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This guy nails it in many ways, are you a business person?

Tim Jones

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We all got our great pieces of tech, and we can do amazing things with them.
Truth is, this is no different than any other business. Getting started is HARD.
He nails my situation right off the bat. I have a full time day job that just prevents me from putting the time into marketing and growing a real business.
Buying a drone, or a nice editing PC with software does not a business make.
You have to know how to market, how to bill properly, how to establish a business plan, and stick to it.
It takes a lot of discipline.
I wonder how many hobbyist > full time operators there really are.
I am pretty active on a few forums, and I can tell the new folks get these and fly a few minutes. Learn to splice video a bit and get big ideas.
But that jump is not for the faint of hear, constrained for time, or money

 
1st, you need a 6 month, 1 year, 3 year and 5 year Business Plan. Now this can change due to market conditions and or changes in technology.
I'm surprised he didn't mention this.
Seattle is ranked 18th, Houston is #4.
I agree mostly what he had to say, it's tough!
I say to folks this is my Business Hobby.
Business so I can have additional write offs, hobby it is what it is.
You ain't gonna get wealthy flying when others will do it for macaroni and cheese.:rolleyes: It's like the old cliche, a dime a dozen!

I just decided to give my aerial vehicle a nickname after the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II
SLAT (Slow, Low Aerial Target)o_O:cool:. Sounds better than saying Drone;)
I use my Slat doing aerials for some of our company projects.
I fly a SLAT, Slat? yes, a slow low aerial target, that should get a response with humor.:confused:
 
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...
I just decided to give my aerial vehicle a nickname after the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II
SLAT (Slow, Low Aerial Target)o_O:cool:. Sounds better than saying Drone;)
I use my Slat doing aerials of our projects.
I fly a slow low aerial target, that should get a response with humor.

Jack-Nicholson-Shut-up.gif


I love the A-10s. :)

USSOCOM on Twitter
 
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There is a simple undeniable fact - these aircraft, and their entire purpose - is to carry a camera. They are simply - just another tool to hold a camera.

If you have come to photography or videography via a "drone" (ie: if you've never sold your services as a photo or video producer prior) - you're at the beginning of a very long path, of which - getting a multi rotor, learning to operate it and even getting a 107 certificate; is only the tip of a very immense iceberg. Realizing this and planning accordingly is step one, but it can be done.
 
I think that is it Pat, the camera in the air phenomena has turned anyone with an allowance into Spielberg wanna bees. Don't mean to sound harsh, but too many people think it is easy just because you can get aerial footage.
There are so many other skills/tools/techniques required to do compelling video]

And that is before you learn about balance sheets and P&Ls
 
True. And ultimately, in this business there are those that have a talent in one area or another that can supplant some of the other skills necessary, and still be successful. I think that is what is the true lure of the craft is; hoping to find that edge or niche that sets one apart from the others.
 
On this forum (and many others) I see people complain about people selling their services for "peanuts." I would like to point out that there are a few factors that may not have been taken into account:
  1. The cost of living can vary hugely from place to place. The prices paid for rent/mortgages in large cities like New York or San Diego are unheard of where I live.
  2. The state of the local economy is also widely divergent depending upon where you are. What may seem like a reasonable fee in one area is out of the reach of many clients in another.
  3. Not everyone has the same expenses. Some people choose to live much more frugal lives. No car payment, inexpensive homes, etc. This reduces their need for a huge paycheck just to pay the bills.
I'm often accused of being one of those that sells their services too inexpensively in my web development business, but the path that I've taken works for me and has allowed many people that didn't think that they could afford the level of quality that I produce to have a website that they can be proud of and helps their business to achieve its goals. Just my two cents.
 
On this forum (and many others) I see people complain about people selling their services for "peanuts." I would like to point out that there are a few factors that may not have been taken into account:
  1. The cost of living can vary hugely from place to place. The prices paid for rent/mortgages in large cities like New York or San Diego are unheard of where I live.
  2. The state of the local economy is also widely divergent depending upon where you are. What may seem like a reasonable fee in one area is out of the reach of many clients in another.
  3. Not everyone has the same expenses. Some people choose to live much more frugal lives. No car payment, inexpensive homes, etc. This reduces their need for a huge paycheck just to pay the bills.
I'm often accused of being one of those that sells their services too inexpensively in my web development business, but the path that I've taken works for me and has allowed many people that didn't think that they could afford the level of quality that I produce to have a website that they can be proud of and helps their business to achieve its goals. Just my two cents.

