We recently connected with Crystal Wamalwa and have shared our conversation below.
Crystal, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
The journey to launching Audacity was long and winding, but it all began in 2019 when I started a business called *Chrystal TuTu Paradise*. At the time, I focused on creating custom tutus and t-shirts, which was an exciting outlet for my creativity. But I quickly realized I wanted to do more—I wanted to create a space where artists of all kinds could come together, showcase their work, and collaborate. So, I started hosting events that featured poets, musicians, visual artists, jewelry makers, and makeup artists. My first two events sold out, and the positive feedback fueled my desire to continue.
By 2020, I was already planning my third event for June, but when the pandemic hit, everything came to a halt. Instead of giving up, I took the time to reflect, build my skills, and refine my vision. I spent the next few years working in HR, Non-Profit, and Higher Education, all while keeping my passion for curating creative spaces alive.
In June 2023, after quitting my last job, I knew it was time to go after my dream. My husband, who had always supported my vision, encouraged me to take the leap. We spent hours talking about my goals, and that’s when *Audacity* was born.
I reached out to two friends, and in July 2023, we held our first team meeting on Zoom to start making things official. At the time, I didn’t know much about running a business—how to file an LLC, raise funds, or even where to start. But I was determined to figure it out. I attended business coaching sessions, met with bankers, took free classes, and networked with other entrepreneurs. It was a learning process, and there were plenty of challenges along the way, but every conversation, every lesson, brought me closer to launching.
By October 2023, Audacity officially launched. The process wasn’t easy—it wasn’t linear—but it was worth every step. What started as a small idea to host creative events grew into a full-fledged business with a mission to support and empower artists, build community, and curate meaningful experiences.
Looking back, every setback and every challenge played a role in shaping me as a business owner. Audacity is now a growing community of artists and creatives, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. It’s been a long road, but I’m reminded every day why I started: to create space for artists to express themselves and for people to connect through art in ways that truly matter.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
1. For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry/business/discipline/craft, etc.?
I’m originally from Baltimore, MD, and I’ve always had a deep connection to the arts. Growing up, I was always singing and dancing—choir was a big part of my life from middle school all the way through college. But even with my passion for the arts, my experience in those spaces often made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, which was tough. Despite this, my love for the arts never went away.
Baltimore is also home to a vibrant entrepreneurial community, and I was exposed to a lot of local creatives and entrepreneurs. That exposure helped plant the seed that I would eventually own my own business, though at the time, I thought I would do that after becoming the next Beyoncé! (Haha)
Professionally, I worked in a variety of fields, including Student Development, Operations, and Human Resources. I didn’t realize it at the time, but each of those roles connected me to different parts of my community and taught me skills that would eventually help me as an entrepreneur. I also graduated from Baltimore City Community College and the University of Baltimore, which were key milestones in my journey. Over time, these experiences led me to recognize that my true calling was in curating creative spaces for artists—and that’s when Audacity was born.
2. What type of products/services/creative works do you provide?
Audacity is a National Black Traveling Variety Art Showcase that provides local artists with a platform to connect with audiences beyond their hometowns. We aim to create a space for artists of all kinds—whether they’re poets, musicians, visual artists, jewelry makers, or performers—to showcase their craft on a larger scale.
Our mission is to help artists build community, grow their reach, and connect with new audiences who might not otherwise have access to their work. Audacity is not just an event—it’s a conduit that allows artists to share their talents authentically and expand their visibility. We also aim to shift the way people view art and culture in the Black community by showcasing the diverse range of creative expression that exists within it. We want people to understand that Black art isn’t a monolith—it’s diverse, vibrant, and deserves a platform on a national stage.
3. What problems do you solve for your clients and/or what do you think sets you apart from others?
One of the biggest challenges I saw when I was building Audacity was how many talented artists, especially Black artists, struggle to expand beyond their hometowns. You often see creatives with incredible drive and passion, but they face the limiting belief that the only way to “make it” is if they get discovered by a major label or platform. For so many artists, it feels like there’s no way out unless they have a big name backing them.
What sets Audacity apart is that we’re not just another platform that offers exposure—we’re a community that helps artists transcend those limitations. We give them a space to connect, collaborate, and showcase their work to new audiences across the country. We aim to create a Business 2 Business (B2B) and Business 2 Consumer (B2C) model, meaning we not only connect artists with potential opportunities but also engage attendees who come to our showcases, exposing them to the vast diversity of Black art and culture that exists beyond their hometowns.
By opening these doors, Audacity helps break the cycle of needing a “big break” and instead provides artists with a sustainable community and real opportunities to grow.
4. What are you most proud of, and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/etc.?
I am most proud of the community I’m building through Audacity. The journey has been challenging, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but my dedication to this mission has kept me going. Starting a business is never easy, and you learn as you go, especially when it comes to things like taxes, business laws, structure, and revenue models. Things change constantly, and it can feel overwhelming, but I’ve learned that perseverance and a willingness to adapt are key.
I want people to know that Audacity is not just an event or a business—it’s a movement to empower artists and show that Black art is incredibly diverse and deserving of a wider audience. We’re here to help artists connect with one another and with audiences who may not otherwise get to experience their work. It’s about providing a space for artists to thrive, authentically, and to be seen and heard on their own terms.
