Great video and thank you for the work! I think you're the first person I've seen in this industry that is willing to go this much into detail when it comes to pricing out jobs. Much appreciated 🍻
Thanks for the feedback! One of the most frustrating things for me starting out was the mystery surrounding pricing work. I needed a tool to help me keep it simple and straightforward. I'm working on an update for the tool now to allow the addition of package options. Take care and safe flying!
@@WildWonderfulWeekends thats how i feel now when thinking about and trying to plan out my services to offer. It will definitely be a net positive if you expand more on this topic for new and current pilots. Other pilots do not talk about this much anywhere.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends With the update, will that be an additional purchase to the original sheet or a free upgrade? I ask cause I'm considering buy the sheet but I would also love to see a tax section to know how much from each project I should set aside for taxes.
Thank you for your transparency and sharing the pricing tools. I started a drone business, and it has been a challenge to find clear info about pricing.
You're very welcome and I know exactly what you mean. When I first started out I faced the exact same dilemma. What I realized is that by not talking openly about this kind of information, new comers charge WAY too little because they are ambitious. What they don't realize is that they're model isn't sustainable and it's prices us all out of business, including themselves. It's literally a drive to the bottom. So I would much rather compete with someone on quality of our work, services offered, and (realistic) pricing than both of us going out of business. Thanks for watching my video and thanks for the kind feedback!
Currently I’m a commercial airline pilot. I’ve been Flying drones for years. Retirement gig I was thinking about getting into mapping. Any suggestions?
@@Themachinewon That's a great question. So much is in flux right now when it comes to drones and drone work. My whole business model has shifted from inspections and mapping to center more around event and wedding photography / videography. With the DJI ban and growing concerns over data privacy / security, companies are becoming more reluctant to work with small operations (like mine). I've seen a lot of new growth in larger drone service providers that contract the work to local pilots. Which, in my mind, is a bit ironic because most of the folks who fill those jobs are less experienced and not as connected to the drone service provider or the client. The other thing I'm seeing, is companies buying their own drones and cross training employees to be drone pilots or hiring them on. I don't think that will last forever though, and the whole thing will probably shake out into a model very similar to how IT is handled now for most larger companies. A couple years ago, I would've said get a drone with a global shutter, RTK capabilities, and lots of batteries and a good, portable charging system. I would've also recommended Pix4D as your software (I've had a lot of trouble with DroneDeploy while in the field and it kind of soured me to it). But honestly, now, I'm not entirely sure what the right moves would be. The first thing I would try to figure out is, which drone manufacturers are making solid products that aren't threatened by the current ban or coming bans.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Reality. To start off I did look into the different models and I picked the Autel Evo Max 4T. Not only for enjoyment, I just flying drones for fun, but I like hunting for animals and seeing things at night. I figured I might just do local roof inspections and real estate shoots just for the fun ,side cash. Along with my Bee Removal service . I’m not really looking to do a full-blown job for anybody. Now I see with all the gadgets and sales pitches on the web, they all keep going on and about extras for drones ,,, there’s always sub systems that are really expensive and have subscriptions that are required or network connections of some type. $$$ I really appreciate your real time, real world experience on how things are playing out today in the industry. Job wise. Thanks DHL pilot 767 Heavy
The easiest way to adjust how much you're making, over expenses, is to adjust how much your hourly rate is for Mission Planning, Mission Execution, and Processing on the Rate Sheet tab of the tool. Beyond that, if you are good with Google Sheets formulas, you can fine tune the calculations in the cells Rate Sheet (D4:E11). This will affect the "rental charge" for the equipment you are using.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends ok got it. Thank you! Another question-can you add a line item for acreage and what would you charge per acre for multi spectral or mapping? Thanks again!
mannn this was a life saver, everyone usually gate keeps or gives broad answers this breaks it down . I do have a question though. for the software how are you calculating the software cost per mission?
Thanks for the kind feedback my friend! Good question... on the "Rate Sheet" tab, under software, I enter the value that I estimate it will cost me to process the data from a mission and add a bit of markup to buffer in case it actually costs more. So, for instance, if I was going to process a map using Maps Made Easy, I know (from their website) that the cost to process 125 images on their pay-as-you-go plan would cost $8.00. Since the average mapping mission I conduct requires about 250 images, I double the cost ($16) and round it on up to $20 to cover anything unlikely but still possible. It does require a little planning though because if I receive a one-off mapping project that is going to require processing many more images than my average, I would want to adjust that rate or take it into consideration when I give the customer the final quote. I hope that helps. Safe flying!
