The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: S7/EP 6 Michael Lilley of Wet Dog Drone Serivces

   Join us for a conversation with Michael Lilley, founder of Wet Dog Drones, as he shares his journey from drone enthusiast to successful construction site documentation specialist. Michael reveals how he built a thriving drone business while working a full-time job in the construction industry. In this episode, Michael discusses:His unconventional 1AM workday schedule and how he manages his drone business on weekendsHow he convinced his employer to become his biggest client after initially facing resistanceThe specifics of construction progression monitoring and how drones save clients thousands of dollarsHis approach to building recurring revenue with strategic flight schedulesPractical advice for drone pilots looking to break into the construction industryWhether you're interested in the construction world, progression update photography, or building a drone business with sustainable income, Michael's story demonstrates the power of persistence and industry expertise. Get the Progression Shots workshop for just $1 here- https://courses.dronelaunchacademy.com/p/how-to-take-project-progression-shots?coupon_code=WETDOG&product_id=5946200 Connect with Michael: https://wetdogdrones.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wet-dog-drone-services/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/wetdogdrones/

   February 25, 2025·30min
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   Number 2: S7/EP 2 Matt Nugent of Wing Walker Aerial Photography

   In this episode, we sit down with Matt Nugent, founder of Wing Walker Aerial Photography in Seattle, who shares his journey from reluctant police drone operator to successful drone business owner. Matt reveals how he built a thriving side business generating $5,000+ monthly while maintaining his full-time career in law enforcement. Learn how Matt: Transitioned from basic police drone work to specialized photogrammetry Adapted his business after losing a major client Developed unique nighttime drone mapping techniques Built recurring revenue through civil engineering and development clients Recently landed his biggest month ever at $20,000 Whether you're just starting your drone business or looking to scale existing operations, Matt offers practical insights on finding your niche, building client relationships, and delivering professional results. Connect with Matt: https://www.wingwalkerphotos.com/ Instagram: @wingwalkerphotos Email: [email protected] FREE TRAINING: How to Start a Drone Business in 2025 — Even If You Have NO Experience: https://training.dronelaunchacademy.com/free-drone-business-training-2025/ _____ Use the code PODCAST300 to get the Drone to $1k Course with a $300 discount! https://dronelaunchacademy.com/drone-to-1k-2023/ _____

   January 21, 2025·44min
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   Number 3: S2/EP 4: Alex Harris from AZ Corporate Video/Drone Launch Academy

