so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and have been doing a few small gigs here and there for friends and some local real estate agents but nothing serious. lately ive been seriously thinking about trying to go full freelance and just wondering if anyone here has actually made it work as like a real income not just beer money.

i keep seeing people online claiming they make crazy money but then i also know guys who gave it a real shot and kind of burned out or couldnt get consistent work. im in a mid-sized city, not a huge market but not tiny either. mostly thinking real estate, some construction progress stuff, maybe weddings if i can stomach the pressure of that.

is there a point where it just clicks and the work comes in consistently or is it always this feast or famine thing? genuinely dont know if i should quit my day job or just keep this as a side thing for now

honest answer? keep the day job until you've replaced at least 60-70% of your income consistently for like 3-4 months. i know that sounds boring but the people i've seen crash out went full time too early and then started taking any gig at any price just to pay rent and that tanks your rates for everyone.

real estate is a good starting point but it's more competitive than it looks and a lot of agencies already have guys they use. construction documentation is actually where ive found more reliable recurring work ? you get on a project and they need you every few weeks for months. not glamorous but predictable. weddings are high pressure and honestly the pay rarely matches that stress unless you bundle it with video editing services too.

the feast and famine thing is real especially in year one. it does get better once you have a network but it takes longer than people admit online

im kind of in the same boat as you actually so following this thread. i did one real estate shoot last month and it went fine but i have no idea how to get more consistent clients. did you build a website or are you mostly just word of mouth at this point?