Founder's Story · Oct 5, 2026 · 38m · 25m saved
With Rich Thomson, Founder and CEO of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches
Rich Thomson bought 12 tour buses in 2020, while live entertainment was shut down. Six years later Dreamliner Luxury Coaches runs more than 225 coaches and over 70 trucks, has 600 employees and carries the crews of Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Drake.
Most buyers stayed out of touring during COVID. Thomson had studied the industry a year earlier and bet that concerts would come back.
"I think that that's where a lot of big businesses and huge opportunities are right because everyone's afraid to spend invest and think the world's going to end and that just leaves opportunity out there for someone willing to invest." — Rich Thomson
Rich Thomson, founder and CEO of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches, on Founder's Story, spent nearly 15 years in finance at Comerica Bank, Citibank, GE Capital and Brightwood Capital, then founded his own fund, Caprice Capital Partners, before putting nearly all his savings into Dreamliner.
The full interview is covered here so you can skip it. 38 minutes of audio, 13 minutes of reading.
Here are the 19 insights that matter.
Key Takeaways
12 coaches bought in 2020 became more than 225 coaches and 70 trucks in six years, mostly through acquisitions
Thomson avoids auctions and buys directly from founders
Keep an acquired business exactly as it was at first, because early changes break what you paid for
Tour buses are well protected from AI and robots, he said, because driving, parking and building them is skilled manual work
The right person matters more than the right experience
Most sellers want 100% cash, and almost none get it
Revenue growth is irrelevant without profit, and free cash flow is the number he watches
He would rather make more money and stay unknown than be the biggest in the industry
1. 12 Buses Bought in COVID
The host noted Thomson went from helping in his parents' yogurt shop to serving Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Drake and IShowSpeed.
Thomson first looked at the industry in 2019 through his fund, and passed
A tour bus company needed capital, and he spent a couple of months on due diligence but did not invest. During COVID he got the chance to buy 12 coaches and already knew the business.
"And so to me, it was a large risk to buy 12 buses and spend that kind of money." — Rich Thomson
He believed the world would start again. He saw the buses as a side business or investment to lease to the music industry, while he was focused on starting a different company.
