We recently connected with Shay McCoy and have shared our conversation below.

Shay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?

– Moved to a new state without knowing anyone to pursue a Masters in Museum Studies – Faced a lot of rejection in the job application process after graduation
– Found a creative outlet in blogging and social media
– Took the leap to found City of Shay and now also have a 9-5 in marketing

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

City of Shay is a local lifestyle brand that is a resource and guide for young 20- and 30-somethings looking to live a full life in the city of Indianapolis within their means. I create event roundups, guides and lists, recap happenings in the city, and share about new things going on to show my audience that there’s always something to do here – because Indy isn’t boring.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth has helped a lot – I hear from a lot of my audience that their friend told them about my page or they just moved to town and someone p0inted them in my direction to become more acquainted and acclimated with their city.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started by kind of ‘faking it until you make it’, I had a “normal” Instagram account that I used for personal photos and moments and then started posting more like a brand. I tagged businesses and accounts I frequented in the city so my face and page would be more on the radar of the owners and customers of those businesses. I also showed face at a lot of events and used networking to establish a community and really emphasize the local aspect of my own brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: cityofshay.com
• Instagram: @cityofshay
• Facebook: facebook.com/cityofshay
• Youtube: youtube.com/cityofshay