This is a great start but something crucial it's missing is how much money to set aside for taxes. Is there a place you'd recommend adding that? There federal tax and state tax that needs to be calculated into this sheet for profitability. I'm hesitant to buy this sheet with out a tax section. I know based on my state and federal self employment tax that this needs to be in my records.
Hey Rich, it's your buddy one state over in Va. Nice work, on another great business calculator for your business. You know I will purchase one to keep the support going.
Will do, I pass through there here and there heading up to Ind, OH., or Michigan for a DJ gig or visiting friends. But I will let you know. Once the weather gets warmer. I'm planning a weekend trip out to Charleston just to hang out.
Thanks for making this video and sharing your sheet, it's very helpful for a new entrepreneur ! What would you show in your client quote sheet ? Just the missions crew, hardware, software and mission expense charges, with rate per hour for each step, is that decent enough ?
Thanks for the kind feedback! That's a great question and I've seen droners use a range of quote sheets from hardly any information on how the quote price was calculated to sheets that have so much info the clients are probably overwhelmed with details. Most of the time, when I get a new client, I meet with them and give them an overview of what I can offer. In that presentation I go over how I price my work, which breaks down right along the lines of the drone pricing tool, so when they get the quote sheet and it outlines things like number of crew members, drones (and other equipment being used), mileage, and deliverables (which maps directly back to the software for processing); they're familiar with the break down. But that's pretty much how my quote sheet looks: a brief description of the project, The crew members and roles, the equipment being used, deliverables, any special costs (time or money) unique to the project, mileage, deliverables, and time estimate. I'm going to make an update to the workbook soon including a way to bundle value packages and have those rollup into the quote. I will try to add an option to generate a quote sheet people can deliver their clients as well.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends Thank you for taking the time to respond. I’m looking forward to take a look at this update, that sounds interesting to start with !
Hello Brock and thanks for supporting the channel by purchasing Quick Quote for Drone Work. Quick question, did you populate the software section on the Rate Sheet page as described at the 6:54 mark in the video?
@@WildWonderfulWeekends yes. when I first opened spreadsheet it said FALSE where yours shows checkmarks. Once completed following steps it remained the same
@@brockdavis834 Got it... sorry it's giving you some trouble. I just checked the link and it seemed to download correctly for me. Let me send you a fresh copy to try again. What is the email address you used to purchase the Quick Quote sheet with? Or, maybe easier, can you reply to the email you received the Quick Quote from my BuyMeACoffee page?
Thanks for posting this video. Very interesting and might help some people in figuring out what they need to charge. I'll share it with our Mavic 3 Enterprise Thermal group and see what they think!
Hello Beame! I found "Buy Me a Coffee" much easier to use than PayPal because it manages a lot of the behind the scenes stuff for me like messaging and software delivery. Once you buy the software, you receive and email with a link to create a copy of the pricing tool in your Google drive. Thanks for checking out my video!
@@WildWonderfulWeekends Everything worked out fine, I was not too far off on me out of my head last job quote! and that was good to know. nice work. So, when you said extra insurance not needed do it still included my regular insurance cost?
@@beame2185 That's awesome, good job calculating and knowing what to charge. So many don't and under charge. Good question, the "extra insurance" I mention there is for when you already have insurance on your drone, or a DJI Refresh plan... basically anything protecting your tech investment... but you may take a job that requires you to purchase insurance to cover any liability you may have to property or personal damages. For instance, if I fly in a chemical plant to inspect their infrastructure, I always have to buy extra insurance to reasonably cover my risks on site.
Dude you're the best. Very profesional, straight forward and clear. Thank you sir.
Thank you my friend! Much appreciated.
Great video and thank you for the work! I think you're the first person I've seen in this industry that is willing to go this much into detail when it comes to pricing out jobs. Much appreciated 🍻
Thanks for the feedback! One of the most frustrating things for me starting out was the mystery surrounding pricing work. I needed a tool to help me keep it simple and straightforward.
I'm working on an update for the tool now to allow the addition of package options.
Take care and safe flying!
@@WildWonderfulWeekends thats how i feel now when thinking about and trying to plan out my services to offer.
It will definitely be a net positive if you expand more on this topic for new and current pilots. Other pilots do not talk about this much anywhere.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends With the update, will that be an additional purchase to the original sheet or a free upgrade? I ask cause I'm considering buy the sheet but I would also love to see a tax section to know how much from each project I should set aside for taxes.
This is super helpful. Just what I was needing! I purchased both this and your profit calculator. Thank you for your work and for sharing this.
Hey! Thanks so much for the kind feedback and thanks for supporting the channel, I really appreciate it!
Thank you for your transparency and sharing the pricing tools. I started a drone business, and it has been a challenge to find clear info about pricing.