Very good points, but many people are wanting to turn their heart felt interests into full time income. I'm semi retired, got bored started a home inspection & real estate photography business. I love photography and anything that flies so I use my drone for roof inspections. But low and behold I came across a job photographing a construction site and it has turned out more profitable than the home inspections. So now I have taken my love of photography, flying, and it is working out fairly well. It did not start off that way, it has taken a long time to develop clients, and become fairly proficient at what I'm doing. If someone wants to use their drone for photography I highly recommend learning what it takes to be a professional photographer, it isn't easy.
I could have never been able to get off the ground if I didn't have the time and resources to do it. If you are going to start a business, you need to be 110% committed to it, and have the resources to do it.
 
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On this forum (and many others) I see people complain about people selling their services for "peanuts." I would like to point out that there are a few factors that may not have been taken into account:
  1. The cost of living can vary hugely from place to place. The prices paid for rent/mortgages in large cities like New York or San Diego are unheard of where I live.
  2. The state of the local economy is also widely divergent depending upon where you are. What may seem like a reasonable fee in one area is out of the reach of many clients in another.
  3. Not everyone has the same expenses. Some people choose to live much more frugal lives. No car payment, inexpensive homes, etc. This reduces their need for a huge paycheck just to pay the bills.
I'm often accused of being one of those that sells their services too inexpensively in my web development business, but the path that I've taken works for me and has allowed many people that didn't think that they could afford the level of quality that I produce to have a website that they can be proud of and helps their business to achieve its goals. Just my two cents.


I agree - free markets work for sure. If you can produce a product that satisfies the customer's needs and do it at a lower cost than someone else in that same market, that's what it's all about.
 
1st, you need a 6 month, 1 year, 3 year and 5 year Business Plan. Now this can change due to market conditions and or changes in technology.
I'm surprised he didn't mention this.
Seattle is ranked 18th, Houston is #4.
I agree mostly what he had to say, it's tough!
I say to folks this is my Business Hobby.
Business so I can have additional write offs, hobby it is what it is.
You ain't gonna get wealthy flying when others will do it for macaroni and cheese.:rolleyes: It's like the old cliche, a dime a dozen!

I just decided to give my aerial vehicle a nickname after the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II
SLAT (Slow, Low Aerial Target)o_O:cool:. Sounds better than saying Drone;)
I use my Slat doing aerials for some of our company projects.
I fly a SLAT, Slat? yes, a slow low aerial target, that should get a response with humor.:confused:
From which source were you able to find the information on the drone markets according to states?
 
From which source were you able to find the information on the drone markets according to states?
Not sure I understand your question? This was in response to the video Tim Jones posted above.
It's not any source from individual states, just very, very basic ingredients for a business start up.
The emphasis from the video, you better have CASH FLOW,:eek: IOW, lots of cash, money that won't affect your life style! Or your dead! :(
I was Managing Partner/CEO, now retired or thought I wanted to retire back in 2012, to boring.
We were involved in Government Contracting dealing with multi billion and simple million dollar other gov. contractors.
We specialized in Electromagnetic and Electomechanics along with fluid dynamics. Really cool stuff.:cool:
 
Not sure I understand your question? This was in response to the video Tim Jones posted above.
It's not any source from individual states, just very, very basic ingredients for a business start up.
The emphasis from the video, you better have CASH FLOW,:eek: IOW, lots of cash, money that won't affect your life style! Or your dead! :(
I was Managing Partner/CEO, now retired or thought I wanted to retire back in 2012, to boring.
We were involved in Government Contracting dealing with multi billion and simple million dollar other gov. contractors.
We specialized in Electromagnetic and Electomechanics along with fluid dynamics. Really cool stuff.:cool:
The part where you rated Seattle and Houston. Is that the ranking of the market conditions in general?
 

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