Russ, I’m a newly retired architect, also Part 107 for 4 1/2 years, and a former board member of one of the local Economic Development Boards. What you stated about contacting the local officials is exactly what I’m in the process of doing. The one item, I believe is the Most Important, but you did not mention, is the absolute necessity of obtaining Liability Insurance, prior to the very first business flight. Starting out, policies can be on a per project basis, hourly fee of approx $25, or on a monthly fee of $100. I’m sure your aware of several insurance companies that offer drone policies. I highly recommend insurance to anyone interested in starting a drone business; not only a necessity, but marketing your firm as having insurance s also very helpful in establishing your credibility.

Hey, you made a video about the same topic around a year ago. Back then, I started my drone business because of you. I am 14 years old and earned $3000+ last year just from drone photography and videography. Thanks for inspiring me!

Speaking of niches: I'm currently working on building a drone business around taking pictures of boats/yachts for their owners. I take the pics and have them printed on canvas so the owners can always admire their boat, even outside of the season. Worked with some sailing clubs so far and there seems to be a lot of interest :).

Russ, I just wanted to add that I recently got hired on by a company that does home inspections from wind or storm damage. I go and take photos of the house with my phone and then take aerials of the roof. Literally, everything uploads to an app, and that's it. The site is finished and uploaded before I leave the clients home. I have been geting 1-3 inspections a week. That's good side business for me and my family.

The trick is networking. As cliche as it is, it’s what works. I’m 16 and have worked with companies like Hyundai, Magazine corporations, ESPN, SEO Level Up and more. It all started by getting to know people. Great video! Biggest thing to take away is don’t give work away free. It will come back to bite you later.

Last year I visited a friend of mine who owns his old family hotel/restaurant. I flew a few minutes and gave him some photos and videos, just between friends. They now have one of my photos on the back of their catalog. But what I want to mention here is, that my wife looked at the videos and noticed, that one of their photovoltaic cells on the roof looked off. I showed him and said, I have no idea why this is. A few weeks later he called me, telling me I should do this for a living. He told his service guy, they checked the cells and the one in question was in fact broken and needed to be replaced. Without me he never would have known. So maybe also contact people who have PV systems on their property and offer inspection flights :)

I passed my exam from tony and Chelsea’s free study guide they posted. It’s an hour long video and only tells you what you need to pass. I l just listened 10-15 times while I was driving or working and I was able to pass with a 70. No practice test and they explained the trick questions very well.

I’m a real estate photographer, most agents are not just looking for drone photos, they want the whole package available for every job. Drone photos, interior, 360 tours, floor plans, video…etc. Drone is a tiny part of the business honestly and to do it well takes thousands of hours of research and practice…on top of equipment costs. In some high end areas you may be able to sell your drone services direct to re photographers who do not want to deal with drones themselves though.

In Germany, farmers are obliged to search their fields for deer kitzen before mowing. This is now often done with drones and infrared cameras.

This video is right on time. Just last night I was looking up information about writing off a laptop for a drone business. But making money with my drone has been the goal since I received my license last year in February. I contacted a number of real estate agents to do videos/drone videography for their properties. Not much success with that because, as you mentioned, most agents already have their own videographer. But now I'm going to aim for construction sites doing progress monitoring/photography/videography for buildings being constructed. Another industry to target is architecture. I met an architect in Lima, Peru back in March who saw me flying my drone in a park and said he could use it for one of his projects. We exchanged numbers and a couple of days later I went by to see what the project was. It was a pool he designed for his apartment building. So the next day I went and did some photos for him. There's also the oil and gas industry, agriculture and films. For anyone thinking of other industries to target. But it's been on my mind heavily, since I've returned to the States, to start making money with my drone. It really is a money making machine. Drone services are in demand. Thank you for posting this video!

