Davood Baghbani on Building Trust in a Luxury Service Business from Day One

Starting a service business in a new country is hard enough. Starting one in a crowded luxury category, where the established players have decades of reviews and name recognition on their side, is a steeper climb. That’s the position Davood Baghbani found himself in when he launched NorthLuxDrive, a Coquitlam-based chauffeur and limousine service, in May 2026. Rather than try to out-market the incumbents, he picked a different lane: publish real prices on the website, answer every inquiry quickly, and build the kind of specific, question-answering pages that his future customers were typing into Google.

Before NorthLuxDrive took its first booking, Davood spent weeks building the site himself and even drove rides personally to understand where clients felt uncertain and where they relaxed. In the conversation that follows, Davood shares how he landed his first customer on day two, why transparent pricing cut his lead volume but improved his close rate, and what he is building next as NorthLuxDrive expands beyond British Columbia.

Tell us about yourself and your business.

NorthLuxDrive is a luxury chauffeur and limousine service in Coquitlam, BC, serving Metro Vancouver, Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and Whistler.

I’m Davood Baghbani, the founder. Before this, I ran several online businesses and worked in banking and international transportation. I came to Canada three years ago and launched NorthLuxDrive in May 2026.

We do airport transfers at YVR, private trips to Whistler, weddings, corporate travel, party buses, and rides for families who need child car seats. We serve Metro Vancouver, Whistler, and the rest of BC, 24 hours a day.

One thing that makes us different is language. Our chauffeurs speak English, Farsi, Punjabi, Hindi, and Spanish. In a city like Vancouver, that matters. A grandmother arriving at YVR who doesn’t speak English can be picked up by someone who speaks her language.

Our vehicles range from executive sedans and SUVs to Sprinter vans, party buses, and 56-passenger motor coaches.

How does your business make money?

We charge per ride, with flat, all-inclusive prices. Taxes and gratuity are included, so there are no surprises at the end. We publish “starting from” prices on our website, which is unusual in our industry. A Vancouver to Whistler SUV, for example, starts at $530 each way on a round trip.

Every airport pickup includes flight monitoring and up to 3 hours of free waiting at YVR, and child car seats are installed by certified technicians at no extra charge.

We also offer hourly bookings, corporate accounts with invoicing and purchase orders, recurring weekly rides for regular clients, and referral partnerships with travel publishers.

What was your inspiration for starting the business?

Honestly, before I started, I had no idea how big the limo and chauffeur industry was. Then I read a book by someone who built a successful business selling leads to limo companies, and it opened my eyes to how much opportunity there was.

Before launching, I drove a few rides myself to understand the business from the inside. I saw a lot of things missing: unclear prices, slow replies, and clients who never felt fully sure their ride would show up. I started NorthLuxDrive to fix that. My goal is simple: every client should feel 100% sure from the moment they book.

How and when did you launch the business?

I launched NorthLuxDrive on May 31, 2026. Before that, I spent weeks building the website myself, writing every page and setting up online booking and payments. I wanted a business where customers could see a clear price, get a fast quote, and always reach a real person, day or night.

From the first day, I treated the website as my main salesperson. Most of our customers find us through Google, so I put most of my energy there.

Tell us about your team.

We have two full-time employees and four contractors. I handle bookings, quotes, customer service, and marketing, and our chauffeurs are licensed professionals working across Metro Vancouver, Whistler, and the rest of BC.

How are you funded?

100% bootstrapped. No investors, no loans. I started with my own savings and grew from the revenue of each booking.

Being bootstrapped forces me to be careful. Every dollar has to bring a customer, so I focus on things that last, like useful website pages and partnerships, instead of expensive ads.

How did you acquire your first customers?

I got my first customer on the second day my website was live. For a new business, that usually takes much longer, but I had prepared well. I knew what my customers were searching for, and I built pages that answered exactly those questions.

From there, every booking was a chance to earn a review and a referral. I answered every request fast, gave clear prices, and made sure each client felt taken care of from booking to drop-off. Happy clients started coming back and telling their friends.

Tell us about your primary driver(s) for growth.

In the beginning, it was search. People in Vancouver search for very specific things, like “car service with car seat YVR” or “Vancouver to Whistler private transfer.” I built a page that answers each of these questions clearly, and customers found us.

Now we’re adding partnerships: travel guides, hotels, conference organizers, and other operators in Alberta who send us customers and get something back.

What marketing strategies have been most effective for you so far?

Being specific and being honest about price. Most chauffeur companies hide their prices and say “contact us for a quote.” We published ours.

Honestly, our number of leads went down after that. But the people who contacted us were ready to book. I’d rather talk to ten serious customers than fifty people just comparing prices.

What has been your biggest challenge so far, and what did you learn from it?

Competing with companies that have been in business for 20 or 25 years. They have years of reviews, long client lists, and names people already know. When you’re new, customers naturally ask: “Why should I trust you?”

I learned that I can’t win by being older, so I win by being better at the small things: faster replies, clear prices, service in the client’s own language, and treating every ride like it decides our reputation, because it does. Every five-star review closes that gap a little more.

Can you tell us about any upcoming developments we can look forward to?

We’re expanding to Alberta through a partnership with an operator in Calgary and Edmonton, and Ontario is next. In BC, we’re building dedicated services for Whistler conferences and festivals, which bring thousands of visitors who all need to get from YVR to the mountains.

How do you see your business evolving in the next 5 years?

My goal is a national chauffeur brand that still feels local: one place to book a trusted chauffeur anywhere in Canada, with clear prices and service in the customer’s own language. BC first, then Alberta and Ontario, then the rest of the country.

What are some trends in your industry that you’re excited about?

Customers want transparency. More and more people expect to see a clear price before they book, the same way they do when buying anything else online. Companies that still hide their prices will have a hard time.

I’m also excited about electric luxury vehicles. They’re quiet and smooth, and clients love them. Within a few years, I think they’ll be a normal part of every chauffeur service.

Can you share a surprising fact about your startup journey that most people don’t know?

Before I launched, I drove rides myself. Sitting in the driver’s seat taught me more than any business plan could. I saw exactly where clients felt unsure and what made them relax, and I built NorthLuxDrive around those moments.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder/entrepreneur?

Building something from nothing in a new country. Three years ago, I arrived in Canada. Today, families trust us to pick up their parents at the airport and couples trust us with their wedding day. That trust means more to me than anything.

What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

Don’t wait for investors or perfect conditions. Find one real problem, answer it more clearly than anyone else, and be honest about your price. Customers can feel honesty.