so ive been flying for about two years now mostly just for fun, got my part 107 last spring and ive had a few friends ask me to shoot stuff for them (weddings, a real estate thing for my cousin) and honestly it went really well and now im thinking like... why not try to make some money at this properly

but i genuinely have no idea where to start with the business side of things. like do i need an LLC right away or can i just operate as a sole prop to start? and insurance ? ive heard you need like a separate commercial policy but i have no clue what that costs or who even offers it. my current hobby coverage through the AMA obviously doesnt cover commercial work

also pricing is killing me. i did the real estate shoot for basically nothing because i felt weird charging my cousin but if im gonna do this for real i need actual rates. anyone here gone through this process and can share what it actually looked like getting started? not looking for a course or anything just real talk from people whove done it

went through almost exactly this like 18 months ago so happy to share what i did. first thing ? sole prop is totally fine to start, you dont need an LLC immediately but i'd get one eventually just for liability separation. cost me like $80 to file in my state and took maybe a week. its peace of mind more than anything

for insurance i use Skywatch, they do pay-per-flight or monthly plans which was great when i was just starting and not flying commercially every week. once i got busier i switched to a annual policy through a broker who specializes in aviation stuff ? way better coverage and honestly not that much more expensive when you spread it out. hull coverage for your equipment is separate from liability so make sure you understand what you're actually buying

pricing is the hard one. real estate around here (midwest) goes for like $150-250 for a basic photo package, video is more. weddings i dont really touch because the liability and pressure isnt worth it to me personally but some guys do well with it. dont undercharge just because you feel weird ? your gear, your time, your editing time, all of that costs money

also just jumping in ? the LLC thing really does matter once clients start signing contracts with you. had a situation early on where a client was unhappy with footage and threatened to make it a whole thing and i was really glad i had that separation between my personal stuff and the business. probably nothing would have happened but still

one thing nobody told me when i started was to actually write up a simple contract for every job, even small ones. doesnt have to be fancy, just scope of work, what deliverables they get, payment terms, and a clause about weather delays. saved me from a headache with a real estate agent who wanted unlimited revisions on the edit lol