okay so this is kind of embarrassing but i said yes to a job before i fully sorted out my business stuff and now its happening in like 3 weeks. its a local construction company, they want progress photos of a site every two weeks, ongoing thing potentially. i quoted them $250 per visit which looking back i might have lowballed but whatever its done now. my part 107 is current, i have my drone registered, but i dont have business insurance yet and i definitely dont have an LLC or any kind of contract. im in texas if that matters.

what do i absolutely need to have in place before i show up to this job. im not trying to get sued into oblivion here but i also dont want to back out because this could be a great recurring client if i do it right

insurance first, everything else second. seriously dont show up without it. SkyWatch has a pay-per-month option that you can get set up in like a day or two, i think its around $60-80/month for basic coverage. get that done this week. the construction company might even ask to see your COI before they let you on site, thats pretty standard with contractors.

for the contract just google drone services agreement template and adapt one to your situation, there are decent free ones out there. the main things you want covered are scope of work, payment terms, what happens if weather cancels a session, and a liability clause. nothing fancy but having something in writing protects both of you.

$250 is low for recurring construction work but honestly recurring anything is valuable when youre starting out so id lock it in, do a great job, and raise rates when the contract renews. ive done the same thing and it worked out fine. just dont make a habit of it

texas LLC filing is pretty straightforward through the secretary of state website, i think its like $300 to file. you might not get it done before this first job but start the process now because it takes a couple weeks sometimes. in the meantime the insurance and a written agreement are the really critical things, the business structure can follow a little behind without it being a disaster. just dont skip the insurance part, that one is non-negotiable when youre on someone elses job site.