Choosing purpose over scale: SAY Concepts celebrates five years of people-first growth

In a world where growth often means going big, SAY Concepts has consciously chosen a different path – one shaped by purpose, partnerships, and positive impact. At the recent Agency of the Year Awards 2025 (Singapore), the boutique agency was honoured as a finalist in two categories: Boutique Agency of the Year and Best Agency-Client Partnership.

SAY Concepts was founded in 2020 during one of the most uncertain times for businesses everywhere. Its founder Stacy Lee (pictured above) was just 24 and still working in the hotel industry when lockdowns brought the hospitality and F&B scenes to a standstill.

What began as an effort to help friends pivot their businesses online soon grew into something more – a nimble and independent agency focused on helping brands adapt through digital storytelling and strategy.

“We didn’t have much – no big teams or fancy tools – but we moved forth with passion, ideas, resilience, and a genuine desire to help,” Lee says.

“At the start, we weren’t just helping brands market themselves better. We were helping them stay afloat. That shaped everything that followed.”

Now 29, Lee leads a small, but dedicated team spread across Singapore, Jakarta, and Malaysia. From luxury hotel rebrands in Indonesia to digital campaigns for F&B businesses in the region, SAY Concepts has made its mark through thoughtful, people-centred work – but always staying true to its boutique roots.

"We’ve never chased size. We’ve always focused on quality and substance."

The agency’s decision to participate in this year’s awards came not from a desire for recognition, but from a genuine motivation to reflect, challenge themselves, and evolve continually. Becoming a finalist in both categories alongside large established agencies, was unexpected, but gratefully and deeply affirming.

Team building during the year.

“To be recognised next to some of the names we’ve looked up to for years – that felt incredibly meaningful,” Lee says. “It reminded us that work done with intention and care truly matters and makes a difference.”

As SAY Concepts turns five, the milestone isn’t just about business continuity – it’s about staying true to its values in an industry that often pushes for more, and faster. For Lee and her team, being boutique isn’t a compromise. It’s a commitment to deeper partnerships, to creative problem-solving, and to growing with heart.

“We may not have walked away with a trophy,” she says, “but we gained something incredibly valuable and enduring: clarity, affirmation, and a renewed drive to keep doing what we do best – putting people first.”