   Alex is drone photographer and videographer. He is also the author of two of our Drone Launch Academy courses—Aerial Video A to Z and Aerial Photo Pro. David: “Let’s start with you giving us your background.” Alex already had a videography service. When he’d show up to film a corporate event, he said, it nagged at him that he needed to get a drone and a license to fly it. “I could see how much it helped to diversify between camera work and photography,” he said, “it’s easier to sell and rates go up way, way more if I'm adding photography and drones to the package.” Alex’s first drone was a Phantom 3 standard which hooked him. Although at first like a toy, he came to realize it wasn’t as easy as it looked. Once Alex upgraded to the Mavic pro, he felt it really started to work for him. David: “You mentioned you’d worked in film in Hollywood—tell us about that.” Alex worked on short films and for ESPN, Discovery Health and HGTV, as a camera operator. When he moved back to Phoenix and began doing corporate work, he says that because standards were lower and the budgets higher, he felt more in control of the work. He had creative freedom and client appreciation. From learning so much so fast in LA, which was a sink or swim environment, Phoenix’s high-stress environment felt like a cake walk—which helped him stand out. David: “That’s probably about the time you and I met right? I stumbled across one of your YouTube videos when I was developing the Part 107 course. I took it, bought all the equipment that you had, filmed everything and asked if I could pay you to edit it.” “You were my only fan up to that point. I’d filmed a couple of times with someone else’s Inspire, but I didn't own a drone yet.” After purchasing Alex’s course for $20, David and Alex started making plans to create a cinematography course. Quite suddenly, Alex found out he had a brain tumor and had to have surgery. Six months later, Alex and David re-convened to begin creating the course. Alex began focusing for 30 minutes and would have to sleep 12 hours; a week later, he could do an hour, a week later he could do 1 ½ hrs, etc. They put out that one course, got great feedback and ultimately scrapped and re-did it. David: “Let’s talk a little about your actual drone business. During this time, you’re still editing and flying drones for people. You have experience doing a lot of drone photography for clients. How did you get your first corporate video clients? Alex says it was such a powerful upsell right away to say he could film corporate events from the sky. He knew better angles and how to change settings to make it way more cinematic and because of that, he stood out. A two-day conference cost $2,500 to provide an edited a 4-minute compilation and photos. Alex went to popular conference places in Scottsdale and Phoenix and would film a ton of footage in all those places. So, prospects were confident he knew about drone filming, so he got hired for that even if he didn’t get hired for a full event. He charged $200/hour, which Alex says was easy to do to scare off the value-focused people who want to pay $50/hour, then ask for more time and revisions. Alex says, “When dealing with bigger clients and companies, what they’re mainly concerned about is quality—they want to make sure they get it right and don't look silly in their video. Also, when you quote a higher rate, they think you must be really serious and legitimate.” David: “Did they ask to see a demo reel? How else did you justify charging that much?" Once Alex got his Maverick Pro, he got a huge reel together by going around town filming. He also knew about SEO because he ranked number one in his city by making multiple smaller videos that were specific to what people were searching for. And, Alex says, “When they then go to hire a guy to film there, I'm the one with my name in the title, so they're immediately going to click on it. That simple step, and I’m already halfway there.” David: “So your marketing strategy, was to go out, have fun, shoot as much stuff as you can, make it really good and put it on YouTube/Instagram? Or did you knock door to door asking people to pay you to film video? What are your recommendations to a new businessperson about how to start marketing?” Alex says when he started filming different parts of the city and putting it on Vimeo and YouTube, some got used, some didn't. He’d filmed Scottsdale in a lot of different conditions—the waterfront, a thunderhead, during a sunset, sunrise or rainbow, which made him stand out. When he started compiling them, the reel just got better and better. Alex says, “That footage doesn't have many views, yet I’ve been contacted by people who were going to hire a drone operator, but since I already had the footage, they wanted to buy it. It's EASY for them to pay you $150-300 because you have exactly what they want. Sometimes, also, they need help with other things.” Another thing he became aware of was that people who are moving to town would look at his videos, giving him more views and his footage rose in search results. David: “Do you want to give a quick rundown on the courses that you have with us--what they are about and what people learn in each one?” Alex agrees to talk about the courses and the timing is right because he added business and marketing sections which are important for those starting a drone business. Aerial Photo Pro is an intro to beginner to expert course on how to get great photos with your drone. It’s hop-on/off the bus whenever you want...you won’t learn it all and make an award-winning photo in one day. It goes into the things he is doing differently with simple stuff. It teaches how to take a raw photo, load it into Adobe Lightroom, and use brushes to make things look more “soft and fluffy” or really sharp. Alex says, “From a business perspective, I’ll always take a photography job. It's almost leisure, I still make $200 an hour and I can do 20 photos quickly. Whether for a construction site, a real estate developer or agent, it’s relaxing because you have so many chances to get the same thing.” Aerial Video A to Z helps people understand filming. Alex says video people make many mistakes in many places across too many things—and there’s a lot of bad advice out there. With video, there are many who don’t understands what they're filming so there's confusion—it’s like putting all this data through a teeny little straw and then taking a sliver out of the back end. This course is very in-depth and if you follow the steps in it, you can get very very good. You just have to be willing to go out, practice and go back and forth. “Once you do nail it, you feel like Steven Spielberg and you send it to everybody. You send these teeny little :30 clips to your mom and she's so proud of you. It's the best feeling ever.” Connect with Alex: Email: [email protected] Have a Drone Business? Want to be Interviewed for Season 3? Complete this questionnaire: Drone to 1K Business Owner Application Training from Drone Launch Academy Part 107 Exam Prep Course ($50 off) Aerial Photo Pro Course ($50 off) Aerial Video A t...

   April 21, 2020·52min
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   Number 4: S2/EP 3: Dustin Hunt from Full Scope Inspections

