How my MBA helped me launch a women’s health brand in China

By developing skills such as leadership, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial acumen, alongside building your network, an MBA can help you achieve these ambitions.

At Peking University (PKU) Guanghua School of Management, the MBA is designed to equip students with the knowledge, confidence, and practical experience they need to positively contribute to a business or launch their own venture.

We spoke to Yuchen Huang, former PKU Guanghua MBA student and founder of feminine care brand ChillMe, about her journey from studying at business school to launching her own brand.

Understanding local and global markets

The MBA curriculum can help you develop the business fundamentals, market knowledge, and professional network needed to turn the seed of an idea into a new venture. For Yuchen, studying the PKU Guanghua MBA gave her the foundation to pursue an idea for a business focused on women’s welfare and period poverty.

“I went to a girls’ college, then I was a teacher in a girls’ school, so gender equality and empowering women has always been an area I’m interested in,” explains Yuchen. “I wanted to do something in this area in China, in period poverty in particular.”

After living in Australia for 15 years, Yuchen decided to study in China to better understand the local market and expand her network there.

“I had no professional connections to China,” she explains. “I also felt like I had a business knowledge gap that I needed to fill, so it made sense to do an MBA and to choose to study in China.”

During the program, Yuchen carried out market analysis that helped shape the idea for ChillMe—a feminine care brand focused on expanding China’s tampon market and improving access to menstrual products. Her research found that only 1% of women in China used tampons, compared to between 40% and 60% in Australia, the UK, and the US—she saw an opportunity to both address market demand and tackle period poverty.

“I knew I wanted to do something related to this area, but I wasn’t sure what,” explains Yuchen. “So, I decided to study an MBA in China to help me figure it out.”

Learning through practical opportunities

Practical learning opportunities such as team-based exercises, case studies, and consulting projects play an important role in preparing MBA students for the workplace. They help students apply their theory and problem-solving skills to real business challenges. As an entrepreneur, this grounding is particularly valuable in helping to understand how businesses function—from identifying opportunities to understanding market needs. For Yuchen, the program’s flexibility also allowed her to tailor her studies to her long-term goals.

“One thing I particularly liked about the program was that there were a range of electives to choose from,” she says. “Because I already had an idea of what I wanted to do, I had the opportunity to choose things like entrepreneurship, management, and marketing for social impact.”

The practical nature of an MBA can equally help you develop your understanding of how businesses operate across different markets and industries. PKU Guanghua’s Integrated Practical Project (IPP), for example, is a three-month course where students work with a company in China to develop consultancy work, applying the concepts and knowledge built during the MBA in a practical setting, alongside connecting with industry professionals.

“The IPP gave us the opportunity to team up with classmates to solve real business problems,” says Yuchen. “Teaming up with people with backgrounds in consulting or investment banking meant they had skills in areas like market analysis, so it was really valuable to learn from them.”

Building valuable connections

One of the key benefits of going to business school is the opportunity to develop your professional network. Not only will you benefit from gaining industry insights and mentorship opportunities, but the practical support these connections provide can be especially valuable when launching a business.

“Since I was new to the area, I connected with some alumni with experience to ask them questions,” explains Yuchen.

“When building ChillMe, I worked on product design and brand positioning, before connecting with the factory and supplier. Elements like my designer and the warehouse I’m using were actually recommended by alumni I connected with through the MBA,” she continues.

Yuchen believes that being open to new people, opportunities, and experiences is a vital part of making the most of business school.

“It’s very important to be open minded,” says Yuchen. “See what other people are doing and be open to opportunities that might surprise you."