so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and done a handful of jobs for friends and local businesses but nothing serious. mostly real estate stuff and one construction site gig that paid pretty decently. im starting to wonder if this could actually be a real income thing or if im just kidding myself.

the problem is i dont really know where to start with finding actual clients. like do people use platforms like Dronebase or Zeitview or whatever theyre calling themselves now, or is it all word of mouth and cold emailing? i feel like every time i look into it online i just find articles that are either way too vague or trying to sell me a course.

anyone whos actually doing this full time or even part time supplemental income want to share how they got rolling? would really appreciate hearing how it actually works vs how the youtube guys make it sound

honest answer — the platforms are fine for getting your feet wet but the pay is pretty rough once you factor in your time, travel, and equipment wear. i used Dronebase for maybe 8 months when i was starting out and it was good for building a portfolio and getting comfortable with client expectations but i was barely making anything after expenses.

word of mouth and direct relationships with real estate agencies and construction companies is where the actual money is in my experience. i basically just emailed every real estate brokerage within 30 miles of me with a one-pager and some sample shots and got maybe a 10% response rate which sounds low but that turned into 3 ongoing clients. the construction inspection work came through a guy i met at a local chamber of commerce thing. boring advice i know but thats genuinely how it happened for me

im kind of in the same boat as you so cant give you the full picture but one thing i heard is that mapping and surveying pays way better than photos and video once you get into that software side of things — like learning pix4d or similar. i havent done it yet but its on my list. apparently construction companies will pay a lot more for actual data deliverables than just footage