so ive been flying for about 2 years now, got my part 107 last spring and people keep asking me to shoot stuff for them ? weddings, a couple real estate agents, even a local brewery wanted some aerial footage for their instagram. ive just been doing it for basically nothing or like barter deals because i wasnt sure if i was allowed to charge without having everything set up properly.

anyway im seriously thinking about actually starting a proper business. not quitting my day job or anything, just a side thing. but i have no idea where to even start with the legal stuff. do i need an LLC right away or can i just operate as a sole proprietor for a while? and what about insurance ? ive heard you need like a million dollar liability policy just to get on most commercial properties but i dont know if thats true for smaller gigs like weddings and stuff.

also pricing is a complete mystery to me. i dont want to be the guy who undercuts everyone and ruins it for other pilots but i also dont have a huge portfolio yet so i cant exactly charge what the established guys are charging. anyone been through this whole process and can share how they figured it out?

went through basically all of this about 3 years ago so happy to share what worked for me. the LLC question honestly depends on your state and your risk tolerance ? for me the peace of mind was worth the $150 filing fee, keeps your personal assets separate if something goes sideways. sole prop is totally legal though and plenty of people start there.

on insurance ? yeah the 1 million liability thing is pretty standard for anything involving commercial property or events. i use Skywatch, pay per flight which worked great when i was starting out because i wasnt flying enough to justify an annual policy. once i was doing 3-4 paid gigs a month i switched to a yearly policy through BWI and its way cheaper per job at that volume. for weddings and real estate honestly most clients dont even ask to see your certificate of insurance but you absolutely need it anyway because one incident without coverage and you're done.

pricing ? i started about 20% below what i thought was fair market and bumped my rates every 6 months as my portfolio grew. real estate is competitive and a race to the bottom in a lot of markets so be careful there. event work and corporate stuff you can charge a lot more because the clients have actual budgets.

not gonna lie the insurance stuff stressed me out way more than it needed to. i put it off for like 4 months and then a potential client asked for my COI and i had to scramble. just get Skywatch or Verifly on your phone, you can literally get covered for a single flight in like 10 minutes. no excuse to fly without it once youre charging money.

one thing nobody told me that i wish i knew ? get a simple contract template before your first paid gig. even for small stuff. theres free ones online specifically for drone videographers, just google around. protects you if a client claims the footage wasnt what they wanted or wants a refund because of weather or whatever.