When most of their classmates were cramming for white-collar careers, Zames and Amos Chew were crawling under sinks and rewiring sockets.
In 2016 the Singaporean brothers spent S$30 on a web domain — Repair.sg — to test whether a clean, trustworthy “one-stop” for household fixes could beat the industry’s reputation for opacity.
Nine years on, the bet looks prescient. Repair.sg, now registered as Repair Pte Ltd (UEN 202100025M), has grown into a multi-service property-maintenance company with island-wide coverage, tens of thousands of customers and media-reported revenues in the low seven figures.
At its core, Repair.sg runs teams across handyman work, plumbing, electrical jobs, pest control, ventilation and air-conditioning, serving both homes and businesses.
The firm leans on transparent price cards, WhatsApp-first booking and branded vans to signal reliability.
Corporate clients cited in company materials include global and regional names such as IKEA and Haidilao, alongside café and education chains — evidence that the brand has moved beyond ad hoc household fixes into recurring commercial maintenance.
The brothers’ path has become part of the company’s appeal. Chief executive Zames Chew is a hands-on lead who took night classes to earn certifications in air-conditioning, electrical work and plumbing, arguing that he should “lead by example” on the technical floor before scaling teams.
Public profiles describe him as the face of the brand and its operations builder. His brother Amos, the chief operating officer, runs day-to-day operations and hiring. In interviews, they recall building early credibility by turning up themselves for jobs, then formalising standard operating procedures as demand surged.
From a S$30 domain to a seven-figure business, the trajectory has drawn attention. Coverage in 2024–25 framed Repair.sg as a rare blue-collar success story led by Gen-Z founders.
Documents reviewed by business media pegged 2024 revenue at about S$1.7m, with subsequent reports projecting a possible rise towards S$2.3m in 2025 as the fleet and service categories expand.
Commentators have used the story as a counterpoint to peers chasing Big Tech jobs: instead of equity-heavy software plays, the Chews have stitched together profitable unit economics in a high-frequency, low-ticket market, then scaled through repeat business and B2B contracts.
The problem they set out to solve is straightforward. In Singapore, home-repair work has long struggled with price ambiguity, inconsistent workmanship and slow response times. Repair.sg tries to invert that model with clear public price lists, fast messaging, documented warranties and visible licensing, positioning itself as a “property care” partner rather than a one-off contractor.
Company pages and LinkedIn suggest a small-to-mid-sized team — roughly 11–50 staff — serving more than 30,000 customers. Lifestyle and business features have praised the approach as bringing “transparency and care” to a cut-throat trade and helping to de-stigmatise blue-collar work.
Growth has come through disciplined expansion. The site began with narrow micro-jobs such as light and switch repairs, then added air-conditioning servicing, rewiring, water-heater installations and business maintenance — categories with predictable demand and repeat tickets.
To build trust, the firm foregrounds public price cards, visible reviews and corporate references. Blue-collar pride is part of the brand: interviews stress craft over pedigree, an identity that has travelled well on radio and social video and helped with both hiring and customer acquisition among younger homeowners.
Compliance is another pillar. Repair.sg is ACRA-registered and says that technicians are supervised by PUB-licensed plumbers where required, with BCA-certified personnel for plumbing and pipefitting.
This visible licensing posture, highlighted on service pages, forms part of its moat against informal operators.
Media coverage has amplified this professionalisation angle, noting how the brothers use digital tools and branding — rather than pure price competition — to differentiate themselves in a traditionally fragmented market.
Looking ahead, signals point to continued category depth in areas such as rewiring and emergency call-outs, further fleet scaling and an expanded portfolio of enterprise maintenance accounts, a segment with steadier margins than one-off residential jobs.
With high smartphone penetration and mature messaging habits in Singapore, the WhatsApp-first funnel that powered Repair.sg’s rise remains a structural advantage — provided the Chews can keep response times, training and quality assurance tight as they grow.
If they manage that balancing act, Repair.sg could become a template for modernising home and property maintenance across South-East Asia: price-transparent, messaging-centric, properly licensed — and proudly blue-collar.