   Dustin’s company is Full Scope Inspections, a home inspection company in Citrus, FL specializing in roofs made of metal, tile, slate (or anything that shouldn’t be walked on or is too steep or elevated.) David: “When did you first start getting into drones and when did you fly your first drone?” Dustin was using drone before starting his drone business. He noticed people weren’t using drones for inspections and his residential construction background told him there could be a big market—it just all made sense. Dustin says that when paying for a home inspection, the roof is a key component—but you don’t have to walk on it. With a drone, Dustin found he could see deficiencies another inspector wouldn’t because they're not getting a full view. Dustin’s clients call him because they know it’s important that their roof be inspected closely. Dustin says the drone is a differentiator, but he doesn’t charge more for it. By using it when necessary, he can take pictures around things that may typically be blocking a view. He also uses the drone also to sell his services through his report. David: “For the homes that you do use a drone for, what’s the approximate revenue the drone has brought you—in busy and slow months?” For a typical home inspection, Dustin may charge $300-$400, but it depends on the square footage. He does 4-8 inspections/week. Dustin also does some imaging for realtors, charging $75 to shoot 10-12 photos. He also does a lot of promotion through that group. For example, he raffled 10 to 12 drone shots—a $75 value as a gift basket entry at a tailgate party he had for realtors. Nice pictures potentially make or break a deal, Dustin says, and good camera shots sell property. According to Dustin, “I'm building a business that's going to be here long-term and the first couple of years are definitely crucial. I'm getting really good feedback, some really good reviews. It’s pretty exciting.” David: “Talk us through when you first started your inspection business, and no one knew who you were. How did you start building the business?” Dustin had a vision that was different than most... he says he could see everything before he ever put it into place. “In this business, the only way it would fail was if I let it. There are enough opportunities and so many different outlets that if you put yourself in the right places, then the only person that's gonna allow you to fail is yourself.” He looked up a local home inspector whose online setup was blah and then he built everything around the image of what he lacked. Through reviews requests from customers, and a small amount of Google Ads, he is driven to the top of a Google search. He also uses a software called HomeGage to send tips once he finishes a report. Three days later, HomeGage sends an auto-generated email asking them to leave a review. Two months later, another email is auto-generated asking for referrals. David: “Did your first customer come through networking or did someone stumble across your stuff? How did you get that first client?” Dustin’s hit the ground running. His first client came from Google. From there, he started meeting with different realtors and the Realtors Association. He also joined a networking group which has helped him tremendously. “It all boils down to you building relationships with realtors. Get your name out there. If you can be on a realtor's top three list, it will pay off.” Dustin was building all of this while working and studying for the test. He knew how many jobs he should expect to do, how many he needed to do survive each week/month. He said, “If I commit to it and set my mind to it, this is what's going to happen. A lot of people have one little setback or somebody tells them No, and they say, ‘Maybe I shouldn't do this’. Second-guessing yourself is common. That's what you do. If I didn't pass the exam, I was going to take it again. I wrote it down and I could see it all the way through.” David: “What's your favorite part of having your own business/working for yourself? What's your favorite part and what's the part you like the least?” Dustin’s favorite part is having time for his kids and their sports—he likes the flexibility and freedom. Dustin says he has a hard time letting go, he can’t let someone do things so that he can focus on the business. Because customers tell him the reason they booked an inspection was because they felt comfortable with his knowledge, he has a hard time turning that over to somebody else...it's a strain. However, Dustin says, “I’m not going to grow if I'm doing the same things I did last year.” David: “For someone who's starting out from scratch and wants to build a drone business, what's one of the most important lessons you've learned? What’s your advice? Dustin says having a vision and a plan of how to pursue that vision. “We live in the land of the free, the United States, and you can do whatever you want to do right here. You just have to put your mind to it, go out to the right places and meet the right people and, and just know that you're not going to accept no for an answer.” Website :www. Fullscopeinspecdtions.com FB: fullscopeinspections Connect with Dustin: Website: www.fullscopeinspections.com Facebook www.facebook.com Have a Drone Business? Want to be Interviewed for Season 3? Complete this questionnaire: Drone to 1K Business Owner Application Training from Drone Launch Academy Part 107 Exam Prep Course ($50 off) Aerial Photo Pro Course ($50 off) Aerial Video A to Z Course ($100 off) Aerial Roof Inspection Pro Course ($100 off) Drones 101 Course ($20 off) Other Places to Listen iTunes Stitcher Google Play Spotify TuneIn

   April 14, 2020·45min
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   Number 5: S2/EP 2: Sinuhe Montoya from DroneQuote

