so ive been flying for about 3 years now mostly just for fun and doing favors for friends like shooting their weddings and a few real estate jobs here and there that people just venmo'd me for. never really thought much about it but the work has been picking up and a buddy of mine said i should actually start a proper business before i get myself in trouble.

the thing is i have no idea where to start. like do i need an LLC or can i just file as a sole proprietor first? and what about insurance ? i know i need part 107 which i actually already have, but is the insurance separate from that or does the FAA somehow cover anything? i doubt it but just want to make sure im not missing something obvious.

also the pricing thing is killing me. i looked at what some local companies charge and its all over the place. one guy is charging $150 for a real estate shoot and another company is charging $600 for basically the same thing. how do you even figure out what to charge without underselling yourself but also not scaring people off

okay so the LLC vs sole prop thing ? honestly when i started i just went sole prop for the first year because it was easier and cheaper to set up, but once you start making real money you really do want to get that LLC sorted. the liability protection alone is worth it. i use my state's online business portal thing and it cost like $75 to file. took maybe a week to come through.

for insurance, part 107 doesnt cover anything on the liability side, thats all on you. i use Skywatch and its been fine, you can do it on a per-flight basis if you're not flying constantly or get an annual policy once you're busier. hull insurance is separate if you want to cover the drone itself. a lot of real estate clients dont even ask for proof of insurance but any commercial client worth working with will.

on pricing ? the $150 guy is probably hurting himself. once you factor in travel, editing time, equipment depreciation, insurance, your own time prepping the flight plan... you cant really do a real estate shoot profitably under $200-250 minimum in my opinion. the $600 guys might be doing larger properties or including more deliverables. just dont race to the bottom, it makes it harder for everyone in the market.

im kind of in the same boat as you actually so following this thread. one thing i heard is that if you're doing any work for compensation without part 107 you're technically already in violation which, yeah, you mentioned you have it so you're good. but i did the favors thing too before i got certified and that made me nervous in hindsight.

the pricing thing honestly just google a few local competitors and see what comes up on their websites, a lot of them post packages. then just dont be the cheapest option, thats what someone told me and it made sense