Today we’d like to introduce you to William McNeely.
William, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started this business in April of 2017. The idea to start it came from the fact that I love technology and I always wanted a company of my own so that I could give customers the service they deserve and treat employees with the respect they deserve. I am very dedicated to successfully running a business that will cater to the needs of the customer. I may be a small company but I try to offer my knowledge of technology and abilities to the customer to provide them with the best service that I can. When I originally started this company it was to provide inspection service for roofers and construction companies who may need something inspected prior to beginning or even prior to quoting a job. I would utilize my drones to see and inspect areas that maybe too dangerous for a worker to climb to safely or even cost effectively. I.E. needing to put up scaffolding or even bring in a scissor lift. I wanted to create a safe and more cost effective way to see the areas that may have been plain unsafe. But I realized that I loved to take photos with the drones and that is why I added to my business and the ability to take photos for real estate and events. I simply love providing options and services to my customers. I just recently brought on a partner to help bring the business to the forefront of drone photography.
Has it been a smooth road?
Well I am still rather new so to say it has been easy would be crazy. That being said times are pretty rough due to the fact that this is truly a new type of business. People still don’t fully understand what my business really does. It can be difficult when people don’t know exactly what you are capable of. This requires that I advertise twice as hard as say a contractor or a florist. These industries are well known and don’t need a whole lot of explanation as to what they do. I on the other hand need to really explain what can or cannot be done with drones. Not to mention the restrictions and bad press drones have had over the past couple years. But I will continue to keep trying to get the word out to show the wonderful things drones can do.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Drone Inspection Solutions, LLC story. Tell us more about the business.
Well as I said before I do high risk inspections and photography for a number of real estate and events. So I really specialize in photography but a very specialized type of photography. I am truly proud of the fact that I am a family owned company. To me being family owned is important. We have so few small mom and pop companies left in this world. I think the biggest thing that sets me apart from other companies is that I offer a lot of different options for how I will use my drones. I don’t just do one type of inspection or I don’t just do real estate but I try to provide all types of photography. I will even custom design a package for someone who maybe wants to record an event like say a wedding or birthday party but maybe doesn’t want to spend hundreds on a photographer who sits on the ground and takes photos. I mean let’s face it these days anyone with a cellphone and a good eye can take pretty good photos. But I can take ground and aerial photos that will blow you away.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I am hoping that this industry takes off and I can move to a store front and hire some more employees and really expand out. I think this will really rely on the FAA and their restrictions being lifted a little. The current restrictions can be a little limiting to what can and cannot be done. I would love to see the technology really reinvent what photography really is.
Pricing:
- Inspections are $120/Hr. (2 hour minimum)
- Real estate is $100/Hr. (2 hour minimum)
Contact Info:
- Address: 16632 W 145th Place
Lockport, IL 60441 - Website: www.droneinspectionsolutions.org
- Phone: 815-839-8177
- Email: wmcneely@droneinspectionsolutions.org
- Facebook: @droneinspectionsolutions.org
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/drone-inspection-solutions-lockport?uid=PhXmL3yb73Vv_NhY4bba6Q&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
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