I have had my Part 107 for over 2 years and started my own LLC to start making money. I agree you have pound the payment. Another avenue to take is join your local business association and start attending networking events. Networking has been the best pavement pounder for me. I try to keep jobs around 50 mile radius. For pricing the thing to remember is price your time accordingly. Remember it is YOUR TIME that is the valuable asset so don't sell yourself short and make sure you charge enough to cover the cost to put the drone in the air. Save flights everyone.

Dude, don't let the "negative Nellies" get to you. You always seem to have a positive attitude. Keep it up!

This is a sign! I was just telling my wife I wanted to go to the next level. I messaged Ken a couple days ago inquiring about how to get started on this path. Thanks for making this video Russ! I'm pretty sure you just pushed me over the edge.(In a good way) 😅

I just ordered the Drone Pilot ground School course and saved $100. I like the format and the way it is presented.

We've made great money flying our drones as part of our video company. Get out there and practice and build a business

Thank you for this video! I was scheduled to take my Part 107 Exam as I watched this video and your suggestion to enroll in Drone Pilot Ground School saved me! I had been through the FAA provided study guide for the exam and thought I was ready to test but after seeing this video your suggestion to enroll in a study course convinced me otherwise. It was Memorial Day weekend and I was able to take advantage of their discounted enrollment offer too. I was about 3 or 4 modules into the course and could easily see at this point I would have bombed the test without this additional preparation so once again thank you for this advice! By the way I just received my Temporary Airman Certificate....woohoo!

Russ thank you for the video. The competition for starting a drone business where I live in Florida is off the charts. However I talked with some friends both in Ohio and Pennsylvania and it's fairly wide open. It's not easy and you need to lay the groundwork before you start pounding the pavement. Establishing your business as a LLC is a must. You need to take marketing to another degree with everything from logos to a social media presence to a website. You also need to have the right equipment including multiple batteries, a backup drone, multiple SD cards, and portable mass storage. It can be done but It's not for everyone.

Good move on the study guide for the Part 107 exam, it's for the best. Something I've learned about taking federal exams in the course of upgrading my Coast Guard engineer's license is that the questions are mostly structured like this: one answer is correct, one is very wrong, and two answers will be somewhat close to being correct. Another piece of advice was passed along by my last CG exam administrator was to NOT go back and change answers. He said that almost invariably you change it to a wrong answer when you do that. Just an FYI and PSA for everyone.

Russ, You have some great thoughts and words of encouragement for the newer people in the drone industry. I have my 107 and a couple of drones but am so busy with work I haven’t put the effort into building the business. Thanks for given the incentive I needed to get back in the right mindset. As a side note: A few years back when the Baaken Shale play started booming, I would come to North Dakota to work in the oil fields. I love the Scandinavian Heritage Center and Magic City. The winters were brutal on this Texan. I wish I had a drone back then. I would have loved to document the activity of the “Oil Boom,” just like the old spindle top days. No one can believe what all was going on.|

Russ, thanks for the encouragement. I have my Part 107, three drones, a portfolio on Instagram, business cards, and what I think are some pretty decent photo and video chops. I've done a few sparse jobs here and there, but really need to get out and beat the pavement, as you say. Thanks for the nudge. I love your channel.

Its way easier said than done. I have a Mini 3 Pro and a Part 107 and ive been reaching out to all types of businesses for months and have only for 1 small gig. I have 3 tree service companies interested in getting photos taken but havnt got any jobs yet.

I used the same course for my certification in 2016. They give lifetime access and I also used the course when I did my recertification. Great suggestion!

Writing off costs means nothing if you’re not making any revenue from your drone business! Keep that in mind.

Thanks for the great content Russ. I've had my part 107 for about 3 years now and am always toying with the idea of making some side $$$. You've definitely given me some ideas and a reason to knock the dust off my Mavic 3 classic. Love your positive attitude and keep em coming!

Hi Russ. Very, Very great informative video as always. This is some of the best information for someone interested in starting a business. I have a business 1-1/2 years now and not complaining one bit. I'm a Retired MARINE 30 yrs. Retired after Desert Storm then fully retired from the workforce in 2010 from the Aviation field. What I'm saying is that I can take it or leave it the drone business but why. This is the easiest and fun money I've ever made. Keep up the great work, I've been subbed to you forever it seems.

