Lessons Learned From Industry Experts

What advice can others offer us in building a successful drone based business?

Today we get a full blast of advice on starting a drone based business and understanding what makes large and small businesses successful in today’s industry.  From past episodes of the Drone Radio Show, we’ll hear from several experts, including Matt Dunleavy of SkySkopes, Guy Cherni of Atlas Pro, Eric Freeman of Alpha Unmanned Systems, Siggi Hendrichs of Notifleet, Chris Anderson of 3D Robotics, Abbey Spicher of DART Drones, Christine Spitine of Blueye Robotics, Steven Flynn of SkyTango, Michael Read of Skybase and Ken Hanes of UAS Pro Pilots.  Some of the comments offer different points of view, while others reinforce similar concepts and experiences.  Together, when presented in a single stream of consciousness, the lessons learned from these individuals is provides a quick resource of what to do to be successful.

In This Episode

• Jump In Head First. Matt Dunleavy of SkySkopes advises UAS entrepreneurs to jump in head first and exude the virtues of being nimble, scrappy and humble. For those that do, he feels the industry will reciprocate the efforts and maybe even disproportionately so to their benefit. Full Podcast Interview
• Get your idea out in front of as many people as possible. Siggi Hendricks of Notifleet encourages entrepreneurs to get their idea out in front of other people. Build a prototype if you can and try to find out how your idea can solve a problem. Full Podcast Interview
• Don’t wait to figure everything out. Abby Spicher, DART Drones has learned the value of not allowing perfectionism to get in the way of moving forward. You’ll never get everything figured out, so you just have to put your head down and keep working at it. Listening to clients and developing course offerings that will address their needs is a critical lesson learned. Full Podcast Interview
• Deliver Full-Service Solutions / Deliver Products that Provide Value. Guy Cherni, Atlas Dynamics, observes that the drone ecosystem doesn’t really have an established structure right now. It’s fragmented and many companies are trying to create portions of the overall solution. Guy advises companies to consider full service drone solutions and to gain an understanding of the mass market process in China to produce quality drones efficiently. In this industry, entrepreneurs need to make products that deliver value. Full Podcast Interview
• Strive to Target and Deliver a Complete Drone Solution. George Mathew, Kespry Drones, feels that the more a company delivers complete solutions for customers, the more likely they’ll succeed. He advises entrepreneurs to think beyond just the piloting of a drone, and think about what the application of the data that’s generated from drones will deliver. Ultimately customers will react to things that just work on their behalf. Full Podcast Interview
• Align Yourself with Proven Partners. Eric Freeman, Alpha Unmanned Systems sees a disconnect in what companies say they can do and what they can actually deliver. Entrepreneurs have to do their research. Full Podcast Interview
• Never Give Up. Christine Spitine, Blueye Robotics talks about the importance of being persistent and having big goals. For those trying to start their own business or create a new product, her advice to never give up.  Keep your commitment to your vision and if you encounter a “no”, find other people or avenues to move forward and dream big. Full Podcast Interview
• Protect Your Business and Livelihood. Steven Flynn, SkyTango, talks about the challenges drone operators face when trying to meet clients’ desires and demands while following the rules. He observes that it is difficult for an industry to grow and thrive if there is no compliance. Full Podcast Interview
• It’s a Business – Run it That Way.  Ken Hanes, UAS Pro Pilots sees lot of people take their drones into someone’s office and announce their presence as drone operator. But to the client, they’re just another guy trying to sell them something. Drones don’t themselves. It’s a business and operators need a plan and they need to figure out how to be competitive. Full Podcast Interview
• A Rewarding Career. Mike Kerstein, Scout Aerial Media says drone industry is one of the most exciting industries that you can get into. There may be some challenges in getting certified and up and running, but the rewards are worth it. Full Podcast Interview
• It’s not about the drone. Chris Anderson, 3D Robotics advises entrepreneurs to focus on solving a real world problem with data, not on the hardware.  Enterprise, SAS, data standards, software integration doesn’t sound sexy, but that’s how advanced technologies have real world impact. Full Podcast Interview