From Helicopters to Drones: Brandon's $50K Startup Journey in Agricultural Aviation (D$1K S 7 Ep 3)

Our guest for this episode is Brandon Beal of Elevation Aerial Application.
🚁 Highlights from this episode:
-Brandon came from a traditional aviation background working with helicopters before transitioning to drones in 2017. He moved to Virginia during COVID to pursue his dream of agricultural drone operations.
-Starting with a $50,000 loan, Brandon and his business partner launched Elevation Aerial Application, focusing on spraying and fertilizing Christmas tree farms, corn fields, and pastures using DJI Agras T40 drones.
-In their first year, they generated $50,000 in revenue. By their second year, they've expanded to three drones and reached $170-180,000 in revenue. Their services help farmers reduce chemical usage by 30% and decrease reliance on manual labor, particularly in Christmas tree operations.
-They're now developing a client portal where farmers can track their fields, request services, and manage application records - showing how they continue to evolve and improve their agricultural drone services.
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