I love the advice you gave about never giving away your work for free👍

Russ, thank you for this excellent video about starting a drone business. You covered a lot of great information in this short video. I did add a comment regarding insurance for any new business. Yes, a website is an inexpensive way to start a business and post a gallery of your photos and videos. Your new business adventure of selling postcards is outstanding. I wish you much success! Well Done, Russ!

Great video Russ. There is serious money to be made in this business I believe. You highlighted a few ways of going about it. Real-estate, mapping, agricultural, tower inspections, thermal, etc, etc. Perhaps a video laying out ALL of the fields that a drone "pilot" could go into and the approximate earnings associated with that particular field.

Great ideas to start a drone business. You can also, with the appropriate license, could contact weeding photographers and offer them your services for drone footages. Some of them work alone or just with another backup photographer and don’t have time during the ceremony and the after party to fly a drone. You could offer video clips and also photos as part of their packages.

Russ! Great information! I love the fact that you encourage others to take the next step. I live along Lake Michigan and I think about all the watercraft in the harbors. Who wouldn’t want a nice image or video of their boat from a different viewpoint. My background in photography goes back to the film days and now my Mini3Pro will take me to new heights (pun intended). I’m a few years from retirement and looking for a new adventure. Thanks for the channel and all the great content it brings.

Dude! This was the message I needed to hear to make the leap. Now time to study for that test. Thank you!

Heads up, mavic 2 pro is closer to $800 after fees, look at those prices again, 0 are for 500 and almost all are 699, $800 is standard for mavic 2 pro currently, Air 2s is definitely the most affordable high quality one, and can be purchased for around 700 with flymore (I would know as I’m selling one at 750 and mine isn’t the cheapest listed)

Every photographer or videographer should have good drone (get certified ofc) I remember Tony and chelsea Northrop went on a business trip and they were so excited about their wildlife lenses and some big medium format equipment among other things, but everyone was excited and blown away by their casual drone footage. Not the expensive cameras or lenses. Drones while not new anymore are still exciting and different for most people. It’s enough to set you apart

Good channel, however, I disagree with this post. Learn photography first. Getting the drone and the part 107 is the easier part. Becoming a skilled photographer could take years. First learn the basics of photography. If you start promoting yourself as a photographer, but your work is junk, You’re gonna burn up all the prospects. Just because you’re by a hammer doesn’t make you a carpenter. Drone is just a tool. I see way too much junk photography and cinematography out there. Learn to fly well and learn photography first.

I started in FPV and have the idea of getting 2 or 3 sets of goggles and charge for an FPV ride. Then have a Cetus X setup and let them TRY flying FPV. $5 a ride. $10 to fly 3 to 4 minutes each about a battery flight. Just need the proper area to setup to fly. My wife says no way but I say everyone wants to try flying. At $10 to try it out and if they like it, they will pay to try again.

Thank you, I am very happy to save some money. Your announcement of the discount has expedited my plans to sign up for this UAV Part 107 education and training . I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Best Regards

I’ll be coming back to this video to say “thank you Russ” in a few months

Really great video. I'm retired & been flying recreationally for a year now, with a DJI Mavic SE. Makes me want to get the 107 & start earning.

Russ, another great video. Your approach and delivery on all things important to Drone operators is always spot on. Thanks for another really informative video. Great job!

I tried to reach out to every possible client I could think of for a month and not a single response lol I am just gonna fly recreationally now and make personal projects. I thoroughly enjoy flying and learning all the ins and outs.

I work for a survey company, started as a regular surveyor said i was interested in working with drones. Now im doing aerial surveys with both photography and LIDAR.

