so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and been doing a few paid shoots here and there for friends and small local businesses but its all been pretty informal. like cash in hand stuff. and im starting to think maybe i should actually set this up properly as a business because the jobs are coming more regularly and honestly im a little nervous about doing it without insurance or anything official.

but i genuinely have no idea where to start. like do i need an LLC or can i just be a sole proprietor to start? and what about insurance, do you guys use a specific provider or just go through your normal business insurance? ive heard hull and liability are different things and i dont want to mess that up. also pricing is a mess for me ? im currently charging like $150 for a real estate shoot which i know is probably too low but i dont want to scare people off. any advice from people who have actually done this would be really appreciated

okay so i went through basically exactly this about 18 months ago and here's what i learned the hard way. the LLC thing is worth doing even just for liability protection ? it separates your personal assets from the business which matters a lot more once you have proper contracts and clients. it wasnt that expensive to set up, i think i paid around $150 in my state and just did it through the secretary of state website directly without a lawyer.

for insurance i use Skywatch, a lot of people here use them or Verifly. they do pay-per-flight or monthly plans which is nice when you're starting out and not flying every day. hull coverage is for your equipment getting damaged, liability is for if you hurt someone or damage property ? you absolutely need liability at minimum, some clients wont even talk to you without a certificate of insurance showing at least $1M. and yeah $150 for real estate is low. around here the going rate is $250-350 for a basic package with photos and maybe a short video walk through. dont undercut yourself too much or you just attract clients who will always want it cheap

im kind of in the same boat as you honestly so not sure I can help loads but I did read somewhere that getting on google business and having even a basic website helps a ton for looking legit to potential clients. even just a squarespace thing with your portfolio on it. that was the one piece of advice that actually made sense to me when i was researching this