Jensen Air LLC is a North-Dakota based drone business specializing in real-estate photography. After a year of drone coverage with SkyWatch.AI, Preston Jensen takes us on a first hand tour of his Drone Business experience.
In 2018, Preston Jensen got his Part-107 certificate and officially opened Jensen Air LLC, taking his passion for drones and photography to the next level. Like any new business, Jensen was facing some crucial challenges.
Location and Weather
The weather in North Dakota can make it very challenging to maintain a drone photography business 12 months out of the year. A good year would be eight months of flying, however, in reality, it might be less.
In the past, the only way to get drone insurance in North Dakota was to take out business insurance for the entire year, with specific inclusion of drone operations. With SkyWatch.AI’s monthly plan, Jensen Air has been able to activate insurance specifically for the months needed. By pausing his policies during winter, he managed to stop paying extra for months not used.
Optimizing Expenses
There’s no way around it, you have to spend money to make some money. When opening a business there are some on-going operational expenses which are challenging to optimize. Insurance being one.
Many insurance companies require one policy per drone and as Preston grew his business and more drones were added, he didn’t want to pay for each drone separately. As SkyWatch.AI's liability insurance covers all drones under one policy, Preston could add more drones to his fleet without additional expenses for his drone liability insurance.
When it comes to ongoing savings, flying safely over time decreased Preston’s premiums to an even lower rate. “When we initially signed up for the insurance, we were already saving a lot of money.” says Preston. “After a few months, we saved even more money because we are getting a discount based on our safety performance.”
Lastly, during better winter days, Preston utilized the hourly coverage option for specific flights. “If there is a nice day for flying during a month that we don’t insure our fleet - that is no problem. We can buy insurance for our specific location for that day at a fraction of the cost. The flexibility and cost of this insurance cannot be beat,” said Preston.
"Our SkyWatch.AI drone insurance policy is a crucial aspect of our business plan."
Approaching New Customers
Marketing your drone business is a tough task as you have to build trust and create a relationship with your clients from scratch. Clients are looking for peace of mind not only with the final product but also for safety.
“We feel that by ensuring our company with SkyWatch.AI, our brand is more powerful. SkyWatch.AI is backed by many of the drone industry leaders,” adds Preston. “The peace of mind aspect is also in effect for us. After we meticulously plan for each flight according to FAA laws, it is great to know that if something goes awry, we are covered.”
Furthermore, working with both the mobile app and web portal has allowed Jensen Air more control in the field and in the office. “I find it very useful on the bookwork side of the business. You can see your account status, past payments, and send your Certificate of Insurance to clients at any time.”
"If you are a new pilot getting into the drone industry, you should give SkyWatch a shot. You do not have to sign any long-term contracts and you can modify or cancel when needed. We have also had great experienced with their customer service. Any time we have asked a question, we have heard back immediately. We have absolute confidence in putting SkyWatch.AI on front because it is a great product for a very affordable price.”
SkyWatch.AI is proud to work hand in hand with drone business owners from across the country. So many industries are being positively impacted by the work of drone pilots and we are committed to providing the proper insurance solutions to help these businesses achieve their goals.
Learn more about Jensen Air at https://www.jensenairllc.com/.
