ok so after months of flying for free and building a portfolio i finally got someone to pay me, small construction company that wants monthly progress shots of a site they're working on, like a documentation thing over the course of the build. pretty excited but also a bit nervous because i want to make sure i set things up right from the beginning so it doesnt become a mess later.

my main questions are around delivery ? right now i was just thinking of using google drive to send files over but i dont know if that looks unprofessional or if there's a better way. also do you guys get clients to sign anything before you show up, like a contract or at least some kind of written agreement? and for something like a recurring monthly job, do you invoice each time or set something up in advance? sorry if these are basic questions im just trying to not wing it on the business stuff the way i did with my first few flights lol

congrats on the first paid one, monthly construction documentation is actually a really solid recurring gig, good find. on the delivery question ? google drive is totally fine, lots of pros use it. if you want to feel a bit more polished you could look at frame.io or even just a dedicated client folder structure that you share, but honestly the client probably doesnt care as long as the files are organized and easy to download. name your files properly though, like date and location and shot type, not just DJI_0042.mp4 or whatever comes off the drone.

for the contract, yes absolutely get something in writing before you fly anything. doesnt have to be crazy complicated, just scope of work, deliverables, payment terms, what happens if weather scrubs a flight, that kind of thing. there are free templates floating around on here and on various pilot facebook groups. and for monthly work i usually invoice at the start of each month or right after delivery, net 15 terms, and i use wave for invoicing which is free. keeps it clean and gives you a paper trail which matters more than you'd think when you scale up

the contract thing is so important and i learned the hard way. did a job without one, client decided they wanted more shots than we agreed on verbally, got weird when i mentioned additional cost. now i wont pick up my controller without something signed, even for people i know. also on the recurring job front, worth having a clause about what happens if they pause the project or the build gets delayed, construction timelines slip all the time and you dont want to be in a he-said-she-said about whether you're still on the hook to show up every month