so ive been flying for about two years now, got my Part 107 last spring and been doing some side work here and there for a local real estate agency. nothing crazy, just listing photos and the occasional walkthrough video. but lately ive been seriously thinking about whether i could make this a full time thing or at least a real side hustle that pays consistently.

the real estate stuff is fine but its so seasonal and the agents around here are really cheap, like some of them actually pushed back on my rate of $150 for a standard shoot which honestly felt insulting. i know theres other markets ? construction, inspections, events, maybe mapping ? but i have no idea how to actually break into those. do you just cold call companies? build a portfolio site? im kind of going in circles trying to figure out the next step.

anyone here made the jump to doing drone work as a main income? curious what that actually looked like for you, not the highlight reel version but like what the first year was genuinely like.

man this is basically my story from like 3 years ago. honest answer? the first year was rough. i had maybe 4-5 consistent clients by the end of it and i was still picking up shifts at my old job to fill the gaps. the thing that actually moved the needle for me wasnt real estate at all ? it was reaching out to a couple of small construction companies and offering to do progress documentation. they dont really care about cinematic stuff, they just want clear consistent footage on a schedule, and once youre in with one company word gets around. i think i landed my third construction client just because someone mentioned me at a job site.

the portfolio site helped but honestly not as much as just showing up and talking to people. also $150 for real estate sounds about right for a smaller market, dont let them talk you down from that.

following this thread because im kind of in the same boat. just got my 107 two months ago and been trying to figure out if there's actually a path here or if everyone just ends up doing weddings lol