3 Drone Businesses to Start Right Now

With drones making headlines pretty much every day, you may have heard there are no official regulations governing them. The Federal Aviation Administration has been adamant that using drones as part of a for-profit business is against the law, but has yet to prove it in a court of law.

There is nothing stopping you from flying your drone and more and more people are doing just that, everyday.

As with the rise of any new technology, there is a slew of complementary businesses that are about to be in demand. So, if you are the entrepreneurial type and want to stay ahead of the curve, here are three drone businesses you can start right now.

Drone Repair

In 2014, nothing can be said to be certain except death, taxes and technology breaking down at the least convenient time. How many people do you know who have cracked their phone screen or accidentally downloaded a virus onto their computer?

Trick question! The answer is all of them.

 

Pretty much everyone you and I know has at least one gadget comprised of expensive-to-replace hardware and sophisticated software. And we still take for granted the fact that it will eventually break down in some freak accident.

Now imagine everyone you know has two gadgets comprised of expensive-to-replace hardware and sophisticated software… and one of them flies.

We can all agree the flying one would be even more susceptible to damage, right? Besides wind, birds or a momentary lapse in concentration, there is this little phenomenon called gravity that makes airborne gadgets more prone to destruction.

Drones, by their very nature, carry an added level of damage potential.

And you can be sure the more people buy drones, the more crashes there will be. And the more crashes there are, the higher the demand will be for a fast, inexpensive way to get a drone repaired.

People take cars to mechanics and computers to Geek Squad so it stands to reason they would take drones (or ship them) to the drone repair shop. Except there really aren’t any drone repair shops yet.

The best part of opening a drone repair business is you aren’t actually flying drones so your neighbors won’t complain and the FAA can’t say boo.

Education

Of course, the best way to avoid breaking your latest gadget is to learn how to use it properly. Plenty of classes out there can teach you how to navigate the latest version of Windows or maximize your efficiency with an iPad.

So, for people who want to fly their own drone but don’t know where to start, taking a class might be exactly what they need to get over the bar of entry.

Some individuals are already testing the waters (airs?) for this kind of business and most high-end industrial drone manufacturers offer training courses as part of their offerings, but nobody has emerged as the people’s champion yet.

Granted, future FAA regulations could alter the requirements for drone pilots sometime down the road- it may even come to pass that taking a class is required for certain levels of drone operation (based on size, payload, etc. of the vehicle). But even then, if you already had a business going, you could alter your curriculum and become the Princeton Review to the FAA’s standardized drone test.

So if you are already an experienced flyer, consider spreading your knowledge to friends and asking for a few bucks in compensation. Before you know it, you could have a legitimate business on your hands.

Aerial Photography

This one is probably the UAV industry’s worst kept secret. Despite the fact the FAA sort of prohibits using drones to take pictures for money, new aerial imaging companies are popping up every day. (Seriously. We are adding new companies to our Hire a Drone database every day.)

And still, each time we fly our drone and show people our pictures, someone says, “Ooooh that is so cool! How much would it cost for you to come do that at my golf course/farm/vacation home?”

Like smartphones, drones have given the masses the ability to take photography to the next level. Anyone can buy a drone online, become a proficient flyer and change their Facebook timeline picture to an aerial view of their house in a matter of days.

But whether it’s due to cost, unclear government regulations, or a perceived steep learning curve, some people would rather skip the flying. They just want the pictures and they are willing to pay for it.

Like drone education, you could very easily find yourself running a business by accident after showing your drone skills to some friends.

Of course, this type of business could attract attention from the FAA. But the chances of any type of governmental intervention is slim and, if the FAA’s previous lawsuits against commercial drone pilots are any indication, the chances of actual legal ramifications are zero.

Industry reports are suggesting commercial drones spending could see growth upwards of $12 billion over the next ten years. The purgatory of government regulations and the tenuous state of public perception of UAVs has some people firmly planted on the sidelines but make no mistake, the drones are here to stay. There is money to be made. If you’re not going to make it, someone else will.