so ive been flying for about two years now, mostly real estate stuff for friends and a few local agents who just venmo me here and there, and honestly it kind of snowballed to the point where I think i could actually do this properly. but i have no idea how to set it up like a real business. do I need an LLC right away or can i just operate as a sole proprietor for a while? and the insurance thing is stressing me out because i know i need it but every time i google it i get bombarded by quotes and i dont really know what im looking at.

I have my part 107 already which i know is the baseline but beyond that im just sort of winging it (no pun intended). any of you guys who went through this process have any advice on like the order of operations? do I sort out insurance first, then clients, then the business entity or does it not really matter what order

went through this exact thing about three years ago. honestly the order doesnt matter as much as you think, but if i were doing it again id get the LLC set up first just because its cheap and it separates your personal liability from the business right away. in most states its like 50-100 bucks to file and you can do it yourself online. after that the insurance people take you more seriously too, some of them wont even quote you without a business entity.

for insurance i ended up going with Skywatch, they do pay-per-hour coverage which was good when i was starting out and not flying every day. now i have a yearly policy through a broker who specializes in aviation stuff. the real estate agents will almost certainly ask for a certificate of insurance before they hire you officially, so get that sorted before you start pitching. pricing wise i started at like $150 for a basic exterior shoot and raised it as i got busier. dont undercut yourself too much early on or you just set expectations low in your market

im kind of in the same boat so following this thread. one thing i heard is that some real estate photographers bundle drone into their packages and charge way more than people who just do drone only ? like they position it as a premium add-on instead of a standalone thing. not sure if thats easier or harder to pull off but it seems like it could be worth thinking about