so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and been doing mostly hobby stuff but lately a few people have reached out asking if i do paid work. real estate agent friend of mine wants aerials for listings, and a local construction company asked about progress shots for a job site they're managing.

i honestly dont know if this is something i can turn into actual income or if its just gonna be a handful of random gigs here and there. like is there a consistent pipeline of work once you build up a client base or does it kind of come and go in waves. i have a mavic 3 pro and a mini 3 pro as a backup so gear wise im not starting from zero at least.

anyone actually doing this full time or even part time in a meaningful way? would love to hear what niches ended up working out for people. real estate seems saturated but maybe im wrong about that

real estate isnt as saturated as people think, at least not in smaller markets. i was nervous about the same thing when i started but honestly the barrier is just showing up consistently and not flaking on clients. so many guys underbid, do one or two shoots, then disappear. if you just answer your phone and deliver on time you'll stand out more than you'd expect.

construction and infrastructure inspections ended up being way more reliable for me than real estate though. the jobs are bigger, they repeat, and the clients tend to have actual budgets. i do roof and facade inspections for a property management company now and that alone basically covers my equipment costs every month. real estate fills in the gaps. took probably 8 months before i felt like it was actually a real side income and closer to 18 before i felt comfortable calling it my main thing.

following this thread because im in almost the exact same boat lol. got my 107 in the fall and have been debating whether to actually pursue paid work or just keep it fun. curious what people think about using something like thumbtack or bark to find initial clients vs just cold emailing local businesses