From soldiers to entrepreneurs

China's retired soldiers are redefining entrepreneurship, creating successful ventures in household services, dog training, and digital platforms, showcasing resilience, innovation, and a commitment to societal impact.

Sun Hao first discovered information about the house organizing and cleaning industry online in 2021 while still serving in the army. It was known as the "lazy economy", where young people preferred to delegate daily household tasks to professionals, allowing themselves more time to enjoy life.

Sun saw the potential in this industry, and when he retired from the military in 2022, he decided to establish his own household service company with two comrades.

According to Sun, the military's stringent internal hygiene standards equipped retired soldiers like him with thoroughness and elevated self-imposed standards, which they applied to their new occupation. "With evolving consumer demands for an improved quality of life, basic household cleaning is no longer sufficient to meet people's desires for an enhanced lifestyle," said the 27-year-old.

Sun and his comrades are part of a remarkable group of young entrepreneurs in China: veterans, who, having bravely served their nation, are now leveraging their skills and experiences to blaze a new trail in the business world.

Despite having a well-thought-out corporate plan after starting his business, Sun discovered that the requirements for this job differed significantly from those in military life. "In the military, cleaning is mainly done with a cleaning cloth, and difficult stains are usually solved with steel wool," he said. "But when working as a cleaning professional, I realized there are many different tools and different cleaning agents used for different stains to avoid damaging items."

There are many memorable moments in Sun's career, and one of them occurred during the early stages of the company.

In April 2023, Sun received an inquiry from an elderly woman asking whether they could make dumplings as part of their service. Sun knew she must have made a mistake, but instead of declining her demand right away, Sun talked to the woman and found that she lived alone and had physical illnesses that made it difficult for her to move around. The next day, Sun and his four colleagues went to her home, provided free deep cleaning, and made dumplings for her.

"At that moment, I felt a great sense of achievement," Sun said. "We received support from the people in the military, and now that I've retired from the military, I can still use my own strength to contribute to public welfare."

Sun's team encounters stereotypical comments from time to time about the domestic service industry, which undermine the skilled nature of the job. According to Sun, home service involves intricate tasks such as full house space planning and customized designs based on clients' age, gender, preferences, and professional characteristics.

"For example, when we receive orders from beauty vloggers, we need to purchase storage products in advance based on their professional characteristics and optimize the space in their houses," Sun explained. "And for female clients, we always ensure that a female organizer is part of the team to cater to their needs."

Currently, Sun's team consists of 20 people, with 18 of them being veterans. "We primarily focus on recruiting retired soldiers to provide them with increased employment and business opportunities," he said.

Looking ahead, Sun has outlined extensive long-term strategies. "The lazy economy is thriving, and we plan to expand our range of service projects. For instance, the recently popular home-cooking service is well-suited for military chefs."

He also recognizes significant gaps and ample growth potentials in sectors like elderly care and hospital consultations. He believes that their image as veterans earns them more credibility from the elderly and their families to entrust these services to them.

"My aspiration is to lead more retired soldiers to collectively innovate in employment and help more people," Sun said.