Most people look at wealth and status symbols like shiny trophies. They see the finish line and often glorify it, but they rarely see what’s beneath the surface: the fear, pressure, obstacles, sacrifices, and the long, hard years it often takes to reach the pinnacle of success. That’s why self-made entrepreneurial journeys are the stories that I find the most intriguing. As I often say, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion, in that if you look deeper, you’ll discover more than you could have expected.
A couple of years ago, while working on a feature story about Bugatti, I learned about a founder in the energy industry named Bilal Hydrie, who not only bought the last Bugatti Chiron, but whose story caught my attention. After an in-depth discussion with him about the long road to acquiring the Bugatti, I learned more about the driving force behind his illustrious entrepreneurial career and his deeply-felt personal mission—to inspire others to dream big, work hard, and accomplish their goals.
At first glance, it’s easy to see why Bilal Hydrie has attracted over a million Instagram followers. His account is full of glistening trophies: a collection of rare supercars and hypercars (including Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, and more), globe-trotting around the world on private jets, enjoying lavish VIP dinner parties, and spending time in picturesque destinations like Dubai, Pebble Beach, and London.
On the surface, his account reminds me of an episode from the 1980s hit television show, “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous”. But if you look beyond his highlight reel, you’ll see that underneath nearly every glossy post, the captions carry a message that strikes a deeper chord with his followers: Work hard. Stay positive. If I can do it, you can too.
His story starts somewhere far less glamorous. He came to Calgary as a student, studied at SAIT, and spent six years working in Alberta’s oil and gas industry. Right during the height of the recession, in 2009, he founded Inclusive Energy Ltd. with $50,000. It was a time period in which most businesses were struggling to survive, let alone grow. But, given his optimistic outlook and risk-taking personality, he had the belief that the dip was the perfect time to invest and acquire companies, and it paid off. But it wasn’t an easy road. He had to do everything himself in the early days, face rejection more times than he could count, and overcome his own inner voice of uncertainty and fear.
By the end of 2014, it had grown to $35 million in assets, and it has since been named to Report on Business magazine’s ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies two years in a row. He is also president and CEO of Global Centurion Investments, a private fund that has grown from $25 million in 2017 to more than $100 million (which provides financing to businesses in the energy industry), and Director of North American Operations for the Habib Group, his family’s international group of companies.
During a recent conversation, this time I wanted to go deeper, to discover more about his personal journey behind his growing businesses alongside his expanding hypercar collection, both built on the values of hope, humility, and hard work.
The Courage to Buy When Everyone Else Was Selling
CLP: You came to Canada planning to study and then return home to the family business. What made you want to build something of your own in Alberta?
BH: I had no intention of staying. The plan was to go back and run the family business. Then came the financial crisis in 2008. The market completely collapsed, and I watched a lot of oil and gas companies go bankrupt. They were liquidating their assets for pennies on the dollar because they just wanted out.
Nobody was buying, so it was a big risk, but I took that risk myself. I started acquiring those assets and shipping them overseas, where there was massive demand for North American equipment. I just had a belief that it was a cycle. There was fear in the market, but oil is not going anywhere. When the market came back, those same producers called to buy it back.
CLP: What were you feeling during that time period?
BH: There was a lot of fear. That was all my investment. Even when the revenue started coming in, I’d think: What if I’m going too fast? What if I lose it all? But I had this faith that I should go all out, because if I lost it all, I could restart again. I had nothing when I started.
There was support from the family, but it was never “Here’s the money, go buy whatever you want.” I had to prove myself, like with any bank.
Twelve years later, the world panicked again. When oil prices briefly went negative in 2020, Hydrie says he felt something click.
BH: People thought the world was coming to an end, and it hit me: This is what happened in 2008, when I started. Maybe it’s another opportunity. Instead of being negative, I stayed positive.
Banks had stopped lending to smaller producers. So I started giving them capital to drill their wells, and supplying the equipment at the same time. That’s how I became a capital partner for a lot of oil and gas companies. Of course there was fear, but I had a very strong belief that in a downturn, there’s always an upside for somebody. Where there’s fear, there are big rewards too, if you have faith.
CLP: Would you call yourself a natural-born optimist?
BH: I think so. It’s human nature to have fear and negative thoughts. But when I have a negative thought, I sit back and ask myself: Why am I having it, and what can I do to change it?
CLP: That’s the difference between responding and reacting. Most people feel fear or anxiety and simply react, and it becomes a mental spiral. But if you’re grounded in your vision and your work ethic, you can ride the roller coaster instead of being thrown by it.
BH: Exactly. I visualize bigger dreams, and when I started seeing results, I started believing in myself.
What “Work Hard” Really Means
CLP: I think most businesses fail not because they couldn’t make it, but because people give up too soon. They hear no, they get ignored, and they decide it isn’t for them. That’s exactly when you have to dig in deeper. Beyond the hours and the effort, what does hard work really mean to you?
BH: I think 80% is mindset. It’s like the gym. Once you give up, you just quit, and that’s what happens in business too. Some days your phone won’t ring, but you keep calling. You keep hoping the next call brings a sale.
And you take that stress home. After a hard day, how do you walk in laughing? Not every day is the best day of my life. But I believe the bad days will go away, and the good days will come.