You're very welcome and I know exactly what you mean. When I first started out I faced the exact same dilemma. What I realized is that by not talking openly about this kind of information, new comers charge WAY too little because they are ambitious. What they don't realize is that they're model isn't sustainable and it's prices us all out of business, including themselves. It's literally a drive to the bottom. So I would much rather compete with someone on quality of our work, services offered, and (realistic) pricing than both of us going out of business.
Thanks for watching my video and thanks for the kind feedback!
Super, straight to the point. Great info video
Thank you for the kind feedback, my friend. Much appreciated!
Currently I’m a commercial airline pilot. I’ve been Flying drones for years. Retirement gig I was thinking about getting into mapping. Any suggestions?
@@Themachinewon That's a great question. So much is in flux right now when it comes to drones and drone work. My whole business model has shifted from inspections and mapping to center more around event and wedding photography / videography.
With the DJI ban and growing concerns over data privacy / security, companies are becoming more reluctant to work with small operations (like mine). I've seen a lot of new growth in larger drone service providers that contract the work to local pilots. Which, in my mind, is a bit ironic because most of the folks who fill those jobs are less experienced and not as connected to the drone service provider or the client.
The other thing I'm seeing, is companies buying their own drones and cross training employees to be drone pilots or hiring them on. I don't think that will last forever though, and the whole thing will probably shake out into a model very similar to how IT is handled now for most larger companies.
A couple years ago, I would've said get a drone with a global shutter, RTK capabilities, and lots of batteries and a good, portable charging system. I would've also recommended Pix4D as your software (I've had a lot of trouble with DroneDeploy while in the field and it kind of soured me to it). But honestly, now, I'm not entirely sure what the right moves would be. The first thing I would try to figure out is, which drone manufacturers are making solid products that aren't threatened by the current ban or coming bans.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Reality.
To start off I did look into the different models and I picked the Autel Evo Max 4T. Not only for enjoyment, I just flying drones for fun, but I like hunting for animals and seeing things at night.
I figured I might just do local roof inspections and real estate shoots just for the fun ,side cash. Along with my Bee Removal service .
I’m not really looking to do a full-blown job for anybody. Now I see with all the gadgets and sales pitches on the web, they all keep going on and about extras for drones ,,, there’s always sub systems that are really expensive and have subscriptions that are required or network connections of some type. $$$
I really appreciate your real time, real world experience on how things are playing out today in the industry. Job wise.
Thanks
DHL pilot
767 Heavy
@@Themachinewon I think that drone is an excellent choice, super versatile. I just subscribed to your channel, btw.
Awesome vid.
Thanks from Australia!
Thanks for the kind feedback, Sean! Safe flying my friend.
Great tool! I am going to buy it.
How do you change the profit percentage?
The easiest way to adjust how much you're making, over expenses, is to adjust how much your hourly rate is for Mission Planning, Mission Execution, and Processing on the Rate Sheet tab of the tool.
Beyond that, if you are good with Google Sheets formulas, you can fine tune the calculations in the cells Rate Sheet (D4:E11). This will affect the "rental charge" for the equipment you are using.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends ok got it. Thank you!
Another question-can you add a line item for acreage and what would you charge per acre for multi spectral or mapping? Thanks again!
I'd be happy to pay you for this line item add which would include Reports.
@@cyclonedronz7861 That's a good idea... would you be up for giving me feedback as I add that feature?
@@WildWonderfulWeekends absolutely yes! I am just about ready to launch my website and needed this for my Line Item pricing page. Thanks!
This video was very helpful for me, thanks for the content
Thank you my friend, I'm very glad it was useful!
Purchased! Great tool! Thank you!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate the support!!
mannn this was a life saver, everyone usually gate keeps or gives broad answers this breaks it down . I do have a question though. for the software how are you calculating the software cost per mission?
Thanks for the kind feedback my friend!
Good question... on the "Rate Sheet" tab, under software, I enter the value that I estimate it will cost me to process the data from a mission and add a bit of markup to buffer in case it actually costs more.
So, for instance, if I was going to process a map using Maps Made Easy, I know (from their website) that the cost to process 125 images on their pay-as-you-go plan would cost $8.00. Since the average mapping mission I conduct requires about 250 images, I double the cost ($16) and round it on up to $20 to cover anything unlikely but still possible.
It does require a little planning though because if I receive a one-off mapping project that is going to require processing many more images than my average, I would want to adjust that rate or take it into consideration when I give the customer the final quote.
I hope that helps. Safe flying!
Thank you for this non bullshit straight ahead info. Great job!
Thanks Dennis! Much appreciated my friend.