Maybe not the best in some opinions, but I think drone aggregators can be a good start. I only have a Mini 2 and no real editing skills, and I'm able to do roof inspections at about $75 for 30 mins of work. Take photos and upload through the app and you're done. I recently lined up 3 on a Saturday morning, took me 4 hrs total and made $225. I've turned more away than I've accepted due to full time job workload and family commitments.

When it comes to going around and taking pictures with the drone make sure you look at local laws. All the parks near me are no fly zones unless hired by the park itself. Also the city near me has an airport near by so you can't fly in certain areas and others you have to stay very low, but the cops to be "safe" like to think of the whole city as a no fly zone. They have been known to confiscate drones. You have to go to the station to pick it up and find the SD card that was in it to be wiped clean. They have apps that can show you in what area your in if you can fly or not and how high your allowed to go. I want to get into FPV but its so hard to find places to fly. But on the bright side I have a friend that makes good side money flying for a local real estate agent. She told him everyone in the office has a hard time finding people who can fly and get good shots and I'm just like. Wonder why? XD

I use my drone to produce content for a video production company making advertisements, testimonies, promotional content, and more. Filming roofs, boats, schools, and construction sites are all ways I make money flying my drone. And I’m only 18. If you want it, you can do it! P.S. I passed my part 107 first try in one week with a 77. Not amazing, but I passed!

I love your videos Russ. If I had something to add I'd say the number one thing drone pilots do wrong is.. selling themselves as drone pilots. Mechanics don't sell themselves as wrench turners, and photographers don't sell themselves as camera clickers. Your client does not truly care what drone you fly or the fact that you fly drones even, they care about the deliverables you give them. Being a drone pilot isn't what you get paid for, delivering a quality finished product is. I tell my new clients I will be their end-to-end data collection solution and in doing so I have expanded my business to include all sorts of new offerings besides drones and went from making a few hundred dollars for a "drone job" locally and now my flagship offering is $6,000 for what takes about 2 hours of work and I don't take jobs for less than $1,000 and have repeat business in 30 states. We've all been doing it wrong for years, let's not confuse our tool with our product. All that being said, I love everything 51 Drones has been putting out for all these years.

Thanks for the motivation! I went back to my Pt 107 study after I watched this! 🍻

I am a USCG captain with a delivery business. Delvier boats, sail and power and do lots of work on the water. Thinking about added this drone to my business.

I disagree with giving away for free. At least monetarily. Free is the best way to get out there, gain real world experience, learn problems and solutions and increase your skills. If you ask for anything, ask for a public review. Ask for what they liked and didn’t like. Free is one of the best ways to grow, and when people can help you do that, without having to take a chance on their end with their money, even if it’s 10 or 20 dollars, it works out great for them and the starter business. 5-10 “Free Promotional Offers” in exchange for reviews, marketing, field experience with actual customers, as well as feedback and portfolio footage, is well worth any time that is put into a free offer. I agree with everything else 100% and this is great content! Thanks for taking the time to share!

Thanks for this video. I've been needing to get my Part 107 ever since my supervisor dropped two boxes of parts in my office and said "See if you can get this to fly again".

I know that this is an old video, however I don't know if anybody else came up with this or not. There's the option of going to home inspectors and subcontracting out your flying to the home inspector. I know several home inspectors that are using drones to do roof inspections and overall exterior second floor inspections and at least two of them are not licensed, they're just throwing the Drone in the air and shooting the video if you could get with a home inspector who's doing this without a license and convince them that it would be safer for them and cheaper in the long run to hire you to do it rather than run the risk of getting caught that might open an opportunity there

Brilliant video, loved your thoughts and suggestions. Also appreciate you being open about your charging strategy. More of us that share and encourage each other, the better.

