and product management capacities as well as a year long rotation managing employees. The gamut of my rotation included Small Business Sales Operations Support, Product Management and Verizon retail store management.

2000

Graduated BSBA Corporate Communications: 12.2000

Graduating with a Bachelors or Science degree in Corporate Communications and a 3.8 GPA I am proud to have been a Sea Warrior. Having been born and raised on the island of Maui, I am very thankful to be able to represent my home state and Aloha where ever I go. My time here was filled with fun, friends and a lot of academic success. I got the opportunity to be on the winning team to win the district level for the National Student Advertising Competition in 2000 with the American Advertising Federation while at HPU.

While attending college I had three jobs. I worked at State Farm Insurance in insurance sales from when I was in high school in May 1996 with various agents until December of 2000. I also was a waitress and hostess for Le Guignol French Restaurant, worked as a sales clerk at Liberty House (now known as Macy's) and interned in the summer of 2000 with GTE Hawaiian Tel (now Verizon).