We had the good fortune of connecting with Chaz Chambers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chaz, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Well, this is a really great question for me and anyone trying to pursue their own business. I have always been one to come up with lots of business ideas but never see them through. So many times an idea will pop up in our head and we can talk ourselves out of it. I traveled to Cuba for the first time in January 2017 as commercial flights from the US had just begun months earlier. I went to study Afro-Cuban percussion while on a break from drumming with Ringling Bros circus. While I was traveling in the mountainside of Cuba in Viñales Valley the idea of Havana Music Tours hit me… I was thinking of how difficult it was to navigate Cuba and find the best live music events. There was a need to help people find and learn about the music. At the time, I thought it was just a silly and difficult idea, but I was at least serious enough to search for the domain HavanaMusicTours.com when my flight landed in the US. I was surprised it was even available, so I bought the domain without any plan… Immediately when I returned home and started the Ringling Bros tour again, they pulled us all into a conference room and told us the show would be ending indefinitely in 4 months. This was terrible news because I really loved my gig. I lived and traveled the whole country in a circus train playing in front of millions in major event arenas. It was a dream job. Over those last 4 months of performing, I started to plot my new path. I decided to at least develop the Havana Music Tours website and try to see it through. My ultimate thought process in developing my own business was to never have any corporation or higher entity take something away from me again. It is easy for big corporations to lay off mass amounts of people without a second thought. It can really be devastating. Through this process, I realized I not only wanted my own thing, but I wanted it to bring positive change in the world. There is more to life than just simply making money. You need to bring something else to the table. And for me, travel is a way to influence others through cultural diversity.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Havana Music Tours is a niche travel agency that provides in-depth cultural music tours of Cuba by pro musicians and musicologists.

I think what sets us apart from other tour operators is that we focus on the music. We can go as deep as you want. We have built a team of pro musicians and musicologists that reach even the highest academic levels. We combine this music theme with a touch of luxury bed and breakfast style accommodations and some of the best private restaurants in Cuba (called Paladares).

This process was not easy at all. When I first started I didn’t speak much Spanish at all, and now I am mostly fluent. I set out to learn and overcome all obstacles. I wasn’t going to let the language get in the way. I studied Spanish at the University of Havana and even lived in Cuba for about 10 months.

The main lessons I learned were that you can overcome most obstacles if you are willing. It may seem repetitive, but you have to love the entire process. You have to love to learn and keep a humble attitude. You have to also be willing to live a humble life financially while building your business. There is no need to pay for fancy things and overly indulge in materialism. Focus your spending on bettering yourself and your business. Invest in your people and their betterment as well.

Right before the pandemic, we launched a sister brand called MusicalGetaways.com and we successfully did our first music tour in Brazil. The goal of this new brand is to expand our niche music tour theme to other music and culturally rich countries like Brazil, Colombia, Peru, New Orleans, Spain, Senegal, Iceland and many other locations. Even expanding into the luxury travel market. We are currently working on a tour called the ‘Sounds of the South Tour’ which explores the roots of music history in the United States. We will start in New Orleans, a tour through the Mississippi Delta (The home of the Blues), to Memphis, Muscle Shoals, AL, and then Nashville.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shoutout to all Cuban musicians. I really believe they are some of the best musicians in the entire world. A combination of great musical education, music history, and a rigorous practice regiment in Cuba makes them perform at a really high level. As a professional musician myself, I look up to and respect all Cuban musicians.

Website: havanamusictours.com

Instagram: instagram.com/havanamusictours

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/chazchambers

Twitter: twitter.com/havanamusictour

Facebook: facebook.com/havanamusictours

Youtube: youtube.com/chazchambers

Other: musicalgetaways.com

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