Seems like learning to fly FPV, getting something like the dji avata (unless you really know how to fly!) and getting shots similar to a walk/fly thru would really up that income. Especially if you can learn to fly good enough. It’s incredible what some pilots can do! Eg: high overhead shot, swoop down into a window, up one set of stairs, down the other and out over a pool or something would be awesome and expensive but better practice…..A LOT! Get a controller and use a simulator on a pc. Those crashes are free! ;)

Stock content is the way in leaning as I’ve seen it mentioned a few times and it’s good to get some nice shots in of your own part of the world. Photos should be highest quality you can and vids should be anywhere between 15-60 seconds, again think about who would buy it for marketing etc. they don’t need long clips as usually they want multiple angles/movements, you sell each as it’s own thing.

This is great! Got my drone roughly a year ago and have been thinking about ways to improve, thanks!

holy smokes, that was freaking awesome...thank you!!! I'm 90%pulling trigger on one....I have some crazy ideas, can't wait!!!

I got in contact with some local photographers and get work from them. They call me regularly to assist with projects and photo shoots they have as an added feature in their business. They promote me and it's gotten me a lot of extra business.

I'm perusing my license. Should come handy in the Surveying Business. I personally started just for fun my latest is the FVP DJI, I cannot tell you how fun that drone is lol. There are many sites that offer classes. Drones are and will forever be in our future lives

2 days ago I bought the dji Matrice 30T. Hoping to expand my business, but your right, marketing is the key. Plenty of business out there for UAV pilots. Good video.

Russ as it relates to the cost, we could include a combination of photos and videos of a certain quantity and charge per hr. or one flat rate. Usually that can excite a client knowing that they are getting more content and value for their $$$. It will be a win win. This video btw was very very informative. 👍👍

Thank you for this video. I appreciate how realistic, informative, and comprehensive it is. Well done

I just got the new Mavic 3 Pro, because I just started working with a construction company where I charge between 300-600€ per location, each location is about 2 hours of work including editing a short video and I'm doing 1-3 of these per month, so thats some nice money coming in on the side.

I had 2 air2's drones, an enterprise mapping drone that cost 7k plus, and experience using them, mapping, and modeling. I made 0 dollars. Everything legal, insured, and above bored. I couldn't even get companies to accept FREE services that typically would cost thousands. Not to mention my tax write offs didn't seem to help at all, I ended up paying more in taxes last year. I think most companies are happy paying insane prices to already established engineering and surveying firms. And the gig market is just laughable. I keep getting emails to drive hours for a 70 dollar job. Maybe its different in other parts of the country...

It may be easy in your country! I’ve tried & tried in Kent England & haven’t made a penny!!!

Just got my first drone. Paid $239 on Prime Day for a mini 4k.Took first flights at sunrise & sunset Got beautiful pics. Getting a little less afraid a pterodactyl will swoop out of the sky and grab it or it'll fall 10,000 feet into a never-ending sinkhole. 🤣🤣🤣 I really hope by year's end I've passed the test, gotten a pro 4 or Mavic and will be making money.

This is just photography with a drone. 99.99999% of us won't actually make any money. But we will definitely spend a bunch.

I’m starting mine with a couple of friends. One has to take his part 107 exam but he gets the gist of things!!!

This is really awesome business ideas and tips, the best part is that these tips can be applied to many niches!

King School does a great job as well. A lot of Realtors try and do this themselves without having a 107. I have a few that pay me $100 a session, the big money for me was rich people that want to show off there house and property.

Construction site photos, during and after the project is complete. I am a commercial superintendent and I will be trying to get my company and others to use my services. Thank you for the video.

Thanks for sharing! Your video just popped up as a suggestion. I guess the YT algorithm saw I've been interested in this subject for a bit. There were also 333 comments when I saw this so that's a sign too that I should definitely look into getting started with this. You've got a new subscriber and IG follower.

i think the hardest part for me will be the marketing part of things. the approaching business' and stuff. But this video got me hyped!

Always such value from your channel, my friend!!

Don't forget, a "Service" can also be a "Product" on FB Marketplace. Example: 5 min drone video = $$ 15 min drone video = $$$

Great video Russ - as British Army veteran myself based in the UK, I love the idea of supporting Canine's for warriors :)

Thank you, you made me decide to start with the very same idea I had in mind. I will travel San Diego and try to buy my first DJI mini 2 se, that”s what I can afford. Have a great weekend!

