Heather Buen – The Buen Life – Activating Life on Purpose

Who is Heather? Heather Buen, MBA (and soon to be Masters in Finance) is a mom of three, an Energy Utilities Analyst, Adjunct Professor, Freelance Writer, Blogging Extraordinaire and Light Worker.

What do I write?

I love to research and so I love to write. My experience includes website copy, email templates, direct mail letters, IVR scripting, social media posts, research and development, and editing. I have thousands of articles and blogs on my own websites, online news publications, and on small business and corporate websites. I specialize in SEO related copywriting and keyword analysis utilizing tools such as Hootsuite, FTP, MySQL, SEMrush, Google Analytics, Google Adwords, WordPress; basic HTML.

See more of my resume here! See more of my writing samples here!

My personal philosophy: I am an experiential utilitarian of life

My tag line: I am living “The Buen Life”

How do I work with clients?

I am a firm believer in the importance of research. Maybe it’s my educational background or my experience teaching that makes me this way. It is also my experience in project management. I believe in process mapping – an essential function to building websites as I have built many. I am also a believer in extensive user experience design. When it comes to working with clients I will spend time talking about your project and extensively mapping out what your brand represents and ensuring your written communications are in alignment with what your brand represents and how your voice is presented.

How much do you charge?

Projects vary depending upon time, size and scope.

Where did I grow up?

I was born and raised on Maui, Hawaii and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, Hawaii.

How did I get to Texas?

I moved to Texas in 2001 working for Verizon Communications eventually moving on to TXU Energy where I currently work. I began freelance writing in 2010. Personally I have been married and divorced but always stayed in Dallas-Fort Worth. As a mom and a Gen-X, 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 9 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.

Education

I am a big advocate for continuous learning. It is why I got my MBA from the University of Maryland – University College and I am currently obtaining my Masters in Finance there. I have taught from 2013 to 2016 at UT Arlington in their Continuing Education Department. If you need mentoring, want to set aside time to chat or want to hear about how I teach and coaching others you can contact me.

Blogging and Freelance Work

I started the blog, Dallas Single Mom in 2010, 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. In 2017 I transferred ownership so that I could pursue other endeavors and learning to quit, quitting to learn has taught me so much about tuning into your calling and changing your frequency in order to achieve the buen life – or the life on YOUR purpose.

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 – Honor Roll at TXU Energy – Top 5 employees for most community service hours
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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2017

Media Member of Family Travel Association: 05.2017

Honor Roll - TXU Energy Top 1% of employees in community service hours: 01.2017

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).

Check out the blog on personal success and motivation

All About Heather