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Hello From Memphis TN!

wtlewis

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Messages
6
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Age
49
Location
Memphis , TN
Good Morning! I'm one of the new kids on the block and I just passed my part 107 exam. I'm ready to move full speed into this new field. Is there any additional certifications or training I need to have to make myself more marketable? Any advice or words of wisdom will be appreciated. Glad to be with this team of professionals!
 
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Welcome to the forum.

Have you written a business plan yet? Do you have a portfolio of your skills yet?

What market are you looking to get into? What's your background?

Allen
 
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BigA107,

I really appreciate the questions. I don't have a buisness plan or a portfolio. I have 2 UAV's but haven't had the chance to actually utilize them the way I should.

I'm not sure which market to focus on at this point. Any advice would be helpful.

I have 23 years in the computer field. 17 of those years have been in IT.
 
BigA107,

I really appreciate the questions. I don't have a buisness plan or a portfolio. I have 2 UAV's but haven't had the chance to actually utilize them the way I should.

I'm not sure which market to focus on at this point. Any advice would be helpful.

I have 23 years in the computer field. 17 of those years have been in IT.

My background is IT and I've "dabbled" in sUAS for 4 decades. My suggestion is to spend some time and find what you're good at and then figure how to focus that into your business. Get some time under your belt flying in several different settings and while you're doing this develop a detailed Business Plan. This BP will teach you about your business, your market, your price scheme, and most of all about your local competition.
 
Good Morning! I'm one of the new kids on the block and I just passed my part 107 exam. I'm ready to move full speed into this new field. Is there any additional certifications or training I need to have to make myself more marketable? Any advice or words of wisdom will be appreciated. Glad to be with this team of professionals!

Stick with what you know. If you have a photography background and an understanding of settings and post-processing images, then do that and do it well. If you have a background in inspections of utilities, then you need to focus on that. An understanding of client needs and a background in the chosen field are necessary in order to succeed. If you have a background in land survey or mapping and understand how to set up a job site with control points and check points and then post-process and ground truth the data, then maybe mapping or survey work is more along the lines of where you need to focus.

Buying a drone and developing the urge to use them to make money is not the basis for s successful business. You need a background in the field before you attempt to add a UAS into your business model. Without the background knowledge, you are just another guy or gal with a drone. The UAS is not going to make you a surveyor or photographer or cell tower inspector. It won't land you lasting real estate gigs. It doesn't even do a great job of mowing the yard. Its just a tool that is only as good as the person with a solid background in their field to use.

You can buy a Steinway grand piano but it doesn't make you a musician. the same thing holds true with a UAS. It is the background in the field that counts. The tools just make your job a little easier if used correctly....
 
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Find a gap in the services offered by those in your area (including us :)) and see if your skill set can fill that void. Then focus, and focus hard on that area. You won't get 100% of the drone jobs, but if you market yourself right, you'll get the bulk majority of those who are in need of the services you offer in that niche. Build that. Focus on that. And you should be able to build a sustainable lifestyle from those clients that fit your niche. If you can't, then your business plan needs tweaking until a livable wage is able to be obtained.

In other words, find out what you're good at, find a way to market it, differentiate yourself from the competition, and then target that marketing to those that you know will benefit from what you have to offer.

Welcome to the forum.
 
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Thanks TDS! I really appreciate the advice. That seems to be the key advice I'm receiving. A buisness plan and finding what I'm good at. I'm glad I found this forum because its challenging my method of approach.
 

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