This is a great start but something crucial it's missing is how much money to set aside for taxes. Is there a place you'd recommend adding that? There federal tax and state tax that needs to be calculated into this sheet for profitability. I'm hesitant to buy this sheet with out a tax section. I know based on my state and federal self employment tax that this needs to be in my records.
Hey Rich, it's your buddy one state over in Va. Nice work, on another great business calculator for your business. You know I will purchase one to keep the support going.
Thank you my friend!! I definitely appreciate it. If you ever find yourself in WV let me know!
Will do, I pass through there here and there heading up to Ind, OH., or Michigan for a DJ gig or visiting friends. But I will let you know. Once the weather gets warmer. I'm planning a weekend trip out to Charleston just to hang out.
@@Mixxwizard That's perfect, that's my town! Definitely keep me posted. It would be great to meet you!
Thanks for making this video and sharing your sheet, it's very helpful for a new entrepreneur ! What would you show in your client quote sheet ? Just the missions crew, hardware, software and mission expense charges, with rate per hour for each step, is that decent enough ?
Thanks for the kind feedback! That's a great question and I've seen droners use a range of quote sheets from hardly any information on how the quote price was calculated to sheets that have so much info the clients are probably overwhelmed with details.
Most of the time, when I get a new client, I meet with them and give them an overview of what I can offer. In that presentation I go over how I price my work, which breaks down right along the lines of the drone pricing tool, so when they get the quote sheet and it outlines things like number of crew members, drones (and other equipment being used), mileage, and deliverables (which maps directly back to the software for processing); they're familiar with the break down.
But that's pretty much how my quote sheet looks: a brief description of the project, The crew members and roles, the equipment being used, deliverables, any special costs (time or money) unique to the project, mileage, deliverables, and time estimate.
I'm going to make an update to the workbook soon including a way to bundle value packages and have those rollup into the quote. I will try to add an option to generate a quote sheet people can deliver their clients as well.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends Thank you for taking the time to respond. I’m looking forward to take a look at this update, that sounds interesting to start with !
@@BassAnywhere My pleasure... I plan to have it ready for rollout by the end of October.
On the Pricing Page, in the blue area where you have checkboxes for the software, my chart shows false 5 times.? Any help there
Hello Brock and thanks for supporting the channel by purchasing Quick Quote for Drone Work. Quick question, did you populate the software section on the Rate Sheet page as described at the 6:54 mark in the video?
@@WildWonderfulWeekends yes. when I first opened spreadsheet it said FALSE where yours shows checkmarks. Once completed following steps it remained the same
@@brockdavis834 Got it... sorry it's giving you some trouble. I just checked the link and it seemed to download correctly for me. Let me send you a fresh copy to try again. What is the email address you used to purchase the Quick Quote sheet with? Or, maybe easier, can you reply to the email you received the Quick Quote from my BuyMeACoffee page?
Looks amazing but the but you a coffee site won't take my payment. Tried 4 cards.. too bad
Oh wow, that's interesting. Is it giving you a specific error or just time out?
Thanks for a great product, this is something I can even adapt to use in my sewing business. :)
Thanks so much!! Let me know if I can help with that. :)
@@WildWonderfulWeekends thank you!
Thanks for posting this video. Very interesting and might help some people in figuring out what they need to charge. I'll share it with our Mavic 3 Enterprise Thermal group and see what they think!
Awesome, thanks! I really appreciate that.
Thanks for sharing good review ❤😊
Thanks my friend!!
no PayPal? how do I receive software?
Hello Beame! I found "Buy Me a Coffee" much easier to use than PayPal because it manages a lot of the behind the scenes stuff for me like messaging and software delivery.
Once you buy the software, you receive and email with a link to create a copy of the pricing tool in your Google drive.
Thanks for checking out my video!
So I just paid now to learn how to use!
@@beame2185 Thank you for buying it, that means a lot. If you have any trouble, let me know.
@@WildWonderfulWeekends Everything worked out fine, I was not too far off on me out of my head last job quote! and that was good to know. nice work. So, when you said extra insurance not needed do it still included my regular insurance cost?
@@beame2185 That's awesome, good job calculating and knowing what to charge. So many don't and under charge.
Good question, the "extra insurance" I mention there is for when you already have insurance on your drone, or a DJI Refresh plan... basically anything protecting your tech investment... but you may take a job that requires you to purchase insurance to cover any liability you may have to property or personal damages. For instance, if I fly in a chemical plant to inspect their infrastructure, I always have to buy extra insurance to reasonably cover my risks on site.
Hi, can this be changed to UK format?
I almost pressed buy, but after failing to find it online I've just made my own in an hour. Thanks
Congrats!
Did the link in the description not work for you?