As I continue to grow, I’m committed to learning and improving, and I want others to see that the entrepreneurial journey is full of challenges, but also immense rewards. My hope is that Audacity becomes a platform where artists, audiences, and communities can come together to celebrate creativity in all its forms.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Absolutely, here’s how I’d share your story of resilience:
There was a moment in my journey where I had more passion than I had money. And it was in that gap that I truly learned what resilience meant.
At one point, I had a supervisor who told me that my weaknesses were “Areas of Opportunity,” and that was something I needed to improve on quickly. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant. It came from my lack of knowledge about raising capital. I thought that, if I simply said, “Hey, I’ve got this great idea for a business, help me raise money,” people would jump on board and it would all work out. But I quickly realized that starting a business isn’t as simple as asking for help—it’s about understanding the financial mechanics that make the whole thing work.
I’d had some exposure to the entrepreneurial world, but I didn’t fully grasp the reality of being a full-time entrepreneur. I learned the hard way that not only did I need money, but I needed a lot of it. There were overhead costs, artist compensation, venue rentals—just so many expenses I hadn’t accounted for. During the first year of building Audacity, I found myself facing a lot of frustration. I’d talk to people who had been in my shoes, and some rightfully said, “Maybe you should pause, go back to the drawing board, and figure it out before you go any further.”
But I couldn’t quit. There was something inside me about Audacity that felt too important to let go. I knew I had to push through.
So, I took a step back, reflected, and went back into my community. I reached out to people who were willing to support me, and I had honest conversations about where I had gone wrong. I told them, “I know how I’ve been doing things for the past six months hasn’t been working, but I want to make it right. I want to get my business in a better space for 2025.” That honesty opened doors. I started learning about things like Owner’s Investment, which I hadn’t known much about before. I learned the importance of setting up a business checking and savings account and building a relationship with my banker. I found out about the free resources available in my community and connected with a business advisor at a local university who has been a huge help.
But it didn’t stop there. I began reaching out to people in the industry who were doing things I admired. I set up 15-minute meetings to ask them questions about how they built their businesses. I stopped being afraid to ask for help. I stopped seeing asking questions as a weakness and instead started to see it as a strength.
The lessons I learned were painful. They not only hurt me but impacted my team and the artists I wanted to work with. That was a tough realization to face, but I promised myself I would never put myself, this brand, or this community in that situation again. This transition wasn’t easy—it was a shift from running my business on passion alone to learning how to use that passion to create a strategy for sustainable growth.
It was a hard-earned lesson in the importance of resilience and learning from your mistakes. What I know for sure now is that running a business isn’t just about having a great idea or passion—it’s about the discipline to learn the skills, seek advice, and build systems that will keep you going through the tough times.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
When I first set out to build Audacity, I quickly learned that passion alone wouldn’t be enough to make it a reality. After many conversations and meetings with people who had more experience than me, I was introduced to the concept of Owner’s Investment. An owner’s investment is essentially the money or assets that an entrepreneur contributes to their own business to help it get started or grow. This could be cash, property, or services—and it was a key lesson that shifted my entire approach to funding my business.
For the first year, I poured my time into Audacity, but once I understood how to properly invest in my business—not just with my time but with money too—I knew I had to take a different approach. I decided it was time to go back to work. I took on a job that would help me generate the funds I needed, but this time, I was very clear about my mission and why I was taking this job. In my interview, I was open and upfront with my now-manager about my entrepreneurial goals and what I was working on. To my surprise, this transparency led me to a supportive community that genuinely backed me as a budding entrepreneur.
Taking on this job meant I had to divide my time more carefully, but it was the best decision I could have made. Not only did I start to build financial capital, but I also learned the true value of social capital—a lesson that turned out to be just as important. Over the next six months, as I navigated these hard lessons and continued building Audacity, I also focused on networking and building relationships. I had always loved talking about Audacity and the mission behind it, but now I realized the power of simply sharing my vision with others. I quickly learned that when people see your passion and hear your story, they’ll advocate for you in spaces where you might not even have a presence yet.
I had a meeting with one of our partners in another city, and in that 15-minute conversation, we talked about the importance of social capital—supporting your community, sharing resources, and showing up. This was something I had been doing all along, but I hadn’t really understood the value of it until that conversation. Putting a name to it helped me recognize the power of these relationships. And to this day, I’ve received countless calls, messages, and emails from people I’ve never met—people who heard about Audacity through someone else. That sense of community and support has been one of the most rewarding aspects of this journey.
In the end, I realized that building capital wasn’t just about money—it was about creating a community of people who believed in what you were doing. In simpler terms, it comes down to telling people about your mission, being open to learning from others and fostering meaningful relationships. Sometimes, the support you need comes from unexpected places, but the key is to be genuine, open, and always willing to show up for your community. Social capital, alongside financial capital, has been an essential driver in getting Audacity to where it is today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.audacitytours.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audacity_tours/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audacitytours
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/audacitytour
Image Credits
CWL Creative Stuidos
Shots By Kflame
HIM
Coury Jamal