We were lucky to catch up with Steven and Kimberly Durecki recently and have shared our conversation below.

Steven and Kimberly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

When we first came up with the idea of doing aerial photography/videography for Real Estate there was really no one doing this but a couple of people. I have always been an avid remote-control hobbyist and had been flying remote control airplanes and helicopters for over 20 years when drones made a big impact on the RC world. When I started out, you had to build your own drone. I started from scratch and built a custom DJI 450, which I hard mounted a GoPro camera to it. Drones did not even have gimbals back then. I took a photo of my home via drone and thought the photo was amazing, so I printed it. After showing others, they also wanted photos of their homes, so I was doing it for family and friends, when I realized hey this is a great idea for Agents who are selling their homes so that they can show it off along with the property. I was introduced by one of my real estate friends to a company that did photography for real estate agents. We began working with them and providing aerial photos and aerial videos for their clients. The demand was so great that we quickly became a successful full-time aerial company. We knew that aerial photography/videography would be a great service to help sell a home or property. Homes on the lakes and with acreage are always a must to film because this gives the potential buyer a look at the property and surrounding area via drone. At this time Hollywood was also using drones for their movies, commercials and television programs, and we saw a huge market for this type of service. Not only did we do real estate, but we were also filming most events in SE Michigan including the Michigan State Fair, Renaissance Festival, the Pontiac Silverdome Implosion, musical events, documentaries, weddings and celebrity homes. Possibilities were endless. We knew that no matter what market, there was a need for aerial photography/videography. We strictly were an aerial company for the first 6 years and then we incorporated interior photography and videography services so that we were a one stop shop for real estate agents.

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As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Starting my business has given me a great opportunity to do other ventures. I was very fortune to be a pioneer in this industry and it gave me many advantages in my region.

Along with being FAA licensed drone pilot. Our company is also on call 24/7 for Macomb County Emergency Management, we have done search and rescue, worked for Channel 4 News, and my work was featured on The Science and Discovery Channel. Just last month we received our first IMDb credit for a movie we did.

I also am the creator of a certificate drone course at Oakland University here in Michigan. I teach the rules and regulations of flying a drone, how to get your FAA License and how to fly a drone. I also train students from all over the US how to fly drones. I am one of 9 instructors for the largest online drone school at UXV University in Phoenix, AZ

As the saying goes, “Do what you love, and you never feel you have worked a day in your life”. Every day I love what I do and can’t wait for the next day to see what new adventures Great Lakes Aerial Video Services bring my way. Being a husband and wife team also works perfectly for us as we both love what we do.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses

I have always been an entrepreneur. We have owned several businesses. I realized at a young age that I did not want to work for a company. I bought my first business in 1987. I was flying remote control 1/4 scale airplanes and needed a fiberglass part. I went to buy the part from a company and the owner mentioned he was selling. I saw this as a great investment and knew that I could make the company he had even bigger. He mentioned that someone put a deposit on the company and right then and there I told him if it falls through to please call me. Well it did, and I started manufacturing fiberglass cowls and wheel pants for remote control airplanes. We renamed the company Fiberglass Specialties Inc. The business started in the basement of my home and soon grew to where I needed a large shop. At the time there were only 2 businesses like mine in the US and I shipped my products all around the world. In 2002 I was ready for something new, so we sold our business and Fiberglass Specialties moved to Arkansas.

We then purchased 2 landscaping companies, combined them, and named it Complete Lawn Care Specialties until 2016 when we sold those. During this time, my wife started a computer repair business in 2011 named The Computer Clinic. Kim had a passion for technology and was always helping family and friends with their computer problems, hence the idea to open up a business. Her computer skills and knowledge for learning taught her how to edit videos, becoming the editor and creator of all the videos that we produce at Great Lakes Aerial Video Services. I feel very blessed to have had successful businesses, with of course a lot of hard work and dedication. If you have a dream, go for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greatlakesaerialvideoservices.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatlakesaerialvideo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatlakesaerialvideoservices
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/great-lakes-aerial-steve-and-kim-durecki-8b3b0b54/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreatLakeAerial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0OD7A5KLzttxr1BF0pWN2w
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/greatlakesaerialvideo

Image Credits
@greatlakesaerialvideoservices