{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Drone to 1K Podcast by Drone Launch Academy","title":"S2/EP 2: Sinuhe Montoya from DroneQuote","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2405,"description":"Sinuhe is Founder of DroneQuote a company that specializes in helping roofing and solar companies better understand what’s happening on a roof through drone survey imagery. Sinuhe started working installing solar panels on new roofs for residential and commercial purposes. He had to get on roofs to take measurements and conduct surveys and was afraid of heights. In thinking there had to be a better way, he bought a small drone with a camera and started seeing potential and benefits such as being able to: Take far more accurate measurements and SELL better Get a better understanding of what was happening on the roof AND save time Pay more attention to details because fear of falling didn’t prevent him from noticing details Stay SAFER! “My first $100 drone was very rudimentary; it taught me how to fly a drone and allowed me to open my mind to the concept of utilizing a drone. There was an opportunity and I learned from it.” When Sinuhe learned he could transmit an image to a receiver, he needed something more sophisticated, so, in February 2014, he sold his motorcycle to buy a real TBS (Team Black Sheep) drone for $3,400. That first drone lasted until the day he crashed into a pine tree, falling 30 feet to the ground and smashing it into smithereens. Lesson learned for anyone just starting to get into drones...don't overestimate your confidence because you will pay through the nose!”   David:  So, at that point, you're working for a solar installer and using the drone to make your life easier in your current job, right? Yes. The drone, Sinuhe says, enabled him to generate more sales, which made him more sales commission by using it—it paid for itself—but his company wasn’t paying for him to have it. “I realized that I had something on my hands that nobody was using for that purpose. I was also speaking with well-to-do clientele. When I entered a house whose living room was the size of my entire house, I shifted from trying to sell solar to learning what that...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/N4B8LvcYj1Md1O9Ufm_-FlKexGyHUxtb28bXE1PPXVQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQwMDA1LzE2Nzkz/NjMyOTgtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}