Lior Bega is the owner of Sweet Home Improvements, Inc., in Glenview.  He has owned this business for almost 10 years and had experience with painting prior to opening the business.  He has 3 full time staff and 1 part time.  He uses subcontractors as needed for things like plumbing, electric or certain flooring.  He services from the Loop up the North Shore and as far west as Buffalo Grove.

     Sweet Home Improvement specializes in interior remodeling and painting.  Recently, Lior began to market Universal Remodeling to his clients as he just completed the NARI Universal Remodeling course and plans to take the exam in January.

     "Most of my competitors don't give personal customer service.  I love to work directly with homeowners and not as a subcontractor."  He feels that by getting to know them personally, he knows what they like and how to satisfy them.  He is there for them anytime for their concerns.

     Lior feels that a lack of communication is what is missing from a lot of remodeling jobs.  A lot of Lior's clients are those who have been burned by other contractors or those who don't have time to shop around.   "I make sure their bad experience doesn't happen again." 

     Lior wanted to expand his business to have 2 permanent crews and get himself out of the daily "building materials shopping".  He worked endless hours analyzing his business and figuring out how to work smarter.  It was a rough few months with long hours and time away from his family, but now he can't believe he was afraid to do it, even though the economy made it difficult to invest.  He bought an additional vehicle for his business and gave more responsibilities to his foreman.  The load is off his chest; he is hiring now because his three full time workers are not enough for the load of work that is coming up.   Lior credits this recent business growth to NARI education and members who have been willing to help him along the way.  "I know I am in the process of building one great company!"

     NARI is very important to Lior.  Without it, he says, he wouldn't be in business today.  When he started his company, he didn't know how to run the business end of things.  He was unsure of pricing things.  Once he joined NARI as well as a painting association, he began to find the answers and learn more about what mistakes he was making.  "The ideas, suggestions and advice that every member is exposed to is priceless."

     Lior was born in Israel and moved to the United States when he was in high school, knowing little English.  He worked for the school district doing maintenance, but then focused on an education in criminology.  Over the next few years he worked several jobs as a private investigator, a teacher, a cook and working in a convenient store.  When the plan for a business with his brother fell through he started taking odd jobs doing small contracting work and eventually opened his own business.

     Lior has been married to Danit for 6 years and has three children: two girls, 5 and 3 and a boy, 6 months.  "Yes, daddy bought him stuffed tool toys for him to play with." 

     He thinks that some people think that running a business should come naturally and they don't need any help.  His philosophy: "Last time I checked, the biggest corporations have advisors or study business in some ways.  Asking for help is not a shame."