Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Zuehlke.
Hi Sara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always loved writing, it dates back as far as I can remember.
Funny enough, I solely based my college decision on the fact that the school had the top Journalism program in the country (M-I-Z!) At Mizzou, I was able to hone in on my writing and had many great opportunities to write in different verticals. Fast forward to graduation, I was at a loss for what I wanted to do in the “real world”. I was lucky enough to intern for Artful Living Magazine, a top boutique luxury lifestyle magazine headquartered in Minneapolis.
During my time at Artful Living, I got to interview incredible business owners, try new and exciting products (and review them), build my network, and learned the importance of amplifying creators’ voices. My time at Artful Living really set the bar high for what type of work I want to be doing. Fast forward to now, I’m currently working as a digital marketing specialist at Roers Companies, one of the top multi-family real estate developers in Minnesota.
From website creation to social media to email campaigns, I own everything and anything digital while rocking/wearing many hats in my day-to-day job.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, of course not! Back in the Spring of 2022, I was actually let go from my job, which very quickly brought on the idea in my head that I’m not good at what I do (hello imposter syndrome!). Looking back now, it was easily the best thing that could’ve happened to me.
Although I knew I wasn’t happy in that job, at that moment, it was super hard to come to terms with the idea that my skills weren’t wanted somewhere. After taking a few months off (and babysitting dogs on Rover), I landed my current position.
At first, it was a hefty transition (going from being remote-first to working in-office 4 days a week), however, I learned to love the work I was doing and realized your environment has so much effect on your outlook towards work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Roers Companies?
Working for Roers Companies has been a huge blessing for me. All the companies I worked at post-graduation were fairly small and had somewhat of a startup environment. Roers Companies is definitely the most “corporate” job I’ve had thus far but it also has been the most fun, because I am finally in a specialized role where people turn to me as the “expert” for all things digital marketing.
Roers Cos does development differently. We are a world-class organization of leaders who prioritize the needs of our partners to achieve superior results. In just 10 years, Brian and Kent Roers have developed over 10,000 units and have recently hit 2 BILLION dollars in real-estate development. They set lofty goals and know that nothing can be achieved without teamwork, dedication, and passion.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I would say just don’t be afraid to lean on your family and friends to expand your network. I don’t necessarily have a mentor but I consider my dad to be a huge asset to my personal and professional development.
He is truly my #1 fan, so on days that I’m not feeling 100% about myself and my capabilities, he’s a great person to turn to. I also consider my manager at work to be somewhat of a mentor to me. I’ve never had a manager I could be so open with, and that’s huge in terms of being vulnerable and personal growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://18sarazuehlke.wixsite.com/sarazuehlke/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarazuehlke1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sara.zuehlke
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-zuehlke-5b427513b/