CLP: My father, a self-made entrepreneur, taught me persistence is everything. Even with a broken leg, he was on the phone making sales calls. As your businesses have grown, I can imagine — so has the responsibility. What keeps you steady now?
BH: The people around me. With maturity, you learn that whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it for your close ones. In my younger days, it was more about impressing others.
Let me be very honest with you. When I started, I was the youngest guy in the room, surrounded by executives much older and more experienced than me. People say “fake it till you make it,” but I tried to stay genuine from day one. I wasn’t shy about asking questions, and I think that’s why those executives respected me. They could see I wasn’t pretending to be someone I’m not. I was trying to learn.
The Story Behind the Posts
CLP: People see my Instagram and assume they know me, and then they meet me and say, “She’s nothing like I thought.” I imagine it’s the same for you. With a million people watching your life, how do you handle the people who judge or misunderstand you?
BH: There’s a lot of hate. People think it’s all handout money from my parents, that I’m a spoiled rich kid with Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Nobody sees the doors I knocked on as a newcomer, walking office to office just to get a sale. I was a one-man shop, unloading trucks in my yards myself because I couldn’t afford labor. Every luxury I have, I earned myself.
My angle in posting is to inspire. Every post says: Guys, you can do this too. Nobody is going to hand you anything on a plate.
People’s attitudes change with success. I feel like I’ve become more humble. I feel I should give people more of my time, not less, if it can help someone.
That includes mentorship. Whenever he can, Hydrie sits down one-on-one in his office with 10 to 15 university and school students.
BH: Nobody gives you advice when you’re going through it. If I can help someone avoid the pressure I faced, I think that’s a responsibility as a human.
CLP: Some of those conversations become the moments young people remember for the rest of their lives.
BH: One hundred percent. You know, early on, what motivated me was the experiences. A Ferrari, then Bugattis and Koenigseggs, then the jet. But then life hits you, and you ask: Is this it? Where do you go from there? The real pleasure for me now is inspiring others and doing something good for them.
He’s involved with the Calgary Police Youth Foundation, which supports young people affected by violence, and Inclusive Energy gives back a portion of every sale. And in Pakistan, there’s a school he rarely talks about.
BH: It’s through the Deaf Reach Foundation. The children are mostly deaf orphans, and there isn’t much government support, so my family and I have taken responsibility for the school. There are over 400 kids, and we take care of everything: education, transportation, books, you name it.
For a long time, I kept it anonymous. I was afraid people would think I was bragging. It was just between me and God.
The Reward
Every hypercar story starts with a dream that feels impossible. For Bilal Hydrie, it started with a movie.
CLP: Do you remember the first car you ever fell in love with?
BH: It was a Ferrari 360 Modena. I saw it in a movie, and I never thought I’d own it. It was just a dream, like any boy has. When I started making an income, I was even afraid to walk into the Ferrari dealership. How are they going to see me? Am I even eligible? I kept going back, again and again. Even the salesman thought, “Oh my God, he’s back. Is he ever going to buy it?” But it was in me: One day I will own it. The day I bought it was one of the best feelings of my life.
Years later, a salesman mentioned the Bugatti team was coming to Alberta.
BH: As soon as I sat in it, the smell, the feeling, I thought: If I have to sell my house, I will buy this one day. But every car for Canada was sold out. The dealership owner asked me why I wanted it. I told him I was in love with it, and that I’d studied Bugatti’s history and founders. Then Bugatti called with tough questions, like an interview. I said, “I’m paying you millions. Why don’t you just sell me a car?”
CLP: They’re protecting a hundred-year-old brand. They want owners who reflect it.
BH: Exactly. They invited me to Molsheim, which they almost never do without a deposit. I met the whole team, saw the history of the founders, and on the second day, the deposit was in place. I was like a kid in a candy store.
CLP: Becoming the owner of the world’s last Koenigsegg Jesko is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. What was it like going to Sweden and finally seeing it?
BH: Remarkable, to be honest with you. When you land, you get a call: “I’ll see you at the factory.” And when you arrive, Christian is standing at the door. I’ve never felt that with any other brand.
CLP: It’s like being welcomed into someone’s home.
BH: Exactly. I feel like Christian and his wife know every customer by name, and you can call him anytime. I’ve been back three or four times now, and every time, it feels like visiting family.
CLP: The Koenigsegg Jesko carries his father’s name, a tribute to the man who believed in his son’s dream. What does that mean to you?
BH: It means a lot. Christian wanted to be the best of the best, and I think that’s what he created. A Bugatti you can drive every day; a Koenigsegg is so fast you have to know what you’re doing.
Who He’s Becoming
CLP: I’ve always believed we grow as people alongside the businesses we build. How have you changed?
BH: Before, I was aggressive, ruthless, just for myself. Now every decision affects the people working for me. Their futures rely on it. So you make calculated decisions, not emotional ones. Your reputation is everything. One bad mistake, one bad attitude, and you can lose it all.
CLP: It’s the difference between checkers and chess. You are your brand, and your reputation is its currency.
From a newcomer afraid to walk into a Ferrari dealership to being greeted by Christian von Koenigsegg at the factory door, Hydrie’s collection tells one story. The message underneath it is the one he wants people to hear: If he can do it, so can they.
[Image credits: Bilal Hydrie, Amar Gill, Alibiev.A, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg c/o Bilal Hydrie. All opinions are my own]