Moniqueca Sims, the owner of SSG Appliance Academy, was first introduced to the appliance repair industry while dating a man who was involved in the field. “He worked constantly, seven days a week,” Sims recalls. “To spend time with him, I would accompany him on jobs. I noticed how effortlessly he handled the repairs, completing them quickly.”

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of SSG Appliance Academy. Moniqueca Sims.}

Sims, a firm believer in “working smarter, not harder,” thought of hiring technicians to assist the man she was seeing with his repair tasks. She went through with the idea, but when he continued at his unrelenting pace, she ended up establishing her own appliance repair business.

During the course of managing that business, Sims incurred substantial losses buying parts. Many of those she employed lacked the necessary skills in appliance repair and resorted to replacing multiple parts in hopes of solving issues.

Sims decided to tackle the problem head-on. She registered for an online appliance repair course, learning the craft herself, and began taking on repair jobs personally, sometimes with her children accompanying her.

“When you fix something, it boosts you up, every time you do it.”

Sims realized there had to be a more efficient way to train and employ technicians to foster business expansion. Driven by this goal, she founded SSG Appliance Academy in Atlanta in 2019, offering hands-on training in the fundamentals necessary for a career in the appliance repair field.

“Appliance repair is a gift that keeps on giving,” Sims remarks. “Each repair job uplifts you, providing satisfaction. It’s not just labor; it’s a rewarding experience.”

When Sims went out on jobs with her daughter, she found that many of the clients were stay-at-home moms who breathed a sigh of relief when they realized they wouldn’t be alone with a male worker. Knowing that, and seeing firsthand what a confidence booster appliance repair could be, Sims committed to bringing more women into the industry.

The total appliance repair industry revenue reached an estimated $6.3 billion in 2023, yet women make up less than 3% of home appliance repairers, according to data from ConsumerAffairs.

Sims decided to partner with shelters to grow SSG Appliance Academy and offer a viable career path to the women there. Although there was a lot of interest, the shelters didn’t have the funding to back it. So Sims got approved for grants through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

The funding helps low-income, under- or unemployed women and men complete SSG Appliance Academy’s program and “turn their life around,” Sims says.

SSG Appliance Academy’s classes typically enroll eight to 10 students. The most recent course had three women in it. In the past, Sims often had to attend events and convince women to come to the class; now, word-of-mouth is helping them find it themselves, she says.

“ You constantly have to prove yourself [as a woman] in this industry.”

Sims looks forward to seeing even more women take advantage of SSG Appliance Academy, despite the challenges that can come with being a woman in the space.

“ You constantly have to prove yourself [as a woman] in this industry, and not just to the customers,” Sims says. “You have to prove yourself to everybody that works in the industry.”

Sims is also excited to see more people across the board jump into the appliance repair industry, noting that learning a trade can help people make more money than they might through earning a four-year college degree.

“Appliance repair can really help change people’s lives,” the founder says.

“You want to learn your craft from the inside out.”

To other women interested in starting their own careers or businesses in the appliance repair industry, Sims has some straightforward but essential advice: Enroll in a program that can help you learn all you need to know about the trade.

“You want to learn your craft from the inside out,” Sims says. “A lot of technicians in the field now learn on the job, so they become part-changers because they don’t learn how to diagnose and troubleshoot the appliances properly. So my advice would definitely be to take a class. It doesn’t have to be my school — any school.”

Sims notes that there will be plenty of obstacles along the way, but she encourages anyone interested in learning appliance repair to stay the course — because “it’s a very rewarding career and business.”

This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.