Brixcy Shane Yu: Beating the odds

CEBU, Philippines — When the world seems to be at odds with your decision and tells you “it’s not possible”, you only have two choices, either to agree with them or prove them wrong.

Brixcy Shane Yu went for the latter when she decided to pursue a career as a real estate developer, a field largely dominated by men.

After graduating from the University of San Carlos with a degree in Management Accounting, Brixcy wanted to venture into something that is out of the family business. She wanted to show her family that she can be independent.

She was only 23 then when she decided to dip her toes into building houses, paving an entirely new path from what the family is initially engaged in – seafood export business.

“This is really my passion to do the housing. I actually started with no knowledge then I ended up here. There were a lot of hardships along the way, one because I was young when I started in 2014,” Brixcy shared.

Brixcy entered the real estate industry purely because she was passionate about it. She said that it was challenging at first and being a woman in a male-dominated industry, the bias was apparent. She felt like she didn’t get the same respect but it did not deter her from pushing through with her dreams.

“I was able to get a good team to help me out on the designing and constructing. I was able to complete Phase 1 and now I’m doing my Phase 2. I have proved them wrong,” Bricxy, who is now the President of Brickland Property Venture Corporation, proudly said.

Growing pains

At first, her only ultimate goal was to provide homes for families and to definitely finish her flagship project, the Woodway Townhomes in Pooc, Talisay City Cebu.

“My goal was definitely to finish the project and venture into another project if God permits, which God did and that’s why I’m now working on Phase 2,” she enthused.

Brixcy knew in her heart that she has to work hard to overcome the various challenges to achieve her goals to provide homes for families.

She realized that she needed to listen to others and consider other approaches to solving problems. “I have learned to accept the fact that I’m never always right,” she said.

“There were a lot of birth pains that I encountered and because of this it made me stronger. It was hard at first dealing with the people around, it was new to me but then I was eager to learn. I kept on learning and learning. I never stopped learning.”

To polish her entrepreneurial spirit, she started reading business books and magazines, stories of successful entrepreneurs. She also exposed herself to training workshops and seminars to keep on learning about her chosen field.

And with that her goal has likewise evolved through the years. She is now eyeing to expand outside of Cebu in the future and also to explore other types of property developments.

Inspiration

Although, she is the only one in the family who is completely hands-on in the real estate business, she said it is still a family-owned business.

She said that next to God, she owes her success to her mom who has inspired her so much to be a strong woman. She also lauded the support of her two sisters, who are also engaged in their own respective businesses.

“My mom was the greatest help, she provided me with the capital to start the business, which was over a hundred million. From there, I helped grow the business. God gave me the blessings to continue to provide more houses to our fellow Filipinos,” she said.

She added that she also draw inspiration from her travels outside of the country.

“I travel a lot. I get inspiration from other countries through my travels. I love to take pictures.”

When asked about other real estate companies, Brixcy was quick in saying that she does not consider them as competitors but actually sees them as her inspiration to become a better developer.

While most would feel threatened by competition, Brixcy on the other hand, sees the silver lining in it, stressing that competition can actually help increase one’s productivity and can even encourage new ideas.

Don’t give up

To motivate wannabe entrepreneurs, Brixcy has this to say: “Don’t be afraid. Don’t give up, it’s really normal to go through some hardships and because of that you become a better person. Always think positive and always put God first in everything. All of this would not have happened without Him. All the blessings and goodwill, I owe to Him.” (FREEMAN)