When she was young, Sara Mazin moved around a lot. That’s because her family wanted the best opportunities for her that she coundn’t have in a third-world country. Born in Mauritania, North Africa, and after just one month, Mazin initially moved to Berwyn, Ill. and lived there until she was 16. She moved across the country to Irvine, Calif. to live with her sister so she could have a fresh start, and graduate high school.

As a young adult, Sara entered the trades by completing nine months at the now closed WyoTech College in Long Beach, focusing on the plumbing trades. Right after finishing the program, at the age of 19, Mazin was hired as a plumbing apprentice at Rescue Rooter Riverside. “I was bored, frankly,” says Mazin. “But by the time I worked my way up to plumbing service tech after six months, that’s when I fell in love with the trade.”

Working for the company was a good experience, but Mazin felt it was too big for her so she looked for a smaller company to work for where she could continue to learn, and have more opportunities. Mazin spent eight years with Kalka Plumbing Heating and Air as a plumbing service technician and field supervisor before she left to start her own company—Sara’s Best Plumbing, Orange County, Calif. Some two short years later, Sara runs a successful plumbing service and repair company with five employees.

You see Sara is a fast riser. What started as digging trenches, Sara worked her way up to the top, becoming a licensed Master Plumber. “When I realized I had that really strong passion for the trade, I had a vision to build a company that would impact not only my family, but other families throughout the plumbing trade and industry,” says Mazin.

Sara started Sara’s Best Plumbing in 2022, and early on, “I was extremely nervous to get the phone to ring,” says Mazin. “At first, I reached out and networked with everyone I knew. I focused on developing my online platforms—Instagram, facebook, Yelp, TikTok—to reach as many people as I could. I also focused on registering as a certified contractor with all the major manufacturers in the plumbing industry.”

Mentoring and Moving Forward

Mazin has gained such an admiration for the trades over the years. “I have so much respect and appreciation for the trade. There is literally nothing that I do not like about the trade,” she says.

Mazin recalls some of her mentors to help her get to where she is today. Thomas Gillespie, former plumbing manager at Kalka Plumbing and current GM at NexGen, taught Sara a lot of the sales and service and side of the industry. Kevin Kalka, owner of Kalka Plumbing really taught Sara a lot about the trade and plumbing. And lastly, Sara’s brother Abdul and sister Amna are mentors and role models in both business and life.

Loving the the problem-solving side of the trade and being able to solve problems for her clients, Sara absolutely considers herself a mentor. “I love leading by example, and passing on my knowledge and experience. I have always done that with my previous coworkers and now my employees at Sara’s Best Plumbing. I wish I was more of a mentor to women and would love that opportunity,” says Mazin.

And while Sara welcomes the role of mentoring for women, “I think the industry needs to be more diverse in bringing more minorities to leadership roles. They, in turn, can be role models for more people,” says Mazin. “It is really hard being what you haven’t seen. Meaning, we need more women/minorities in roles of leadership to open up more opportunities.”

In her “spare” time, Sara likes to be active: go on hikes, workout and trying any new activities. To decompress, she enjoys listening to music, cooking, and watching Netflix. Her bucket list items include 1) Going on a Safari in Africa 2) Sitting courtside at an NBA Game and 3) Visiting Italy or Fiji.

And while every day Sara is thankful everyday for the opportunities given to her, the last time she said “Today is a great day, ‘It was on the 4th of July when I got to spend time and hang out with my family eating BBQ’d and watching fireworks.’”