From P400 million to P13 billion: The WeeComm story and growth lessons for real estate entrepreneurs

The story — now a legend in real estate developer WeeComm’s founding — goes like this: 17 years ago, WeeComm’s eventual founder and real estate entrepreneur Cesar Wee was undergoing a mentorship of sorts under the tutelage of Profriends founder Gerry Choa. And when Mr. Wee sold 150 units of Profriends’ development, Lancaster New City, in a single day, he was fired.

It was Mr. Choa’s way of telling Mr. Wee that he had learned all he needed to venture into real estate development on his own. Faced with the options of developing his family’s real estate or putting up a real estate development company of his own, he chose the latter. And WeeComm — short for Wee Community Developers, Inc. — was born.

Today, WeeComm — a relative newcomer in an industry of giants — has been the recipient of awards and accolades from the likes of Property Guru, Lamudi: the Outlook Awards, the Philippine Property Awards, and the National Awards. Mr. Wee was even honored with an Asia-Pacific Stevie award this year as Thought Leader of 2025. When it comes to the bottom line, Colliers recognized WeeComm as the ninth largest real estate developer in the country, with P13 billion in sales from projects in San Juan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, and Cainta, as well as Iloilo City, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod City, and Cavite.

I had the opportunity to speak to Cesar Wee and WeeComm COO Carson Choa on the night when the company was named one of the top two developers in the National Awards. And it was during this conversation, which you can view in its entirety on the RJ Ledesma Podcast, where I was able to delve into the secret sauce of WeeComm’s success — and how they achieved so much so fast.

What I find most remarkable is not just Messrs. Wee and Choa’s uncanny ability to evaluate a project but their unique way of structuring their company for growth to ultimately reward their people.

Their lessons are invaluable, not just for real estate entrepreneurs but for entrepreneurs in any business. Here are three highlights from our conversation.

FIND THE SWEET SPOT
Given the speed and scale of WeeComm’s growth, it’s clear that the company isn’t your usual real estate developer. They do things differently.

It all begins, Carson Choa explained, with something that all real estate developers do: a scan of the market. For WeeComm, however, the end point is different.

“When we do a scan,” Mr. Choa said, “We try to look for the gap. Part of the scan that we do is not only about the selling price. It’s also the sweet spot.”

It’s this sweet spot that sets WeeComm apart. Where other developers may chase profit at all costs, WeeComm commits itself to its market and its partners, and to maximizing value.

“We went against that norm or against the grain by saying that our purpose is to identify the best use for the land,” Mr. Choa explained. “And when you say the best use for the land, it covers both, again. You get the most profit or income out of that property, but you also get the most use out of that land… And from there, you can start developing your product.”

Mr. Wee agreed, saying, “Compared to other developers, I feel we’re very detailed. We really spend a lot of time in checking the market, in checking our competition, making sure the product works, making sure it’s affordable, making sure we hit the sweet spot.”

MENTORSHIP AND MASTERY
“It’s a good first step, always, to have a mentorship program or to have a mentor in general that will teach you the ropes,” said Mr. Wee, who credits his mentorship with industry giant Gerry Choa as the starting point of his career as a real estate entrepreneur. But mentorship, he warned, is only the beginning.

“It doesn’t end with a mentor,” he continued. “You also have to have that personality that would be always learning, always trying to adjust, always accepting of failure, rising up, standing up. I think that’s something [Carson and I] both have that’s always working for us.

“Find a mentor, but it’s also you… Maybe the mentor is a good first step to push you in terms of confidence or doing what other people are doing. But you can’t be a copycat and just try to do what your mentor does.”

SKIN IN THE GAME
As WeeComm grew through the years — starting as a company with P400 million in sales in its first year, to today where it sells P13 billion across key cities across the country — Messrs. Wee and Choa found their concerns to focus more on the company’s people than its individual projects.

Mr. Choa, who also came from Profriends, joined WeeComm a few years after its founding. And initially, Mr. Wee said, they divided the properties among themselves, with Mr. Wee focusing on San Juan and Mr. Choa breaking new ground in Quezon City.

Eventually, the duo would forge a partnership and a shared language, as well as overlapping roles. And when the time was right, Mr. Wee chose to step back and give Mr. Choa a more prominent role in the company.

“That was hard to do because I’m the founder of the company, but I knew that this was the right thing to do,” Mr. Wee said. “I’m not saying I’m a martyr for stepping back, but I’m saying that sometimes you do things for the company.

“What’s best for the company is best for our clients, best for our employees. I think that’s something that people also have to understand when they’re growing a company, and when you’re growing a company this fast.”

A key element in Mr. Choa’s rise was an opportunity to have ownership in the company, he himself said. Business gurus or consultants may call this “shared vision” or “ownership.” Mr. Choa calls it having “skin in the game.”

With a personal stake in the company, Mr. Choa dedicated himself to its success. And having learned from that experience, he made sure to give team members the same chance.

“It cascades down to the project directors,” he said. “So we have programs wherein they can invest their money. They can be a minority owner.”

Carson Choa and Cesar Wee speak at length on the secret sauce and rapid growth of WeeComm in the full interview. Make sure to check it out.

RJ Ledesma (www.rjledesma.com) is a Hall of Fame Awardee for Best Male Host at the Aliw Awards, a multi-awarded serial entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and business mentor, podcaster, an Honorary Consul, and editor-in-chief of The Business Manual. Mr. Ledesma can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. The RJ Ledesma Podcast is available on Facebook, Spotify, Google and Apple Podcasts. Are there entrepreneurs you want Mr. Ledesma to interview? Let him know at ledesma.rj@gmail.com.