About Crystal
In 1999, after urging from her son, Crystal Darby started Crystal Communications, after over twenty years experience in nonprofit organizations and state government. The business offered one-on-one coaching, training, writing, and marketing services to businesses and nonprofit organizations. In September 2011, Crystal took a position as a Business Advisor with the UTSA Small Business Development Center. In her role as a Business Advisor, Crystal is now able to offer her coaching and other services to small businesses at no charge to the business owner. She specializes in start-ups, business plan development, marketing (including website, social media, and search engine optimization), proposal writing, and small business certification.
As a result of her work with small businesses, Crystal was recognized as 2001 Home Based Business Advocate of the Year by the San Antonio District of the U. S. Small Business Administration. The district encompasses 55 Texas counties. In 2005 she was honored by the U. S. Small Business Administration again, this time as Women in Business Advocate of the Year for the District and for Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas).
Crystal serves as Vice-Chair of the Bexar County Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program Advisory Committee. She is on the boards of several non-profit organizations including SoLive, Inc. and ArtGives.
In her own business, Crystal provided training and writing services to dozens of clients:
- 1750 St. Charles Condominiums
- Air-Stream Services
- Alamo Council of the Blind
- Alamo Chamber of Commerce
- Austin Community College
- Avance/Goodwill Job skills participants
- Babovich & Spedale
- Bexar County
- Business and Professional Women of Texas
- City of San Antonio Community Initiatives program participants
- City of San Antonio
- CPS Energy
- Daisy Tours
- FirstMark Credit Union
- Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas
- K B Homes
- Low Vision Network of Texas
- McAllister Auditorium staff
- Northside Independent School District
- North Texas Small Business Development Center
- San Antonio Housing Authority
- San Antonio College
- Southern Folger
- State of Texas, Division of Blind Services
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Institute of Economic Development
- Xtreme Clean Carpet and Restoration
- And many others.