Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Mase.
Grace, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
BEYREP was born from a difficult home renovation project. Based on referrals, I hired a seemingly competent contractor to renovate a bathroom. I soon found that the contractor was very disorganized. Halfway through the project, the quality was not up to par, and he was already demanding final payment. I managed to steer the project back on course and eventually finished.
I was trained as an architect, I know how to manage contractors, and was surprised and ashamed that I didn’t handle my own home renovation better. We struggled to communicate, dealt with clumsy paper documentation, and clearly had mismatched expectations. I thought there had to be a better way. I searched extensively and was surprised that there was no comprehensive solution out in the market to help homeowners to manage their home improvement projects and prevent the nightmare I experienced. I believe that no one should have to experience shame and stress to improve their home.
I want to help homeowners to have peace of mind and confidence as they achieve Home Improvement project success help Pros to be more effective in managing and growing their business, and help to improve the industry productivity level. So I took it upon myself to develop a matchmaking algorithm, a project management tool, and a secure payment system that didn’t previously exist in the home improvement industry. And just like that, BEYREP was born.
The name BEYREP has deep and personal meaning for me. During the summer of my Junior year in college, I volunteered to help build a school in the small village of Foussana in the middle of Tunisia, North Africa. Evidently, I was the first Asian to visit that remote village. The villagers, especially the women and children, were very curious about me. They watched me building concrete forms and mixing concrete with a shovel. They didn’t know my name, so they called me Bey. With my broken French, I learned from a local elderly person that Bey means someone doing noble deeds without an agenda. I was quite honored to learn the meaning and proud of how they viewed me.
Later, I worked at UC Berkeley representing the University as an Owner’s Rep. I coordinated with the department heads to understand their needs and wants. I gathered proposals and reviewed plans with a detailed cost and schedule estimates. I contracted with design and building professionals to achieve the project objectives and managed the projects from start to finish. Working for a public institution, it was critical to complete each project on time and on a budget, because with state funding, failure was not an option. I developed a management system and utilized it successfully on numerous projects.
When it came time to name my own company, I joined these two concepts: Bey, the noble volunteer, and Rep, capably representing others, to form the name BEYREP.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like many entrepreneur journeys, we also experienced challenges in building a team from scratch. Our biggest asset in attracting highly effective team members has been our mission to empower people to achieve a better life through a better home. Our dedicated team members thrive on helping others, collaborating together, and supporting each other. Each successful project fuels our commitment to our mission. As our team experiences the positive effects and results of their work, they engage and commit more deeply.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the BEYREP story. Tell us more about the business.
BEYREP is a unique system designed to assist both homeowners and design and building professionals to execute their projects. We understand the pain points and have simplified the process for both homeowners and Pros to collaborate and manage their projects effectively, from start to finish.
MATCH with compatible and quality Pros.
BEYREP has pre-screened and partnered with a range of top talented Pros- architects, engineers, interior designers, landscape designers, pool designers, lands surveyors, design-build, contractors, and more. Homeowners use the BEYREP app to complete a short questionnaire to describe their personality, style, and expectations. Our smart matching technology analyzes homeowner needs, uses data science to rank Pros based on their skills and specialties, priorities and preferences, and any other attributes that are important to the homeowner, and presents a short list of likely candidates. Homeowners can review these Pro’s profiles and project portfolios to decide who they would like to invite to bid on their project. Everyone’s contact information remains private.
MANAGE confidently.
Homeowners can review estimates from their top matched Pros and hire their preferred choice. BEYREP handles the bid, turns it into a contract, and the system then tracks all aspect of the project schedule, budget, progress, decisions, communications, payments, and documents – all on the same platform. The BEYREP system takes care of the administration and keeps everyone on the same page. The platform enables clear and effective communication – everyone associated with the project can access the single source of truth for all project digital assets in a secure cloud environment, from any device, anytime, anywhere.
PAY <=> GET PAID with peace of mind.
Homeowners provide incremental funding for each phase through our secure, third-party, trust escrow-like payment processing system. Pros request online approval and payment for the work accomplished. The payment system is designed to protect both parties; the work must be completed before the Pro can request payment. The funds are held securely by a trusted service until homeowners approve the work and agree to release the payment. BEYREP is designed to reduce the risk for both homeowners and Pros.
We are proud to serve both homeowners and Pros, to help both parties to be in control and achieve project success, and to help Pros grow their business. We provide a unique service that no one else offers – matching homeowners with compatible Pros, and helping them manage their projects to completion. Our patented technology provides confidence and peace of mind for both parties.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
Consumer attitudes are changing due to trends in technology. They expect technology will be smarter than before, help to reduce stress, get time back, and increase return on their investment by streamlining the process, simplifying the interaction, and providing transparency.
For the home improvement sector, homeowners expect good quality in product and positive experience in service. Business owners want to grow their business smarter so that they can spend more time with those who matter to them. Home improvements are a significant financial and emotional investment for both parties, and both will benefit from a solid foundation of trust and desire for a positive outcome.
Homeowners and design/building business owners will rely more heavily on technology to be in control, build confidence, and have peace of mind. In addition, to the technology trend changes, the labor changes will be more evident in the next 5-10 years. Currently, 80% of home improvement projects are initiated and managed by women.
While (70%) Architecture, (75%) Engineering and (90%) Construction (AEC) industries are male-dominated. With the labor shortage in the AEC industry, the big shift will increase women in AEC professions. This shift is a welcome change in the industry and will help to balance out the dynamic, which will improve the partnership collaboration between homeowners and design/building professionals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beyrep.com
- Phone: 818-859-3628
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/beyrep
- Other: www.linkedin.com/beyrep
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