okay so i set up the LLC, got my 107, have the insurance sorted, built a decent little portfolio website and... crickets. i have three clients that come back semi-regularly, two real estate agents and a landscaping company that wants seasonal shots. which is fine but its not enough to justify upgrading gear or really treating this like a business yet.

tried posting in some local facebook groups and got a few nibbles but nothing solid. google my business page has like zero reviews because i keep forgetting to ask people. honestly im not sure if the problem is my prices, my portfolio, or just that people dont really know aerial photography is something they can hire out for locally you know? feels like every potential client I talk to is kind of surprised this is even a thing.

what actually worked for you when you were trying to build up your client base? im in a smaller market, maybe 80k people, so there isnt a huge pool to draw from but there must be something im missing

real estate was my biggest growth area and honestly it came almost entirely from just walking into brokerages and asking to talk to the office manager. sounds old fashioned but it works way better than cold emailing. bring a little printed card with a QR code to your portfolio and offer to do one property for free or heavily discounted just so the agents can see the workflow. once one agent in an office uses you and likes it the word spreads pretty fast because those offices are gossipy in the best way.

also honestly the google reviews thing is killing you, that is a real problem. just text your existing clients after a job and ask directly, most people will do it if you make it easy and ask nicely. five good reviews makes a huge difference in local search.

construction has been weirdly good for me, like general contractors and developers who want progress shots of their builds. they usually want it on a recurring schedule which is nice for steady income. i found most of mine just by driving around looking for active job sites and then googling the GC. bit of a grind but the contracts tend to be longer term than one-off real estate stuff. your market size should still have enough going on for a couple of those