When Chen Ning traded academic research for a toolbox, many people close to her were puzzled.

The 26-year-old entrepreneur had been pursuing a doctorate in women's leadership at a university in Australia when she made an unconventional decision: pause her studies and launch an all-female home repair company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Less than a year later, the startup — branded Mulan Build — has become an unlikely symbol of how young entrepreneurs are reshaping traditional service industries.

Chen's company employs around 15 to 20 people, from repair technicians to designers. The team handles appliance repairs, installation, home renovation supervision and design services, completing roughly 20 to 30 orders per day.

From October 2025 to early 2026, the young company generated revenue of about 600,000 to 700,000 yuan ($88,200-$102,900), Chen said.

"We're not trying to prove women must do this job," Chen told China Daily in an interview. "What I hope is that when people hire a repair technician one day, the first question is whether they are skilled — not whether they are male or female."

Chen's idea grew out of both academic research and everyday observation. While studying gender and leadership structures, she became interested in why women remain underrepresented in technical trades such as construction, maintenance and engineering. At the same time, she noticed widespread dissatisfaction with home repair services in China — from opaque pricing to poor communication and safety concerns.

For many female customers, especially those living alone, inviting a stranger into their home to fix a malfunctioning appliance can be uncomfortable. "That sense of uncertainty and insecurity is real," Chen said. "But the industry rarely designs services from the user's perspective."

Her team built a service model aimed at addressing those concerns. Customers receive detailed quotes based on photos or videos sent in advance before the technicians arrive. The technicians then clearly explain the repair options before proceeding.

The company also emphasizes cross-training technicians to handle multiple household tasks, from plumbing to electrical maintenance, reducing the need for customers to hire multiple workers.

"It's about turning a purely technical job into a standardized service experience," Chen said.

The concept initially faced skepticism. "Some customers' first reaction is still, 'Can women really fix this?'" Chen said with a laugh.

Physical tasks such as lifting heavy equipment or working at height can also pose challenges. The team has adapted by using lighter tools and developing more collaborative work processes.

And customer reactions are gradually changing.

Wang Jiahui, a technician who previously worked in corporate operations before joining the company as an apprentice, said the most rewarding part of the job is seeing trust develop.

"Sometimes customers become so comfortable that they leave us working while they take a nap in another room," Wang said. "That level of trust gives me a strong sense of achievement."

Chen's startup is based in an industrial park in Hangzhou's Gongshu district, a former textile machinery factory founded in 1956 that has been transformed into a startup hub.

The park has incubated more than 750 youth entrepreneurship projects, including over 150 ventures in community services such as home maintenance and household services, according to local officials.

Many startups there benefit from the city's "entrepreneurship companion" program, which provides rent subsidies and other support for early-stage businesses. Eligible entrepreneurs can receive rent subsidies for up to three years, as well as access to startup training, financing programs and policy consultation.

For Chen's team, those subsidies helped ease early financial pressures. "For a small startup, rent support is very practical," Chen said. "It allows us to focus more resources on improving our service."

Local authorities say they welcome such ventures, seeing them as part of a broader effort to upgrade China's service sector and create new employment opportunities for young people.

Contact the writers at lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn