This is only what I have experienced in my journey to have an up-and-running R/C business. I am very new to the world of running a business, but I do have some mentors who have been offering bits of knowledge along the way. So, buckle up, here we go.
It's been a while since I have posted anything in here. Life has been a little chaotic for a while, and well, my hobby time was pushed to the back burner for a while. While I do work from home as a customer service rep and tech support for an r/c retailer, getting out and actively enjoying the hobby has happened less than I wanted it to.
This whole journey started back in 2022 when I saw SDI was at Flite Fest promoting their new UAS/UAV courses. I had already taken a few courses through them on gunsmithing, thanks to my GI Bill education benefits, and eventually signed up for their UAS/UAV program that has a Part 107 prep course. So, after completing their courses, I scheduled my test at the local airport and walked away, passing my Part 107 certification test. That was a big hurdle for me. I had tried other online courses that said they were Part 107 prep courses but ended up more confused than understanding the material. So now I have my 107, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it; I sat around and unfortunately did nothing with it for a bit. I had entertained the idea of starting an LLC so I could do some work on the side, but the timing needed to be better; other personal commitments had my attention more, or I just lost interest, to be honest.
So, about a year ago, I was floating through Instagram and ran across a post from my brother for his side job. First, he's a full-time Firefighter in New Haven, CT, and on the side, he works as a fire service instructor and does some sales for a fire equipment company. He had posted a pic that his company sells Autel Robotics and it got me looking into their products. After comparing units and other manufacturers, I settled on the EVO II 640T to add to the Air 2 S I was already flying.
Stock image for reference
It wasn't 24 hours after it had been delivered that the Volunteer Fire Department I am part of was dispatched to a house fire. What better time to test the thermal capabilities than at a fire? I checked in with the officer in charge and asked if he had any objections to me flying, and he didn't, and up I went. I had checked to see if there were any TFRs in the area as I live close enough to the airport the president uses when he goes home to Delaware, and there weren't. This will come into play later in this little story. I've brought the Autel out to a few fires, and the images I get have been requested by the local state fire marshal for the reports. The one fire I responded to that the thermal had the most impact on was a semi-truck car hauler that had a hybrid catch fire above the cab that was at the fuel pumps. Using the thermal the officer in charge could see how the heat affected the overhead structure.
So on to the main reason for this post, my journey into business owner.
I finally decided to "put my money where my mouth is" and started my LLC. I spent about two weeks researching how to do it, what services are out there, and all the options available to me. I decided to use Legal Zoom, LZ, from now on and opted for the entire "bells and whistles" package. I spent some time with one of their reps going over all their services and how everything was going to go. I filled out all the information they requested, submitted the paperwork to the state, and then hoped everything would go through without a hitch. I'm happy to say it did. Now is when all the headaches start and questions start to fill my head. Part of the package I got at LZ has legal and tax support. I'll discuss the issues I have had later in this thread. A good friend has his own fire protection business, and I've been bouncing stuff off of him a lot, and it's been a world of help. There is a networking group he is part of that I am probably going to join called BNI. There are a few people in the group that I have been told would be a great asset to have in this beginning stage.
So, let's talk about the stuff that keeps me up at night or keeps my head swimming. First, I have been running into delays and "roadblocks" regarding the services I want to offer and the end cost. I've looked up other aerial photo services around me and every single one wants you to submit info to get a quote. I do not want to start this whole thing up, undercut anyone in the area, and then have people angry at me.
To go along with the pricing questions, I have to figure out what services I am going to provide after the job is complete. I have always been a point-and-shoot camera type of guy, so I never really messed with photo editing, and well, Windows Movie Maker was the only video editing software I had ever played with. We all have a friend or two who dabbles with photography so I reached out to my one friend who recommended a few things to me. One was to get a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud and get access to all of their programs. The other one was to watch YouTube for some how-to videos. I took that one step further and signed up for Skillshare, so I could get access to their online courses. So far the few classes I have taken have given me some nice pointers. For example, how to get a quick edit on a picture.
pre-edit
View attachment MAX_0006.JPG
View attachment MAX_0006.JPG
post edit
View attachment Elkmills 1.jpg
View attachment Elkmills 1.jpg
Only a little is done to it but the preset made the colors pop a little more and added some crispness to everything. There is a lot I have to learn about all of this, but that's why I got the Skillshare subscription and YouTube.
The support subscription at LZ is good. I have access to a full library of lawyer-drafted templates for all documents, including contracts I could use. The Tax support team has been on point. They were great on the initial consult, and every question has been answered in a way I can understand. The legal side, eh, not happy with the first go around. It could be my fault for not knowing what to ask, what things I should be working on, yada yada yada. I will schedule another consult to see if I can get a better result from that side of the support subscription.
I've run into other issues along the way, and it has been confusing and amusing at the same time. As I said before, I live in an area with frequent TFRs, thanks to Biden. The amount of issues he causes when he comes home is enormous. It has been named "Joe Jam" whenever his convoy leaves the airport to go home or vice versa. The one issue I have encountered was the Air Control app needing to display the correct info regarding when a TFR is scheduled. I was looking it over recently, and at first, it said the TFR wasn't starting for three hours. An hour later, it said it was active for two more hours. After some time, it showed it wasn't active and actually let me schedule a flight, regardless of whether the actual TFR in the system showed the "from and till" times right on the TFR. The request doesn't show in the app, but I could start my flight if I wanted to. The TFR had expired at one point, but the App still said it was active for another 20 minutes. I don't know if it was a glitch or what happened but it is an issue. What if someone else was going to fly in an area with a TFR, and the LAANC was approved through their system? I'm pretty sure I know who will end up in trouble if the flight is reported. Because I get to talk to R/C pilots at work, I get to mold the new ones so they don't do something that will get them in hot water and create headaches for the rest of us down the road.
So that is where I'm at. Confused, eager, scared, optimistic, if you can name it, I've probably experienced that emotion. I'll try and keep this thread active with updates and solutions I come across. If anyone else wants to document their journey please add to this Thread. I'm sure there will be the odd "negative Nancy" but I've never seen anyone on this forum turn on someone like I have on other forums. The Facebook page and my photo and editing skills are a work in progress. The FB page is simply there to show the company's growth, experience and showcase some of the jobs I hopefully will get. As I explained, I've never really been the type of person who adjusts the settings on my cameras.
Cecil Aerial Imagery
I would link my friend's Instagram account, but with him being a model photographer, I wonder if that would go over well with the moms on the site if their little ones started peaking at his stuff.
Last is the link to the networking group I discussed. It may be the place for you if you have a business or need to network to share your services.
BNI
It's been a while since I have posted anything in here. Life has been a little chaotic for a while, and well, my hobby time was pushed to the back burner for a while. While I do work from home as a customer service rep and tech support for an r/c retailer, getting out and actively enjoying the hobby has happened less than I wanted it to.
This whole journey started back in 2022 when I saw SDI was at Flite Fest promoting their new UAS/UAV courses. I had already taken a few courses through them on gunsmithing, thanks to my GI Bill education benefits, and eventually signed up for their UAS/UAV program that has a Part 107 prep course. So, after completing their courses, I scheduled my test at the local airport and walked away, passing my Part 107 certification test. That was a big hurdle for me. I had tried other online courses that said they were Part 107 prep courses but ended up more confused than understanding the material. So now I have my 107, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it; I sat around and unfortunately did nothing with it for a bit. I had entertained the idea of starting an LLC so I could do some work on the side, but the timing needed to be better; other personal commitments had my attention more, or I just lost interest, to be honest.
So, about a year ago, I was floating through Instagram and ran across a post from my brother for his side job. First, he's a full-time Firefighter in New Haven, CT, and on the side, he works as a fire service instructor and does some sales for a fire equipment company. He had posted a pic that his company sells Autel Robotics and it got me looking into their products. After comparing units and other manufacturers, I settled on the EVO II 640T to add to the Air 2 S I was already flying.
Stock image for reference
It wasn't 24 hours after it had been delivered that the Volunteer Fire Department I am part of was dispatched to a house fire. What better time to test the thermal capabilities than at a fire? I checked in with the officer in charge and asked if he had any objections to me flying, and he didn't, and up I went. I had checked to see if there were any TFRs in the area as I live close enough to the airport the president uses when he goes home to Delaware, and there weren't. This will come into play later in this little story. I've brought the Autel out to a few fires, and the images I get have been requested by the local state fire marshal for the reports. The one fire I responded to that the thermal had the most impact on was a semi-truck car hauler that had a hybrid catch fire above the cab that was at the fuel pumps. Using the thermal the officer in charge could see how the heat affected the overhead structure.
So on to the main reason for this post, my journey into business owner.
I finally decided to "put my money where my mouth is" and started my LLC. I spent about two weeks researching how to do it, what services are out there, and all the options available to me. I decided to use Legal Zoom, LZ, from now on and opted for the entire "bells and whistles" package. I spent some time with one of their reps going over all their services and how everything was going to go. I filled out all the information they requested, submitted the paperwork to the state, and then hoped everything would go through without a hitch. I'm happy to say it did. Now is when all the headaches start and questions start to fill my head. Part of the package I got at LZ has legal and tax support. I'll discuss the issues I have had later in this thread. A good friend has his own fire protection business, and I've been bouncing stuff off of him a lot, and it's been a world of help. There is a networking group he is part of that I am probably going to join called BNI. There are a few people in the group that I have been told would be a great asset to have in this beginning stage.
So, let's talk about the stuff that keeps me up at night or keeps my head swimming. First, I have been running into delays and "roadblocks" regarding the services I want to offer and the end cost. I've looked up other aerial photo services around me and every single one wants you to submit info to get a quote. I do not want to start this whole thing up, undercut anyone in the area, and then have people angry at me.
To go along with the pricing questions, I have to figure out what services I am going to provide after the job is complete. I have always been a point-and-shoot camera type of guy, so I never really messed with photo editing, and well, Windows Movie Maker was the only video editing software I had ever played with. We all have a friend or two who dabbles with photography so I reached out to my one friend who recommended a few things to me. One was to get a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud and get access to all of their programs. The other one was to watch YouTube for some how-to videos. I took that one step further and signed up for Skillshare, so I could get access to their online courses. So far the few classes I have taken have given me some nice pointers. For example, how to get a quick edit on a picture.
pre-edit
View attachment MAX_0006.JPG
View attachment MAX_0006.JPG
post edit
View attachment Elkmills 1.jpg
View attachment Elkmills 1.jpg
Only a little is done to it but the preset made the colors pop a little more and added some crispness to everything. There is a lot I have to learn about all of this, but that's why I got the Skillshare subscription and YouTube.
The support subscription at LZ is good. I have access to a full library of lawyer-drafted templates for all documents, including contracts I could use. The Tax support team has been on point. They were great on the initial consult, and every question has been answered in a way I can understand. The legal side, eh, not happy with the first go around. It could be my fault for not knowing what to ask, what things I should be working on, yada yada yada. I will schedule another consult to see if I can get a better result from that side of the support subscription.
I've run into other issues along the way, and it has been confusing and amusing at the same time. As I said before, I live in an area with frequent TFRs, thanks to Biden. The amount of issues he causes when he comes home is enormous. It has been named "Joe Jam" whenever his convoy leaves the airport to go home or vice versa. The one issue I have encountered was the Air Control app needing to display the correct info regarding when a TFR is scheduled. I was looking it over recently, and at first, it said the TFR wasn't starting for three hours. An hour later, it said it was active for two more hours. After some time, it showed it wasn't active and actually let me schedule a flight, regardless of whether the actual TFR in the system showed the "from and till" times right on the TFR. The request doesn't show in the app, but I could start my flight if I wanted to. The TFR had expired at one point, but the App still said it was active for another 20 minutes. I don't know if it was a glitch or what happened but it is an issue. What if someone else was going to fly in an area with a TFR, and the LAANC was approved through their system? I'm pretty sure I know who will end up in trouble if the flight is reported. Because I get to talk to R/C pilots at work, I get to mold the new ones so they don't do something that will get them in hot water and create headaches for the rest of us down the road.
So that is where I'm at. Confused, eager, scared, optimistic, if you can name it, I've probably experienced that emotion. I'll try and keep this thread active with updates and solutions I come across. If anyone else wants to document their journey please add to this Thread. I'm sure there will be the odd "negative Nancy" but I've never seen anyone on this forum turn on someone like I have on other forums. The Facebook page and my photo and editing skills are a work in progress. The FB page is simply there to show the company's growth, experience and showcase some of the jobs I hopefully will get. As I explained, I've never really been the type of person who adjusts the settings on my cameras.
Cecil Aerial Imagery
I would link my friend's Instagram account, but with him being a model photographer, I wonder if that would go over well with the moms on the site if their little ones started peaking at his stuff.
Last is the link to the networking group I discussed. It may be the place for you if you have a business or need to network to share your services.
BNI
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