Thanks for the detailed review pal. I got everything I need to know

At 62 I hope to keep building houses for the next 8 years. Drones of all types are just a hobby for me. Might be an option someday but not now. The market is booming and we can't build enough houses!

You have to make at least $600.00 before you can write-off income/expenses on a Schedule C.

Very Nice! I wanted to buy the picture of the church and snow scene... it was beautiful. I'm still struggling back from some major health issues, but it looks favorable finally. When I got my 2S I had a total of six realtor companies willing to discuss my doing jobs for them, and two of them were the largest in my area. I had it lined up, but then life just took a turn. I still want to do something, o.k. not for free... but I just want to help some people, a d local business people I've met. So I'll be into that soon (just picked up a new MacBook to assist me, and it's powerful). Anyway, I wanted to say hello to you, and thanks for this content. I look forward to all your videos.

I got my dji mini 2 drone almost 2 years ago now. And since then I have been using it for my real estate work. I think I will get in touch with insurance business and take photos for them

$200-$400 for an entire package is way way way way too undervalued in my opinion. That’s hours of time, commute, editing, I definitely feel you can charge double that!

I thought about doing this, But I enjoy flying drones as a hobby. If I do this as a job, then it becomes work and won't be enjoyable for me anymore. Just my thoughts

I've made few grand but running out of ideas and now RE is getting oversaturated with corporate photo companies in my area.

SUBSCRIBED what a heck of a channel! cant wait to watch every single video. thanks brother this is a great idea real estate photography has been an interest already, adding drones is going to double up my interest here. 500$ per property... i can live off of just one a week lol

Great video and suggestions. Please keep in mind that some states are different than others when it comes to making money with a drone. Be sure you understand your local laws before you fly your drone commercially. My state of Minnesota requires registration of the drone with the state and also a business license. So you will need to start an officially business to fly commercially in the state of Minnesota. Also, in order to register the drone with the state for commercial purposes, you must have proof of insurance.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but I read that wedding video and photography can also be a good source of income for drone pilots. I'm still in the research phase of everything but I thought I'd share in case it helps someone.

Thanks, i’m working on my business card now appreciate the encouragement

Great video, thanks Russ 👍 I’m down in little ol’ New Zealand and your content of this video is mostly very relevant 👌 Thanks for the motivation 😎

Good information Russ, and thanks for sharing.

Maybe look at more obscure events that haven’t been tapped into yet. Action sports have already been at the forefront of a lot of drone use, but what about rodeos, off-road competitions or clubs, shooting sports (firearms, archery, cowboy, etc.), equestrian (dressage, hunter/jumper), state/county fairs. Just started thinking about these things myself and thought others might be able to capitalize.

Awesome video! Really helpful. The QR code on your business cards is such a great idea.

Thanks for the motivation, Russ. I'll need to look more information about that Airspace Authorizations here in Indonesia. Can't wait to start my own drone business. Thanks again!

Never thought about a QR code on a business card. What a great idea for ANY card.

I have a few side hustles, and do my own taxes ..... this guys on point. Hes just giving this away guys, if youre young just listen to what hes saying about everything, how he thinks, no need to copy, also do your own taxes with assistance if needed

Doing content work for real estate SUCKS until you hit higher listings. Agents can be awful to deal with.

Excellent Video and Excellent Information. Thank You Russ.

The real estate industry is the perfect launch pad if you are just starting if you are willing to do interiors as well. You just cant charge a good enough rate for only real estate aerials unless you are doing some really high end homes.

I might suggest people form a corporation or legal entity and/or have good insurance. You never know where trouble may come from.. if you don't want to put your assets at risk, you need likely both- form a business entity AND have insurance before you do any commercial work.

That's great! You made feel comfortable about it.

bro's suggested searches were suspect very informative video tho