   Sinuhe is Founder of DroneQuote a company that specializes in helping roofing and solar companies better understand what’s happening on a roof through drone survey imagery. Sinuhe started working installing solar panels on new roofs for residential and commercial purposes. He had to get on roofs to take measurements and conduct surveys and was afraid of heights. In thinking there had to be a better way, he bought a small drone with a camera and started seeing potential and benefits such as being able to: Take far more accurate measurements and SELL better Get a better understanding of what was happening on the roof AND save time Pay more attention to details because fear of falling didn’t prevent him from noticing details Stay SAFER! “My first $100 drone was very rudimentary; it taught me how to fly a drone and allowed me to open my mind to the concept of utilizing a drone. There was an opportunity and I learned from it.” When Sinuhe learned he could transmit an image to a receiver, he needed something more sophisticated, so, in February 2014, he sold his motorcycle to buy a real TBS (Team Black Sheep) drone for $3,400. That first drone lasted until the day he crashed into a pine tree, falling 30 feet to the ground and smashing it into smithereens. Lesson learned for anyone just starting to get into drones...don't overestimate your confidence because you will pay through the nose!” David: So, at that point, you're working for a solar installer and using the drone to make your life easier in your current job, right? Yes. The drone, Sinuhe says, enabled him to generate more sales, which made him more sales commission by using it—it paid for itself—but his company wasn’t paying for him to have it. “I realized that I had something on my hands that nobody was using for that purpose. I was also speaking with well-to-do clientele. When I entered a house whose living room was the size of my entire house, I shifted from trying to sell solar to learning what that person did to be successful.” Almost everyone said they became successful by starting a business. The seed was planted and Sinuhe started saving money to start a business. It took him two years to get his ducks in a row and leave his company to set out on his own. David: “Smart. When did you shift from working for the solar company to starting your own business? What was your plan? How did you get your first paying client?” Sinuhe started his business in 2017. For him, it’s not until you open your doors for business that you find out what’s going to work. You Droners.io was his original model. He said, “I'm going to build a website that's going to help people find drone pilots, yet I kept getting calls from people in the solar industry asking me to inspect a roof. So I shifted my focus to inspecting roofs wholeheartedly—and that was really where we started making money. “So you figure out what's working, what's not, where your opportunity is, and then shift your focus that way. With this model, I was getting paid right away for the service.” David: “How did you build that up to where people knew who you were? Did you have a lot of contacts from your days selling solar? I know you’re brave with cold-calling—for people out there who may not be as comfortable cold calling, can you walk us through a mock cold call? How do you get past the first minute of awkwardness where the other person is trying to figure out what you want?” Sinuhe makes it a point to be active on social media where he found solar companies and large roof installers. He cold called... and cold called... and cold called—which turned into opportunities. Sinuhe says,” “A lot of people see cold-calling as intimidating, but It's in your head. It’s the person's job to answer the phone and it’s only awkward if you make it so. You avoid that by doing research on who you're going to call before you call them. If you get the right information, you have a WARM call.” SInuhe mentions his most important cold-call points: Ask if they have a moment for you to offer to help them with something. Mention something you saw on LinkedIn. Reference a person and use their language, so they know you understand their company and pain points. You’ll earn their interest based on your ability to understand some of their pain points. With the person who answered the phone, make it sound as though you've already talked to the person you’re trying to reach in the past. When you get to the person you want, mention a topic they posted and offer the opportunity to help with something specific; in this way, you’re not talking about something they haven't thought about or planned for. Use open ended questions, such as “What is something that troubles you? What challenges do you face on steep roofs?. LET THEM TALK! In due time, offer a solution, such as, “I can survey your roof in a much quicker manner and more than likely at a lower cost to your company.” Even if you don’t understand the industry. If you’ve done your research, you can learn—it’s all research-based. Be willing to learn. You’re going to hear “No, I don't need your services. Thank you.” Look forward to the NOs. Count how many NOs it takes to get to YES! With every no, you're one step closer to your YES! Ask if there's anybody they know that would benefit from your services. You may get some leads. It's worth asking because the worst they can say is no. David: “What did people pay you for a typical job at the beginning and what product were you delivering? What does it take on your end to do a residential home? What data are you capturing and what do you need to process?” Sinuhe was usually charging about one $50 to $200 per flight for roof inspections, depending on the size. Now, for a large commercial building, it can be $500. For a residential home, they do a drone survey gathering details on air conditioning, service panels, water and gas lines, proximity of trees, etc. He’s using the drone to create an orthomosaic map image of the property with accurate measurements. David: “How many jobs are you getting from solar companies? For larger scale, you can hire other pilots, but if you were going to fly all those by yourself, what's the average you're charging per job?” It depends on time of year. Solar slows down at the end of the year but during the summer months, they do 50-75 jobs a month. For an average sized house, he charges $150 and if he plots his route efficiently beforehand, he can be very efficient and do 5-6 jobs a day. David: “What other customers do you have for this type of service besides solar companies? Do you use a promo video of your guys working?” According to Sinuhe, roofing companies are a tough nut to crack because they want boots on the ground. They are more receptive because they can see the value. They're getting hired by roofing and solar companies who’ve already sold the job and want to get the roof survey completed so they can move on to permitting or plans. David: “Moving forward, where do you see the biggest opportunity for people who want to use their drones for roof inspections? What tactics do you think people should be looking into in the future?” Sinuhe sees big opportunity in the solar space because it will has shown strong growth in the last 5-7 years and will continue to grow. He believes if they continue to bring down the acquisition cost to the cus...

   April 07, 2020·41min
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