so this was a few weeks ago and it's still bugging me. got a message from a property management company asking about aerial footage for a few of their commercial listings, good sized job, would have been a nice start to building a real client relationship

they asked for proof of insurance and a COI and I had to basically admit I wasnt set up for that yet. they were polite about it but obviously went somewhere else. just a really frustrating way to learn that lesson

anyway I've been sorting it out since then. ended up going with Verifly for now since its pay per flight while I figure out if the volume is there to justify an annual policy. anyone have opinions on that approach versus just getting an annual policy from the start? I keep going back and forth on it

also if anyone has tips on how to actually find commercial clients like property managers, construction companies etc I'm all ears. cold email feels weird but maybe thats just how it works

yeah that stings but honestly its one of those lessons that only happens once. I did something similar early on, showed up to a job and the client asked for my COI on the spot and I had nothing. never again

on the verifly vs annual thing ? it really just comes down to how many flights you're doing. I think the math works out to somewhere around 15-20 flights a month where an annual policy starts making more sense financially, but the bigger thing is that some clients want to see an annual policy specifically, not a per-flight one. commercial clients especially tend to be picky about that so just something to keep in mind

for finding clients ? cold outreach does feel awkward but it works if you do it right. personalized emails with a couple relevant sample shots from their industry are way better than a generic template. I also found that showing up to local real estate investor meetups and networking events was weirdly effective, people want to work with someone they've actually met

construction companies are underrated as drone clients tbh. they need progress documentation constantly and once you're in with one GC they tend to refer you around. I landed my first regular contract through a general contractor I met at a chamber of commerce event of all places, wasn't even trying to pitch drone stuff, just networking

the insurance thing ? just get an annual policy, Verifly is fine for getting started but if you're serious about commercial work you'll outgrow it fast and the per-flight cost adds up quicker than you'd think once you actually start booking regularly